October 2, 2026

The trailer for "Digger" admittedly sparked my interest. It was essentially a two-and-a-half-minute montage of Tom Cruise's legendary filmography, and it made it seem like this new film was going to serve as a sort of radical culmination of his 40-plus-years Hollywood career. But, as it is, the most astounding thing about "Digger" is just how much of a mess it is. Not only does it star and was produced by Cruise, who is usually so adept when it comes to making high-quality, spare-no-expense entertainment, it was also directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu, whose own name is justifiably tied to projects that are considered exemplary ("Birdman," "The Revenant"). "Digger" just goes to show that every film is an isolated incident, and that we can't assume any artist's superb previous efforts necessarily guarantee their new ones will be of the same caliber.