Digger, writer/director Alejandro González Iñárritu's new apocalyptic black comedy where Tom Cruise slaps on old-age makeup to play an uber-rich cowboy oilman, is one of the year's great box-office calamities. Based on Digger's commercial performance thus far, it may be a while before we get another star-driven big-budget passion-project art film. For the most part, Digger reviews have also been dismal, but there's a passionate core of supporters out there who insist that it's a great, vital, important work of cinema. One of them is my friend Jayson Greene, who wrote a New York Times op-ed about how Digger is a "secret masterpiece." Another is Neil Young, who calls it "the best film I have ever seen."
Neil Young posted a passionate defense of Digger on his Neil Young Archives website last week, and it has been making the rounds ever since. As someone who hasn't yet seen Digger, I can certainly understand how its values might align with Young's own, but his all-out conviction on this subject is still a little surprising. Here's what Young says about it:
Digger is the best film I have ever seen. None of the reviews I have read describe this film adequately, in my opinion. They seem to miss the overall effect and most of them are negative. This film lives in a world of art. It is its own best review. Don’t read any other reviews and forget this one before you see Digger.
Digger cannot be seen as a Tom Cruise film – that would be misleading. I would describe it as a film of our times. Tom Cruise is the actor playing the main character. I do not view this film as a commercial venture. Rather it is an artful film of our times. The things that are said in Digger are a direct reflection of today’s political and social world. The film is so full of artful expression and radical change ups, that it may be too much to take in for those expecting a commercial film like we are used to today.
Artfully created and directed, this story is so familiar that it may be missed. It is today’s world of politics and commercial overload. A must see for those frustrated by the lack of genuine engagement present in much, if not all, of today’s offerings. Digger is not to be missed.
You must see it with an open mind. Stick with it when you are sure it is no good. Stay. Don’t be confused by its approach. This is the greatest film – work of art I have seen, and that’s just my opinion. You must stay open and see it. Forget everything I said.
I haven't seen Digger yet, but apparently it's required viewing now.