Tom Cruise’s ‘Digger’ Is Already One of the Most Divisive Movies of the Year, and Critics Can’t Agree on Anything

Awards season films have a funny habit of splitting critics right down the middle, but few recent releases have managed to generate quite this wide a spectrum of reactions. When a movie gets called both a career-best performance and an unwatchable mess within the same news cycle, you know something unusual is happening.

That’s exactly the chaos surrounding Tom Cruise’s latest project, his first genuine star vehicle outside the action genre in nearly a decade. After months of secrecy surrounding the production, the film has finally screened for press, and the resulting reactions have been anything but unanimous.

‘Digger’ is dividing the film press right out of the gate, with early reactions ranging from “baffling,” “unpleasant,” and a “mess” to “a brave and gorgeous art film,” according to Variety. Directed by Oscar winner Alejandro González Iñárritu, the satirical black comedy casts Cruise as Digger Rockwell, an extraordinarily wealthy and oblivious oil tycoon whose Greenland drilling operation triggers a global environmental disaster he then scrambles to fix.

Some critics walked away genuinely frustrated with the finished product. Awards Radar’s Joey Magidson didn’t mince words, calling the film “a mess” and adding that “this wasn’t enjoyable” and that “not a whole lot works here.” Journalist Mike Ryan echoed that sentiment more bluntly, simply describing it as “unpleasant.”

Variety’s own awards columnist Clayton Davis offered a more measured but still mixed take. “I respect the swing and what Alejandro González Iñárritu is going for,” Davis wrote in Variety’s coverage of the divided reactions, praising both Cruise and John Goodman’s performances along with the film’s production design, while noting that “not all the dots connect” by the film’s end.

DIGGER is a very mixed bag. You’ll get what it’s saying, and the concept is interesting, but it doesn’t trust the audience enough not to hold its hand. Riz Ahmed is great. The Cruise performance is solid. Hard to do satire when the absurdity is so prominent in reality. pic.twitter.com/SzhcTaztWB
— Kristen Lopez (@kristenklopez) September 22, 2026

A.G. Iñárritu's Digger is a brave and gorgeous art film that will not score with mainstream audiences but will play best for the Academy, especially crafts and actors. But critics will divide on Cruise. The tour-de-force amphitheater scene might put him across. Riz Ahmed is fab.
— Anne Thompson (@akstanwyck) September 22, 2026

DIGGER: Alejandro González Iñárritu continues to take big swings and make bold choices as a writer and filmmaker. While this film certainly won’t work for everyone, I found the pairing of Iñárritu and Tom Cruise to be an engaging and one of a kind experience. Cruise really does… pic.twitter.com/1oOxHBGAJh
— Scott Menzel (@ScottDMenzel) September 22, 2026

Very mixed on DIGGER which had things I liked (Cruise’s performance included) and things I found absolutely insufferable. I wasn’t a devoted Inarritu hater before this but now I kind of get it! Riz Ahmed innocent
— Hoai-Tran Bui (@htranbui) September 22, 2026

Digger is the biggest swing of Cruise's career. It's either going to blow your mind or you'll have other thoughts when you learn what is really happenng in Iñárritu's masterfully directed film. Avoid spoilers. Alan Ng and I have very different thoughts. @mypalal #Digger…
— Chris Gore (@ThatChrisGore) September 22, 2026

I cannot say that Digger is very good, although I could tell what Iñarritu and Cruise were going for. There is a major reveal (not a twist) towards the end that almost justifies the craziness… but it will be a tough movie to review, and I expect a HORRENDOUS CinemaScore.
— Edward Douglas (@EDouglasWW) September 22, 2026

“Digger” not only showcases Tom Cruise’s best performance since “Magnolia,” it’s one of the most visually inventive, conceptually audacious, and unpredictable studio movies ever made. Takes so many bold aesthetic swings it makes “Bardo” look like an episode of “The Golden Girls.”
— Jim Hemphill (@JimmyHemphill) September 22, 2026

DIGGER is my favorite film of ‘26 — I avoided spoilers, so the surprises had an incredible impact.

A bit Kubrick, a bit BLACK MIRROR but also feels original — a surreal, weird, funny study on (human) nature and storytelling.@TomCruise’s performance ranks among his career best. pic.twitter.com/bOm4wlNroa
— Jake Hamilton (@JakesTakes) September 22, 2026

DIGGER: Often unfunny and flat, and yet… González Inñárritu is uncommonly focused here, and for various reasons that must wait to be discussed this is pretty fascinating as an exploration of one’s place in the face of the apocalypse; unsuccessful but surprisingly provocative.
— Ryan Swen/孫天行/Sun Tien-hsing (@swen_ryan) September 22, 2026

DIGGER is not at all what it seems on the surface. What begins as an over-the-top comedy of gigantic satirical proportions suddenly turns into a meta, somber commentary on the bleak state of the world we’re inevitably heading toward, our inability to stop it, and what we’ll… pic.twitter.com/AYTaRaGNYl
— Matt Neglia @NYFF (@NextBestPicture) September 22, 2026

DIGGER is a timely examination of powerful, wealthy narcissists manipulating the public narrative for their gain. It is very goofy, though not particularly funny, while also dissecting itself being this way. A satire about the role of satire. Fascinating stuff, (1/2)
— The Oscar Expert (@expert_oscar_2) September 22, 2026

On the opposite end, several critics have come away genuinely floored by what Iñárritu pulled off. IndieWire’s Jim Hemphill reportedly called it Cruise’s best performance since ‘Magnolia,’ praising the film as one of the most visually inventive and conceptually audacious studio movies made in years. Fellow IndieWire critic Anne Thompson described it as a bold, gorgeous art film unlikely to connect with mainstream audiences but perfectly positioned to resonate with the Academy, particularly in the crafts and acting categories.

A new trailer for ‘DIGGER’ has been released.

In theaters October 2. pic.twitter.com/kTEeFZI14E
— Film Updates (@FilmUpdates) September 9, 2026

Other journalists have joined that camp as well, with Next Best Picture founder Matt Neglia calling it Cruise’s “most dynamic and interesting role in years,” even while acknowledging the film’s narrative ambitions occasionally outpace its execution.

Part of what’s fueling the intensity of these reactions is just how rare this kind of role has become for Cruise. In the past decade, his only non-action project has been 2017’s ‘American Made,’ meaning audiences haven’t seen him take this kind of creative risk in a genuinely long time.

That rarity alone has made ‘Digger’ a lightning rod for discussion, regardless of where individual critics land on the film itself. Whether audiences ultimately side with the skeptics or the believers, the sheer range of reactions has already guaranteed the film will be a major talking point heading into its theatrical release.

One man’s profit is everybody’s problem. 👀 DIGGER hits theaters and IMAX October 2. 🎬 #DiggerMovie pic.twitter.com/udaYINMMs4
— Home of knowledge 🇺🇲 (@HK_Newss) September 22, 2026

With ‘Digger’ set to open in U.S. theaters October 2 through Warner Bros. Pictures, general audiences will soon get the chance to form their own opinions on a film that’s already proven nearly impossible for critics to agree on. Given how sharply divided the initial reactions have been, this could end up being one of the more genuinely unpredictable box office and awards season stories of the fall.