*Tom Cruise is stepping far outside his action-hero comfort zone in “Digger,” and the movie has already sparked sharply different responses from film journalists. Cruise’s performance, however, is emerging as one of the less divisive elements.
Alejandro González Iñárritu directs the black comedy, with Cruise playing powerful businessman Digger Rockwell. The character races to prevent a disaster he unleashed from destroying everything.
Early press responses collected by Variety show critics struggling to reach common ground on Iñárritu’s unconventional approach. Some admired the filmmaker’s ambition, while others felt the movie’s big ideas never came together.
Next Best Picture’s Matt Neglia praised Cruise for tackling his “most dynamic and interesting role in years.” Still, Neglia felt the movie’s unusual storytelling prevented the performance from reaching its full potential.
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Variety’s Clayton Davis also found strengths in Cruise’s work and several technical elements. However, Davis questioned whether Iñárritu successfully brought the movie’s competing ideas together.
Awards Radar’s Joey Magidson responded much more negatively, calling the film a “mess.” IndieWire’s Jim Hemphill came away impressed and compared Cruise’s work favorably with his acclaimed performance in “Magnolia.”
The role also gives Cruise a dramatic physical transformation. The superstar recently explained on the “New Heights” podcast that his makeup initially required six hours. He worked with the makeup team to reduce that process to under one hour.
The sharply different first reactions make one thing clear: Iñárritu hasn’t delivered a conventional Tom Cruise vehicle. Moviegoers can form their own opinions when “Digger” opens in theaters and IMAX on Oct. 2.
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