According to Variety , Digger recently had an early screening for film critics and the press. However, the film is receiving a range of mixed reviews, from "bizarre" and "disturbing" to "a cinematic masterpiece".
Expected to be a major hit for this year's awards season, director Alejandro González Iñárritu's (the man behind Birdman and The Revenant ) satirical dark comedy Digger sparked intense controversy right from its premiere.
Matt Neglia, founder of Next Best Picture , commented that this is Tom Cruise's most transformative and interesting role in years. However, he also argued that Iñárritu's ambitious script was unbalanced, overly reliant on bizarre but empty performance elements.
Digger sparked controversy after its early screening. Photo: Warner Bros.
Meanwhile, Variety analyst Clayton Davis paid tribute to the director's risk-taking: "Tom Cruise and John Goodman deliver outstanding performances, and the production design and cinematography are impressive. While some details aren't entirely cohesive, I wish the film had explored the absurdity and satire it aims for more thoroughly."
Conversely, some critics were merciless in their criticism. Joey Magidson ( Awards Radar ) called the film "a mess" and unentertaining. Writer Edward Douglas even predicted a "disastrous" audience rating (CinemaScore), while journalist Mike Ryan bluntly described the film as "annoying."
Nevertheless, Digger received glowing reviews from academic critics. Jim Hemphill of IndieWire asserted that it was not only Tom Cruise's best performance since Magnolia (1999) but also "one of the most daring and visually innovative films ever made."