Mention Tom Cruise, and immediate images of daring cinematic stunts come to mind—hanging off flying airplanes, leaping off cliffs on motorcycles, and executing high-risk sequences on screen. However, his latest venture presents a completely different kind of risk. In the upcoming feature film Digger, Cruise portrays a character far removed from any role he has played before.
Cruise steps into the shoes of Digger Rockwell, a Texas oil tycoon. The role required a dramatic physical transformation for the actor, featuring a receding hairline, graying hair, and a visible belly.
Directed and co-written by multi-Oscar-winning Mexican filmmaker Alejandro González Iñárritu, Digger is not only Tom Cruise’s most eccentric film to date but is also being described by critics as one of the most unusual movies ever made. Yet, its eccentricity does not translate to failure. Digger stands as a sharp political and environmental satire that tackles the ongoing climate crisis, power dynamics, and corporate politics.
Rockwell is a character driven solely by profit, showing virtually no concern for environmental consequences beyond his business empire. The narrative kicks off when an employee calls to report that oil drilling operations in Alaska have caused a glacier to split in two. Rather than acknowledging the severity of the situation, Rockwell dodges accountability, deflecting by boasting about the number of jobs his company has generated. Soon after, events spiral completely out of his control.
While such a premise might have felt exaggerated a few years ago, the pressing realities of global climate change render the storyline deeply relevant and believable today.
Given Iñárritu’s track record—including directing Leonardo DiCaprio to an Oscar victory in The Revenant—speculation arose that Cruise took on this role to chase Academy Award recognition. However, the tone of Digger challenges that theory. Industry insiders argue that an actor aiming purely for award-season favor would rarely opt for a film so overtly political, bizarre, and polarizing.
Ultimately, Digger is not designed as a conventional blockbuster crowd-pleaser. It is a bold, divisive piece of cinema likely to deeply resonate with some while completely alienating others.
