DIGGER | Official Trailer<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\nPOSITIVES<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For better or worse, Digger is not the film that was initially advertised throughout some tight-lipped advertising, but it is one of the most audaciously ambitious swings from Inarritu, whose satirical comedy pertaining to climate catastrophe, corporate hubris, and the overall absurdity of political power uncovers one of the most scathingly relentless commentaries about our society in recent memory, gifting what is undeniably one of the year’s most unpredictable engagements that is sure to inevitably divide audiences once more on his unique brand of storytelling. This falls directly on the consequence to unload one bravely bold twist in the opening act that shapes the rest of the two hour narrative, not only recontextualizing the entirety of our characters in ways that trivialize the depraved spectacle that is mainstream media, and how those in power constantly get ahead of the directional narrative, but also an expansively compelling form of believable world-building that appraises legitimate value in the therapeutic escapism of the arts, leaving the crumbling ruins of the world outside of its narrative depicted as grimly bleak, in order to convey the urgency of the situation that we find our own real-world dependencies currently in. Combining ecopolitical talking points with fictionalized entertainment might not feel like they immediately blend seamlessly with one another, but Alejandro balances them more accordingly the longer that the film persists into its second hour, granting us an intimately introspective scope of the humanistic stakes that hang in the balance, all the while never losing shape of the satirized angle that it’s attempting to shape with such larger-than-life characters, and while its execution is far from perfect, especially in the grasp of a visionary who helmed some of the decade’s best films in Birdman or The Revenant, it did manage to keep me compelled by the air of ambiguity with the story’s intentional direction, providing some legitimate substance for another Inarritu film that could’ve easily just preoccupied itself with immersive style. This is of course not to say that the movie isn’t another siesta for the senses, as everything from the intricate meaning of the characterization assembled from luxuriously radiant set designs, to Emmanuel Lubezki’s spellbinding cinematography, to Cosmo Sheldrake’s atmospherically absorbing instrumentals, enacts an absurdist experience that revels eccentrically in the madness and mayhem of those involved, cementing another effortlessly intoxicating experience that feels meticulously plucked for the biggest screens conceivable. Lubezki has made a career out of utilizing unorthodox angles, long take edits, and contorted framing techniques to conjure a one-of-a-kind presentation that feels exclusive to Inarritu’s sensibilities, but the cover story this time around is how Lubezki dabbles in intentionally mundane color pallets to emulate the unforeseen direction of the narrative, where its sense of banal artificiality to the imagery becomes artistically justified once audiences are let in on the bigger picture, all the while allowing the motions of the lens to interact so instinctually with the erratic tendencies of its characters. As for Sheldrake’s instrumental compositions, the themes themselves certainly embody a whimsical air of chaos so disarming that they articulate the maniacal mayhem of those in charge of the world’s well-being, but most importantly utilize atmospheric elements of the many unique settings to play rhythmically to the increasingly elevated speech patterns of its corresponding characters, with conductive examples of leaking pipes, chirping birds, and incessant commotion from the masses rendering an unwavering persistence that breeds some much-needed tension into the authenticity of the environments, cementing a creatively encompassing score that feels so distinctly unlike anything else in its category, and one certainly deserving of awards attention. On top of everything previously praised, the make-up and prosthetics department also do a remarkable job of transforming Tom Cruise before our very eyes, allowing one of Hollywood’s most familiar faces to disappear seamlessly before our very eyes into an aging and bloated oil tycoon who doesn’t abide by the idea that appearances play into the idea of projected success. While Cruise’s rampantly supercharged deliveries go a long way in bringing this character to life, the thinning grey wig, subtly aging make-up designs, and full body fat suit prosthetic effortlessly solidify the deal for better, without anything even closely resembling shoddy craftsmanship to distract and detract away from the merits of the praise-worthy performance. Cruise captivates endlessly with an egregiously unhinged energy of over-the-top deliveries so psychologically influential that they feel like a natural emulation of a real person, held together seamlessly by a thick Texan accent whose detectable inflections piercingly penetrate during a 12-minute vitriolic lashing against EU delegates, that was among my favorite scenes of the entire movie. Cruise’s commitment to Inarritu’s exaggerated antics enacts a physically demanding performance that feels second to none of anything that he’s delivered over the last decade, and while some will have flashbacks of his iconic turn as Rex Grossman in 2008’s Tropic Thunder, there’s a bombastic selfishness to his demeanor that feels unique to this particular portrayal, affording him a resiliently authoritative turn worthy of limitless acclaim. While this is undeniably Cruise’s showcase, Riz Ahmed is perhaps the closest at matching his intensity and anxiousness as an environmental scientist tasked with forecasting the forthcoming doom, with Ahmed effectively delivering earnestly under aggressively urgent moments, with Riz’s charismatic dependency doing dividends to under-the-influence moments articulating his character’s anger and disappointment under these circumstances.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NEGATIVES<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pleasantries end there, however, as Inarritu’s well-documented indulgences nearly get the better of his direction in the same ways that compromised Bardo, resulting in some prolonged scenes that do little to alleviate the impatience of an audience caught in the crosshairs of contentious pacing consistencies. While I do believe that a story of this magnitude earned every square inch of a two hour runtime, there are quite a few scenes that are prolonged unnecessarily to further hammer home intentions that were made distinguishably clear minutes earlier, such as those pertaining to Digger’s relationship with his ailing feline, or an initial meeting with John Goodman’s presidential character, which egregiously repeats many of the same talking points within the same scene. While the relaxed editing practices of Stephen Mirrione and Conor O’Neill do a remarkable job of allowing the camera to breathe alongside these eccentrically electric characters, their reluctance during overlong depositions had this film feeling every square inch of its aforementioned runtime, particularly during an opening act that required a bit more time than expected to churn out the meaningful momentum required to invest in such morally detestable characters. Likewise, the four screenwriter cooks of this movie’s creative kitchen occasionally leave the dialogue of the movie feeling a bit heavy-handed in conveying subliminal thematic impulses, making it feel like the Inarritu and his other co-writers lacked the confidence of effectively communicating with some audiences who will inevitably wither on the investment scale. Part of what I always appreciated about Inarritu’s previous efforts is that he didn’t deduce his writing to accommodate the audience, instead requiring them to delve deeper into what was transpiring on-screen, in order to understand the bigger picture, and while much about Digger thematically dissects a platitude of creative dissection, I found it among the most effortlessly coherent of his feature films, and because of such leaves the conversations a bit dejecting when characters quite literally spell things out while practically looking directly into the camera. If this isn’t enough, the movie advertising itself as a satirical comedy falls by the wayside of comically inconsistent material that fall so flat on the intense energy of its ensemble, almost entirely as a result of dissected material that isn’t always funny when reflectively relatable to everything that we’re experiencing in our real world. If the film were funnier then the requirement to relive the everyday traumas of the audience wouldn’t feel as crucially condemning as it is here, but unfortunately there’s little creativity to the individualized gags beyond what was spoiled in the trailers, and despite the occasional few laughs during the opening act making for an effortlessly indulging engagement, the long-term consistency left plenty more to be desired, shaping bleakly grim material that wipes away some of the escapist factor of the arts, that the movie spends ample time prioritizing. Finally, while Tom Cruise and Riz Ahmed are in top form, and even some memorable supporting turns from Jesse Plemons and John Goodman do more than enough to move the needle, an extensive ensemble inevitably leaves some credible actors from reaching their truest potential, such as Sandra Hullard and Michael Stuhlberg, who are both tragically wasted with thankless roles that leave them minimal opportunity to stand out. If these weren’t Academy Award nominated performers, then I could’ve forgiven their corresponding misuses, however the production’s excess of riches soon becomes a detracting component towards recognizing the collective ensemble, and as a result leaves both of them serving as background decorations that feel forgettable at best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
OVERALL
Digger is a bombastically exaggerated maximalist satire that is held together by the masterful filmmaking from Alejandro Inarritu and his expressively enamoring production, but also an all-in performance from Tom Cruise doing much of the movie’s heavy digging. While the film is unavoidably divisive, as a result of an opening act twist that will expand for some while expulsing for others, it’s the most unpredictably engulfing experience by its ability to seamlessly blur the line between fantasy and reality, surmising an audaciously absurd big swing that won’t soon be forgotten by anyone who experiences it theatrically.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My Grade: 6.2 or C<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Directed by Alejandro G. Inarritu Starring – Tom Cruise, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman The Plot – The most powerful man in the world (Cruise) embarks on a frantic mission to prove he is humanity’s savior before the disaster he’s unleashed destroys everything. Rated R for pervasive language DIGGER | Official Trailer POSITIVES For better or […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":9946,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[15,21,22],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/thefilmfreak.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9945"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/thefilmfreak.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/thefilmfreak.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thefilmfreak.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thefilmfreak.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9945"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/thefilmfreak.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9945\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9947,"href":"http:\/\/thefilmfreak.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9945\/revisions\/9947"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thefilmfreak.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9946"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/thefilmfreak.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9945"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thefilmfreak.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9945"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/thefilmfreak.com\/wordpress\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9945"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}