Digger Rockwell has long been a successful oil mining man; his own grandfather was once a successful miner in the past. But disaster strikes following an explosion on one of Digger’s sites, sending an iceberg hurdling towards the European continent. Convening with the President and has cabinet, Digger must work out the best way to solve the problem… while all the while still looking the part of the hero.
Is there any harder working actor than Tom Cruise? For over four decades, this guy has continued to give us amazing entertainment, and occasionally, go so far against type that he’s practically unrecognizable. That sums DIGGER up well in terms of its look. The production quality is fantastic and the makeup work on Tom Cruise is so immersive you’d have no idea who it was if no one told you better. There’s even a supporting cast of excellent actors…
…but DIGGER falls well short of greatness. The movie has a great cast, the production values are great, and at times it even manages to get out a decent one liner. How could a movie with this many resources behind it be so horrible? Or, perhaps even worse so… boring?
Let’s start with the heart of the matter; that being Tom Cruise’s performance as Digger Rockwell. Just five minutes into the movie, this guy’s bitter demeanor and grating voice (it sounds like he was taking speech lessons from Michael Rooker) got on my last nerve. Usually within the first 10 minutes or so of watching a movie, I can tell if it’s someone I want to take the two-hour-plus journey with. “It’s going to be a long and bumpy ride” was what went through my mind just a few minutes into the movie. All the fantastic special effects and makeup work in Hollywood are all for naught if we don’t like the character. Is his performance here one for the Oscars, or one for the Razzies? I have a feeling both camps will have solid arguments.
The movie also throws in an unnecessary twist that further drags out the running time, which seems to draw inspiration from THE TRUMAN SHOW, ASTEROID CITY, A HOUSE OF DYNAMITE, and even MUPPET BABIES. If this story had played it straight, it could’ve been a solid enough “black comedy” not unlike DR. STRANGELOVE. Instead we have something that’s overlong, overplotted, and drags on endlessly with no end in sight. And it continues to pile on plot points without delay, further extending the running time. Narrative structure is an afterthought in DIGGER, as this viewer quickly discovered.
The advertising for the movie is just as confusing as the film itself, but this is somewhat understandable, because, how do you advertise a movie like this that, for better or worse, transcends genre norms? DIGGER feels like the typical “Oscar Bait” movie that stars, producers, and directors put out around awards season, but I have a feeling this is one movie where no one will be taking the bait.
I didn’t dig DIGGER, and it’s not hard to see why. Tom Cruise’s title character is bitter and unlikeable despite the solid makeup work on his character. Narrative structure is lacking where it does exist at all. And despite an ensemble cast of some of the best actors in Hollywood, it’s… boring. How does that even happen. DIGGER is bad… and not even in a “so bad it’s good” way. Without question this is the worst movie of 2026… so bad there’s not even a close second. I have a feeling people will be talking about this one for years to come… whether it’s going to land on “Worst Movies of All Time” lists or get a critical re-evaluation. Either way, I won’t be watching again. It’s a cinematic disaster of epic proportions.