DIGGER directed by Alejandro González (USA, 2026)
The consensus would have you believe that Digger is a failure due to its poor showing at the box office. If you measure success solely by how much money a movie makes then this viewpoint is accurate.
But only small-minded capitalists casually equate profit with success or quality. Tom Cruise if no socialist but I’m pretty sure that he embarked on this project without any expectation that it would generate the same level of income as his Mission Impossible franchise.
Perhaps one reason why cinemas have not been packed out is that this not an easy film to sell. Although there is a high level of madcap farce, it’s not really a comedy. The themes are too dark, and too close to the current state of the political world, to see it as light entertainment.
The excesses bordering on the grotesque are justified given the state of the planet, and of America in particular. The mess we’re in make it entirely legitimate, even necessary, to forgo the niceties and go all out to expose the stupidity and short-sightedness of our chosen leaders.
Trump’s blinkered ‘Drill Baby Drill’ slogan openly diregards questions of the earth’s sustainabilty in favour of plundering gas and oil supplies. In the key scene of Digger the wealthy tycoon Digger Rockwell taunts an angry mob of opponents by brazenly defending his ‘digging’ in Greenland and pointing out how this has financed the lifestyle they enjoy. In other words, his recklessness funds their decadence. It’s a classic example of the End Times Fascism that we have seen growing over the past two decades.
As a satire, Digger is on a par with Dr Strangelove and it’s no coincidence that a restored version of Kubrick’s 1964 masterpiece is running in cinemas at the same time. Both films use humour and exaggeration to make a serious point. Neither provide answers and suggest that an apocalypic ending is the only logical finale.
Kubrick followed his own instincts when deciding his projects without worrying about appeasing mainstream tastes. He was not afraid to be provocative or contrary. As an auteur, González may not be on the same level but he is, nevertheless, to be congratulated for following a similarly bold and eclectic path. Other filmmakers may have compromised and held back from taking the same level of risks. Digger is an example of cinema that is not afraid to be crude and unsubtle. In my view it succeeds in what it sets out to achieve and will endure longer in the memory than the popcorn disposability of most other current releases.
Biutiful, the Spanish language film by Mexican director Alejandro González Iñárritu, has divided critics but even the most negative reviews are still full of praise for the Javier Bardem in the central role as Uxbal.
