Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Digger Is a Messy, Uncomfortable Satire

Ava Marchetti

Writer

October 17, 2026

A shovel hitting the ground sends dirt flying in every direction. It is a fitting image for Alejandro G. Iñárritu’s Digger, a polarizing, messy satire that tackles environmental destruction, unchecked power, and the people left to deal with the fallout. Led by Tom Cruise, the film is an uncomfortable watch, but a purposeful one. Across its 2-hour-and-8-minute runtime, Iñárritu piles on themes until the film feels almost as overwhelming as the world it depicts. He packs so much into his direction and writing that it is no wonder the marketing struggled to communicate what the film was about. Beyond the basic premise of a powerful old man confronting an environmental disaster and the tagline “Digg or die,” virtually nothing was revealed about the plot. The movie leaves audiences thinking for days afterward.

Prior to Digger’s release on October 2, 2026, expectations were high for the film. A few days before its release, the review embargo lifted, revealing mixed reviews and a 41% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The film bombed at the box office during its opening weekend following the poor reception.

Whether you were looking forward to seeing Tom Cruise finally looking old, wanting to find out if it was a musical or not (spoiler: no), or were simply interested in the film as a whole, hopes were crushed. But despite its poor overall performance, Digger has such a big plot reveal in its first 20 minutes that viewers are talking about it and the film’s meaning more than ever.

Without revealing too much, Iñárritu manages to build such a layered and intriguing world based on American politics that it is almost exhausting to watch at times. Emmanuel Lubezki’s cinematography is precise, as is the blocking, both of which become even more effective once the twist is revealed. The production design is impressive, featuring grand theatrical sets juxtaposed against the characters to show how rich, ridiculous, and small they are while making changes that cost lives. The colors are purposefully desaturated to enhance the corporate and political tone of the story. It is difficult to write about the film’s aesthetic without spoiling the creative heights it reaches, but the way it enhances the film’s bold ideas is incredible and should be experienced by anyone interested.

Despite how much Digger has going on, its pacing occasionally struggles to keep up with its ambitions. The stretch between Digger’s big speech to the public and the next major plot reveal feels longer than it needs to, and some of the film’s arguments become repetitive. At times, Iñárritu seems so determined to make sure the audience understands his message that he circles back to the same points rather than allowing them to speak for themselves. Still, I was surprised by how quickly the speeches and wittier scenes went by. The ending brings the film’s ideas together effectively, and a clever surprise during the credits leaves audiences speechless. The bluntness and repetition do not take away from how disturbing the truths presented are.

Digger’s writing puts powerful figures in the middle of an impending crisis, one that is dark, heavy, and so realistic that the comedy becomes genuinely harrowing. It has been compared to Don’t Look Up and Dr. Strangelove for the way it centers on disconnected leaders dealing with a climate change crisis. These characters are extreme, and their dialogue is hilarious because the story is a satire that understands just how farcical they are.

Tom Cruise’s performance as Digger Rockwell, the CEO of an oil company, is especially impressive when combined with the film’s shifting tone. You see how out of touch he is because of his wealth, and there is virtually nothing likable about him. He is meant to be crazy, and you are meant to laugh at him. That is, until we get to a pivotal scene where Digger delivers a speech to others in power. One moment, he is funny; the next, he is commanding the room with his harsh truths about wealth and how the world is run. You begin to recognize how clearly the film is making fun of our leaders today, but then comes the realization that these people are not far removed from reality. It is distressing. The film turns harsh and bleak, and it does not shy away from its central message.

Greed and unchecked power harm the world. We need satires to shed light on these realities. We need to ensure that we have community and can cope better, and art can do just that. But at what point does it erase the harsh truths or ignore the trauma? We learn more about the disaster unfolding in the world as the story progresses, and the characters become increasingly conflicted about what is right and wrong.

Packed with quick-witted jokes and powerful monologues, particularly from Tom Cruise and Jesse Plemons as the mysterious producer “Kenny,” Digger features many impressive performances. John Goodman, as the incompetent President, takes the satire to 100, and his line readings had the theater wheezing. The supporting performances from the President’s staff, Digger’s sister (Sandra Hüller), and his assistant (Emma D’Arcy) add to the exaggerated corporate world. Riz Ahmed is also a standout as Dr. Ganesh, the head of Digger’s Environment and Security team. Ahmed portrays Ganesh’s failed efforts to be heard as the voice of reason impressively, and his arc is central to the political themes of the film.

Ganesh publicly puts the blame on Digger, who spins it around entirely with uncomfortable truths about capitalism. Yes, Ganesh tries to get these insane officials to handle the disaster better, but he is also a leader within the oil company that caused it. Where does the fault lie when the corruption is everywhere because of the way the world is run? This is one of the film’s most interesting questions, and it makes the story more complicated than a simple satire about a handful of incompetent leaders. The problem is not just the people in charge, but the systems that allow them to remain in power and the people who benefit from those systems, even when they recognize the damage being done.

Carried by funny and thought-provoking writing, great performances, and a bleak message, Digger is a film that sticks with you afterward. There is plenty of controversy surrounding Iñárritu’s film, especially after its box office performance, but maybe that failure says more about the film’s subject than its quality. Digger is messy, extreme, blunt, and, at times, exhausting. The systems the film criticizes are exactly the same. The film throws dirt everywhere and refuses to clean it up, and it works so well with the performances and production. However, these elements may be exactly why it has struggled to connect with some viewers.

Whether you find its satire brilliant or painfully obvious, it is difficult to walk away without thinking about what it is trying to say. Iñárritu asks who is responsible when everyone benefits from a broken system, and how art is made and received. Digger shows the audience how hopeless and corrupt our world is. Humanity needs art that challenges us. Sometimes, the point is not to leave the theater feeling better. Sometimes, you leave covered in dirt.

Edited by: Stephanie Rodriguez