Digger, by Iñárritu with Tom Cruise: review of an uncomfortable climate satire

Digger, by Iñárritu with Tom Cruise: review of an uncomfortable climate satire

In short: Digger is Alejandro González Iñárritu’s new film, with Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell, an oil magnate whose empire faces a global environmental disaster. It has been in Panama’s cinemas since 1 October, according to the Cinemark listings. It is a strange, uncomfortable climate satire. My take: it is not a rounded film, but it takes a risk, and I prefer that to one that risks nothing.

Film details

DirectorAlejandro González Iñárritu
LeadTom Cruise (Digger Rockwell)
CastSandra Hüller, John Goodman, Jesse Plemons, Riz Ahmed, Sophie Wilde, Michael Stuhlbarg and Emma D’Arcy
GenreComedy and climate satire
In PanamaIn cinemas since 1 October

Cast details from SensaCine; Panama date according to the Cinemark listings.

My review

I had been looking forward to Digger, and not only out of curiosity about seeing Tom Cruise in such a different register, but because Iñárritu is one of those directors who never leave you indifferent. And he did not leave me indifferent.

The film is a climate satire: strange, uncomfortable and, at moments, brilliant. Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, a Texan oil magnate, bald, with a belly and a bad temper that hides a fragility I never quite understood. The story starts when his empire faces an environmental disaster with worldwide consequences and he, of course, refuses to take any responsibility.

What I liked most is how Iñárritu uses humour and absurdity to make you uneasy. It is not a laugh-out-loud comedy; it is a comedy that makes you feel odd and forces you to look in the mirror of a system that all of us, in some way, feed. The film makes it clear that the climate crisis is not the fault of a single villain but of a complex structure we are all part of.

It is true that it is risky. Cruise puts himself in a vulnerable position and there are moments when the experiment comes close to disaster; some international criticism, such as IndieWire‘s, considers it a misstep. But I will take a film that gambles and half fails over one that risks nothing any day. Digger is not rounded, but it is brave, uncomfortable and it stays with you. For me, that is already a lot.

Key fact: Digger, by Alejandro González Iñárritu, with Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell, has been in Panama’s cinemas since 1 October.
Frequently asked questions

What is Digger about?

It follows Digger Rockwell, an oil magnate played by Tom Cruise, whose empire faces an environmental disaster with worldwide consequences. It is a climate satire with absurd humour.

Who directed Digger?

Alejandro González Iñárritu.

Is Digger a comedy?

It is a satire with absurd, uncomfortable humour, closer to dark comedy than to laugh-out-loud comedy.

Where can you watch Digger in Panama?

In cinemas: the film has been showing since 1 October, according to Cinemark Panama.

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By Deilys Romero

Deilys Romero is a writer at Radar Panamá. A business administrator with a specialisation in accounting, Venezuelan, 48, she covers the economy, companies, taxes and SME management with a practical approach. Based between Panama and Colombia, she closely follows the business activity of both countries.