Digger Review Roundup: What Critics Are Saying About Tom Cruise

Critics are sharply split on Digger, the new Tom Cruise film directed by Alejandro G. Iñárritu. Some call it a bold satire with one of Cruise’s best performances, while others find it heavy-handed and unfunny. It sits at around 53% on Rotten Tomatoes and 44 on Metacritic, according to Gulf News.

What is Digger about?

Digger is a dark political satire. Cruise plays Digger Rockwell, a powerful oil tycoon, under heavy prosthetics. According to Warner Bros., the story follows the world’s most powerful man as he rushes to prove he is humanity’s saviour before a disaster he caused destroys everything.

The film runs on dark comedy and ends with a theatrical twist that many reviewers discuss at length. We will not spoil it here, but several critics say the ending shapes how you feel about the whole film.

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Cast and crew

• Director: Alejandro G. Iñárritu, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind Birdman and The Revenant
• Writers: Iñárritu, Alexander Dinelaris, Nicolás Giacobone and Sabina Berman
• Cast: Tom Cruise, Riz Ahmed, John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Emma D’Arcy and Sophie Wilde
• Cinematography: Emmanuel Lubezki, who has worked with Iñárritu before
• Producers: Iñárritu, Mary Parent, Tom Cruise and Michael Sharp

Release date and where to watch

Digger released in cinemas and IMAX on 2 October 2026. In India, Warner Bros. Pictures is distributing it, and the film was shot entirely in VistaVision, according to Indian Television. It is a theatrical release for now, and no streaming date has been announced.

Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic scores

Digger had a Tomatometer score of about 52% to 53% in its first week, while the audience Popcornmeter stood at 72% on Rotten Tomatoes’ first reviews round-up. Metacritic lists it at 44 out of 100. Gulf News reported that it is Cruise’s worst-reviewed film since The Mummy (2017) and the lowest-rated film of Iñárritu’s career.

The gap between the critics’ score and the audience score is worth noting. Viewers seem warmer towards the film than reviewers, though early audience numbers often shift.

What critics liked

The strongest praise is for Cruise himself. Randy Myers of the San Jose Mercury News called the film one of the year’s surprises and said this may be Cruise’s best work. Brandon Zachary of Screen Rant described the performance as terrific and versatile, and felt the film speaks to current politics.

Tim Cogshell of Alt Film Guide went furthest, comparing the film to Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove. Philip De Semlyen of Time Out insisted the film is genuinely funny and told readers to ignore critics who say otherwise.

The look of the film also won fans. Kristen Lopez of The Film Maven said nearly every frame looks like a painting. Several reviewers singled out Riz Ahmed’s supporting turn, and Allison Rose of FlickDirect felt John Goodman could get awards attention.

What critics did not like

The negative reviews are strong and come from major trade outlets. Owen Gleiberman of Variety said the film is not funny and borrows the structure of Dr. Strangelove without its subtlety. He saw it mainly as a showcase for Cruise.

David Rooney of The Hollywood Reporter compared it unfavourably to Babylon and Amsterdam, and found its climate satire smugger than Don’t Look Up. David Ehrlich of IndieWire called the comedy clumsy, though he enjoyed watching Cruise’s intensity on screen.

William Bibbiani of TheWrap made one of the sharpest points: that this is the kind of film about evil billionaires that real billionaires would enjoy. Alonso Duralde of The Film Verdict also found its message lacking in nuance.

The mixed middle

A number of critics landed in between. Ian Sandwell of Digital Spy called it a fascinating misstep that is rarely dull. Amy Nicholson of the Los Angeles Times did not fully love it, but said she was glad such a strange film exists at all.

Joey Magidson of Awards Radar praised Riz Ahmed and the ending, but felt the film never settles on a tone. That complaint about tone comes up again and again across reviews, positive and negative.

How the studio is responding

Instead of hiding the split reviews, the marketing has leaned into them. A new ad places praise and criticism side by side, with words like “masterpiece” set against “unpleasant”, and asks viewers to decide for themselves, according to Gulf News and TheWrap.

Who should watch Digger?

Based on the critical consensus, Digger is worth a ticket if you want to see Tom Cruise do something very different from Mission: Impossible. Fans of Iñárritu’s visual style, and of big, loud political satire, will find plenty to talk about.

If you go in expecting an action film or a light comedy, critics suggest you may be disappointed. Viewers who found Don’t Look Up too preachy may feel the same here. For more coverage of new releases, browse our Reviews section and the latest Hollywood news.

Frequently asked questions

Sources: Rotten Tomatoes first reviews, Gulf News, Warner Bros. Discovery, Indian Television.