Critics Split on Iñárritu's 'Digger': Tom Cruise's Boldest Gamble Yet

Alejandro González Iñárritu's "Digger" has divided critics after early press screenings in New York and Los Angeles, with the London premiere now underway. The apocalyptic satire, starring Tom Cruise as an oil baron in "Dr. Strangelove" mode, stands alongside "Dune: Part Three" as one of Warner Bros.' major fall Oscar contenders.

Cruise, 64, plays Digger Rockwell, an outsize tycoon oblivious to the world outside his chaotic orbit. In the film, his drilling in Greenland has triggered a dire expulsion of methane gas and dislodged an ice shelf from a glacier — one now barreling toward Europe with the potential to cause a tsunami and cataclysmic disaster.

Iñárritu co-wrote the script with Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone — his collaborators on "Birdman" — and Sabina Berman. The cast includes Riz Ahmed as scientist Ganesh, Sandra Hüller as Digger's irascible half-sister and business partner, John Goodman as a dictatorial U.S. president with anal cancer, Michael Stuhlbarg as the feckless vice president, and Jesse Plemons as a mystery figure whose role comes into focus late in the film. A divisive twist early in the movie upends its entire premise.

The first reactions span the full spectrum. Variety's Clayton Davis predicted that "the divide on this one is going to be wide." IndieWire's Anne Thompson called the film "a brave and gorgeous art film." Others dismissed the end-of-the-world satire as "unfunny." Critics are especially divided over the over-the-top performances, though the turns by both Cruise and Ahmed already draw strong praise.

The role carries clear Oscar stakes for Cruise. A four-time nominee, he has never won a competitive Academy Award despite claiming an Honorary Academy Award last year. He is already on the campaign trail, with a first-look GQ interview that included a semi-shirtless photo spread suggesting a potentially vulnerable tell-all — an empty promise, by most accounts, in a mostly boilerplate sit-down.

Behind the camera, Iñárritu's trusted cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki returns. Oscar-winning production designer Dennis Gassner ("Bugsy") supplied an intentionally dreary yet meticulously rendered end-times aesthetic. Cruise also worked beneath a heavy layer of prosthetics; the actor claims he cut the makeup-chair time from six hours to just one.

IndieWire previously reported a $125 million budget on "Digger," or higher per some insiders — hardly Iñárritu's biggest spend next to his Best Director-winning 2015 survival epic "The Revenant." With marketing and awards campaign costs included, the film will need to earn upwards of $300 million worldwide to break even, according to an insider.

"Digger" opens wide on October 2, including on IMAX and in VistaVision in several locations. Whether a film this polarizing can bridge the gap between critical prestige and commercial survival will shape the trajectory of both Cruise's Oscar campaign and Warner Bros.' fall slate.