Entertainment

Barry Wurst: ‘Digger’ is flawed, often brilliant and over-the-top

Alejandro Iñárritu's "Digger" is a flawed film, with a near fatal, spell-it-all-out speech late in the second act. Yet, it has far more to recommend it, particularly for adventurous filmgoers who don't want to see the same old thing at the multiplex.

Cruise stars as Digger Rockwell, a mega-wealthy oil tycoon whose latest debacle has resulted in a gigantic environmental crisis. However, far more pressing to Rockwell is the health of his aging cat Maggie, who is barely alive and played by a convincing and hilarious puppet. Rockwell feeds her expensive tuna and dotes on her while the world that garnered his towering empire crumbles around him.

The real star isn't Cruise but cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki, whose every shot in every scene is visionary and beautiful. Lubezki also filmed "Children of Men" (2006), Iñárritu's "Birdman" (2014) and my favorite movie "The Tree of Life" (2011). Lubezki's cinematography in "Digger" will be studied in film schools, and the visual effects, sets and make-up are also phenomenal.

The film's central theme deserves to remain a secret, though "Digger" has as much to say about theater as "Birdman" (2014) and, in some ways, plays like an inverted version of it. The less said about what unfolds, the better. Make no mistake: If you're planning to see "Digger," the biggest screen possible is essential.

The drawback isn't the story and screenplay, which was created by six writers and clearly needed to be trimmed before filming. Actually, I enjoyed how unpredictably "Digger" plays, though a real drawback is composer Cosmo Sheldrake's score, which is sometimes lovely but often blaring and too on-the-nose.

The most pivotal misstep occurs right before the third act: Jesse Plemons (playing a character whose identity I won't divulge) gives a lengthy monolog that is too obvious and on-the-nose, summarizing everything we already know. It's a touch suggesting a distrust in the audience absorbing everything as intended. Plemons delivers his speech just fine, but his lengthy discourse isn't necessary. Thankfully, this sequence doesn't derail the film entirely, as the third act has far quieter, startling revelations.

Cruise's performance gets better and better as he leans into the character's depth and contradictions. I couldn't always forget who was playing the role, but there is a richness in the way Cruise cleverly plays Rockwell that lingers in the mind and will hit differently with subsequent viewings.

The title of the film should have been "Rockwell," as it's not just the main character's last name but reflects the Americana of Norman Rockwell, who painted definitive visions of our past that are awash in nostalgia and little else.

The political barbs in "Digger" are not about specific parties or contemporary figures but geared towards the cult of personality and aging billionaires having excessive access to power.

Iñárritu's best is still the completely nuts, overindulgent and extraordinary "Bardo" (2022), which is on Netflix but hasn't been seen by many.

The press already has its claws out for "Digger" and will likely use it as an example of excess and grand artistic failure, but seeing the film only confirms that it is too much -- a big difference from all the films that don't try to be much of anything.

As it's been reported, the film's massive ambitions, cleanly split audience and movie critics response, and doomed commercial prospects have resulted in an instant cult movie. Anyone who saw "Bardo" would be better prepared for how wild Iñárritu's latest becomes from the first scene onward.

"Digger" reminded me of "Synecdoche, New York" (2008), "The Hudsucker Proxy" (1994) and "The Million Dollar Hotel" (2000), all controversial, acquired tastes that were mostly dismissed upon release. I love those movies.

Iñárritu's film is an imperfect overreach, full of brilliance and unafraid of alienating an audience. In a couple of years, it will likely be seen as another "Idiocracy" (2006) in the way it mirrors the contemporary U.S. but for now, it's this year's "Joker: Folie à Deux" (2024), another movie I loved with an eventual following and belated appreciation to come.

(3 out of 4 stars)

Barry Wurst II is the founder of the Hawaii Film Critics Society and teaches film classes at University of Hawaii Maui College.