Archive · 1 Oct 2026
Tom Cruise confronts greed and truth in Digger satire
Digger is a movie about a very rich oil businessman named Digger Rockwell.
He keeps drilling for oil even when his actions help cause a dangerous environmental disaster.
The movie makes fun of people who protect money and business instead of facing serious problems.
Tom Cruise plays Rockwell and changes his famous action-star image for the role.
Much of the story is told through a play about an earlier disaster.
The characters debate whether art should make people laugh or force them to face painful truths.
The film suggests that politicians, business leaders, artists, and ordinary people all help shape the stories society believes.
The review says the movie is both funny and upsetting while praising its cast and visual design.
Tom Cruise plays oil tycoon Digger Rockwell in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s satirical film.
Rockwell continues drilling in Alaska despite an approaching environmental catastrophe and methane-fueled fires.
The film uses a play-within-a-film structure to examine truth, political narratives, capitalism, and artistic responsibility.
The review praises Cruise’s transformation, along with performances by Riz Ahmed, Jesse Plemons, John Goodman, and Sandra Hüller.
The production combines elaborate sets, long takes, atmospheric editing, and sound design to evoke a stage performance.
- Who
- Tom Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, an oil tycoon; the cast also includes Riz Ahmed, Jesse Plemons, John Goodman, and Sandra Hüller.
- What
- A review of Alejandro González Iñárritu’s satirical film Digger, which examines greed, environmental destruction, capitalism, truth, and art.
- Where
- The story is centered on oil drilling in Alaska and includes scenes involving the White House, a mansion, a theater production, and a dystopian cityscape.
- Why
- The film uses satire and a story-within-a-story format to question how business, politics, and art respond to catastrophe and shape public understanding.
- Film
- Digger
- Director
- Alejandro González Iñárritu
- Lead actor
- Tom Cruise as Digger Rockwell
- Central conflict
- Rockwell continues oil drilling despite an approaching environmental disaster.
- Story structure
- The film includes a popular play being rehearsed in memory of people lost in an earlier calamity.
- Key themes
- Capitalism, greed, environmental destruction, truth, satire, and the role of art.
- Noted performances
- The review particularly praises Jesse Plemons, John Goodman, Riz Ahmed, and Tom Cruise.