Digger really made my head hurt for a moment. The trailer makes you believe it’s a completely different story than the one you get. From the trailer, you’re expecting to follow a crazy oil tycoon named Digger, and you’re prepared for a ride since Tom Cruise plays the role masterfully. After watching the movie, I’d say it’s closer to a post-apocalyptic version of Birdman, another movie from this director. The difference is key because the twist is very jarring. The movie follows Curtis, who is portraying Digger instead of actually being him, and that turn makes you rethink how you’re going to watch.
Tom Cruise as Curtis is amazing! Even though he’s an actor portraying another actor, it’s totally fine, and he bounces in and out of scenes easily. It’s hard to grade the movie because it’s a satire baked into “reality,” since the events of the movie actually happened in their world. I didn’t see a weak performance from any of the key supporting characters. John Goodman as the president was masterful, with hilarious lines and interactions with Digger that had me laughing a little. The chemistry worked, which made me really wish the movie was more like the premise in the trailer.
The twist is the biggest drag. Once you find out the whole thing is a play about their world, it takes the wind out of your sails. It comes in after roughly 20-30 minutes, and from then on you’re forced to rethink what the movie is about. The daughter plotline slowed things down too. You never see her, and Curtis spends the whole story on and off the phone with his wife trying to find her, which pulled me out of the movie each time.
That’s also where the missed potential is. The payoff of the twist didn’t work for me, and everything from the trailer made me want a movie that never showed up. Digger’s decisions cause world events, like bringing Europe to an apocalyptic event, but you mostly see the consequences through the play instead of living them with him. It felt like they could have either told people in the trailer or hinted at the twist, so you’d at least sense something was a little too fake.
The ending ties both layers together. The play closes with Digger’s death, and one of the producers reveals himself as Digger’s son, which makes it personal. Panning to the audience is the strongest moment in the movie. They cheer, but the tears are from people who needed retribution. Their lives were changed forever by Digger’s decisions, and they wish they could have had a hand in his demise instead of watching it happen on a stage. Meanwhile, Curtis’s daughter is found which ties up that storyline with a happy ending. Overall, I’m still a bit torn on the ending. I neither loved nor hated it.
I’m mixed on whether to recommend it. On one hand, maybe, but on the other, I’d wait until it comes out on a streaming platform. The actors did an amazing job, and I wouldn’t blame them at all. I’d blame the twist for any horrible scores this movie receives. My final verdict is to watch it at least twice: the first time you’re shocked, and the second time you’re ready for the twist and can keep a certain mindset.