Digger review roundup: Tom Cruise goes for broke in Iñárritu's love-it-or-hate-it satire
Alejandro G. Iñárritu's satirical comedy Digger, starring Tom Cruise, has split critics down the middle. Some admire its ambition and Cruise's committed performance, while others find the jokes flat and the style overdone.
The story (no spoilers)
Tom Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, a powerful man who helped set off a crisis that now threatens the world, and who scrambles to prove that he is the one who can fix it.
Directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, the Oscar-winning film-maker behind Birdman and The Revenant, the film is a satirical comedy about ambition, power and responsibility, with Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller and Michael Stuhlbarg in the supporting cast.
Where to watch or download
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The verdict
Worth seeing in a cinema if you like bold, divisive auteur films or want to see Tom Cruise in an unusual role. If you are hoping for a crowd-pleaser, critics suggest lowering your expectations.
- 53%Rotten TomatoesTomatometer, 332 reviews, 18 Oct 2026
- 46MetacriticMetascore, 60 critic reviews, 18 Oct 2026
- 76%RT audiencePopcornmeter, 1,000+ verified ratings, 18 Oct 2026
What critics say
“Rather than being a crowd-pleasing prestige picture, it's a love-it-or-hate-it folly”
“It has such lofty ambitions and go-for-broke performances, but never really connects.”
“Here's the real problem: ‘Digger’ isn't funny.”
“Digger, the eighth feature film from Alejandro G. Iñárritu, is pure, empty-headed trickery”
What works
- A fearless, go-for-broke lead performance from Tom Cruise.
- Big ambitions and a bold, unconventional visual style.
What doesn't
- Many of the jokes simply do not land.
- The flashy style can feel overdone and the satire empty.
- Never quite connects emotionally.
Digger opened in US cinemas on 2 October 2026, and few releases this autumn have divided critics so evenly. It sits at 53% on the Tomatometer from more than 330 reviews and has a Metascore of 46, while audiences on Rotten Tomatoes are warmer at 76%.
What critics liked
Admirers praise the film's nerve. The BBC's Nicholas Barber called it a love-it-or-hate-it folly rather than a crowd-pleasing prestige picture, and meant it as something worth seeing. Original-Cin went further, calling it a career-best performance from Tom Cruise. Even the Arizona Republic, which was unconvinced overall, credited the film's lofty ambitions and its go-for-broke performances.
Where it falls short
The most common complaint is that a satirical comedy needs to be funny, and many critics did not laugh. Variety's Owen Gleiberman put it bluntly, and the Rotten Tomatoes critics' consensus says the film's flashy, unconventional style is overdone, so too many jokes fall flat, even if its bigger swings sometimes connect. Time's Stephanie Zacharek was the harshest, dismissing it as empty trickery, and the Los Angeles Times described a film more interested in inertia than in answers.
The performances
Cruise is the reason many people will buy a ticket, and several reviewers credit him with committing fully to a role far from his action-hero work. Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller and Michael Stuhlbarg fill out an unusually strong supporting cast.
Should you watch?
If you enjoy ambitious, divisive films from big-name directors, critics suggest Digger is worth the gamble on a big screen, and you may well come out on the love-it side. If you want an easy, funny night out, the reviews point elsewhere.
Sources
This roundup summarises the reviews and reporting below. Follow the links for the full pieces.
- Digger critic reviews · Metacritic
- Digger (2026) · Rotten Tomatoes
- Digger (2026) · Fandango
ElysiumHub Screen Desk roundups summarise published reviews and reporting, and are written with AI assistance. Scores belong to the sites that publish them. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.