Review: Digger

Image courtesy of Warner Bros.

Although the studio system cranks out the same retreads, reboots, and existing IP year after year - and, not surprisingly, some of it flops - there's nothing that draws more scorn than an ambitious original film from a director with vision that fails. Of course, I'm talking about "Digger," Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu's mostly panned new film and likely box office bomb that plays like an anarchic satire in the vein of "Dr. Strangelove."

I'll grant the film's many critics this: The movie does not find Inarritu at the peak of his powers and, for the most part, doesn't work. It's not my least favorite work from the director (that would be his previous picture, "Bardo"), but it's a far cry from the heyday of "Birdman" and "The Revenant."

That being said, I'm glad it exists. This is a wild swing from a talented group of people that, ultimately, doesn't come together in a satisfying way, but it's intermittently engaging, includes what is likely the most interesting performance in some years by Tom Cruise, and looks great (imagine a much more expensive-looking Roy Andersson film).

It's a bit difficult to discuss the film because there's a twist about 40 minutes into it that completely transforms the way we view the material, but suffice it to say that the movie grapples with such topics as climate change, corporate greed and unchecked power, and the role of art in a world that is on the decline. In other words, there's a lot going on here and its overabundance often makes for a more frantic viewing experience, which is not necessarily a good thing.

I can only summarize what has already been seen in the trailers: Digger Rockwell (Cruise) is an oilman with close ties to the president of the United States (John Goodman), both of whom find themselves in a pickle when an Arctic rig causes a natural disaster that turns into a global crisis. Digger, who lives alone with his ailing cat, welcomes the president and his staff (which includes Michael Stuhlbarg as the vice president) to his home to sort things out.

Things get increasingly hairy as the Arctic situation leads to massive flooding in parts of Europe and Digger and company basically try to act like nothing's wrong. Sandra Huller plays Digger's sister, who operates a company that is meant to help the environment, while Riz Ahmed plays the exasperated scientist who tries to enlighten Digger and the president to the serious nature of the crisis and Jesse Plemons plays a mysterious individual who I won't discuss further.

Once the surprise occurs about 40 minutes into the picture, these early scenes - which involve a lot of men yelling at each other in a room - are interspersed with another plot line that, of course, I won't divulge. But this is where the theme of the role of art in our currently disintegrating world comes into play. The film loops back on this idea after the two plot lines have played out and led to a finale that only a bleak satire would utilize.

Inarritu is a talented director who has often made films filled with chaos - "Birdman" and "Babel," for example - but pulled them off with seeming ease. "Digger," on the other hand, just feels chaotic. It's great to see Cruise getting his first juicy role in a while, but most of the performances in the film feel dialed up to 11. Some of the jokes land, but at times the dialogue feels clunky, as if the filmmakers' portrayal of dumb American politicians and businessmen was a result of a few too many viewings of "Team America: World Police."

The subplot that I can't divulge isn't fully developed enough to make it compelling, so what much of the experience of watching "Digger" involves is people yelling at each other. There are some compelling sequences - Cruise kills it during a 10-minute speech before a European governing body - involving the characters and the picture often looks great, but it's an example of a film where I can admire the audacity more than the end result. 

So, no, "Digger" isn't as much of a misbegotten mess as you may have heard, although I can't wholeheartedly recommend it either. I'm glad that a film like this got funded, but I wish there was more to show for it.