Tom Cruise’s Digger is a disaster – I couldn’t wait for it to be over

Tom Cruise’s new movie Digger didn’t impress me much (Picture: Warner Bros. UK & Ireland) I don’t mind admitting that Digger was one of my most anticipated films of the year. From the moment I watched the wonderfully weird trailer, featuring Tom Cruise prancing around in an old man mask with a half-dead cat puppet, I was all in. It was with a certain glee, then, that I swaggered through the West End last night to watch the film, certain I was in for a treat. So did I dig it? In a word, no. In other words, I thought it was a borderline disaster that mightn’t wipe out Northern Europe but will certainly scupper any chances Cruise may have had of taking home an Oscar. Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu of The Revenant and Birdman fame, the film follows Digger Rockwell (Cruise), a wealthy cat-obsessed oil baron whose greed inadvertently causes the collapse of the Arctic ice shelf. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video As the colossal glacier approaches the European mainland, threatening a cataclysmic flood, the terrified tycoon attempts to first fix his mistake before eventually framing himself as the world’s saviour. Oh, and along the way he has to deal with the only man who dares speak the truth to Digger, the scientist, Ganesh (Riz Ahmed) and the President of the US (John Goodman) is about to die from ‘cancer of the asshole’. Sounds exciting, right? Maybe a bit amusing? Well, that’s only half the story. I can’t get into specifics for fear of upsetting the spoilerphobic people reading this, but let’s just say there’s an added metatextual element to the film which introduces ideas around legacy and the ability of the wealthy to control not just their own image but the way history perceives them. It was just too pretentious for my tastes (Picture: Warner Bros. UK & Ireland) And I’m sorry, but if you read that and got a bit lost, then you’ve basically had the same experience I did while watching the film, which, if I were being charitable, I’d call ‘a bit of a slog’. But I don’t feel like being charitable to this pretentious, pompous and smug jumble of half-baked ideas. Still, I could forgive the film for its sweaty attempts at sophistication if it was entertaining or the least bit funny (and god almighty does it try to be funny), but it’s not; it’s just irritating. Digger: Key details Director Alejandro G. Iñárritu Writers Alejandro G. Iñárritu, Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone, Sabina Berman, story by Iñárritu, Berman and Jez Butterworth Cast Tom Cruise, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons Age rating 15 Runtime 2 hours and 9 minutes Release date In UK cinemas from October 3, 2026 I hope you enjoy being reminded that this guy has a sore bum (Picture: Warner Bros. UK & Ireland) Watching this film is like listening to your dad’s middle-aged mate tell you why Queen are the best band in the world. Yeah, his pre-rehearsed speech has its moments, but for the most part you’re just nodding along, hoping to God it’ll all be over soon. Even now I’m bored trying to remember the details of its toothless and on-the-nose satire about the perils of trusting gazillionaires; that’s about as deep as a half-drunk cup of tea and just as tepid. And the real rock in my shoe is that the metatextual element gives Iñárritu the perfect out for making a bin bag full of rubbish, because if you point out that this is bad art, well, guess what, that was by design. The whole thing stinks of Cruise wanting an Oscar (Picture: Warner Bros. UK & Ireland) Digger Verdict Not even Tom Cruise’s boundless energy can save this dull and toothless satire from digging itself a hole. Now it’s easy to be mean about Digger (fun too), but I didn’t hate everything about it. I think Cruise gives a really good performance, and it’s lovely to see him remember that you don’t have to put your life at risk to make a movie. Admittedly, his performance definitely has the whiff of ‘I desperately want an Oscar,’ which I think may disqualify him (the Academy hates desperate Oscar bait; just ask Bradley Cooper), but will probably get him a nomination, and I can forgive Cruise that indulgence considering how much energy he gives the character. I also enjoyed the slightly arch and grotesque world that Iñárritu builds around his morally bankrupt protagonist, even if it is all artifice and no real substance. Still, would I recommend this film? Nah, it is Dig-meh. Digger digs its way into cinemas on October 2. Arrow MORE: The Love Hypothesis is the BookTok film everyone wanted – but they forgot the sex Arrow MORE: Tom Cruise praised for sweet gesture with Princess Kate on Digger red carpet Arrow MORE: You’ll want to watch Daisy Edgar-Jones in Sense and Sensibility again and again Switched On Get plugged into the week’s must-watch shows, unmissable moments, and expert reviews with Metro TV Editor Sabrina Barr.