Neil Young Praises ‘Digger’: ‘The Best Film I Have Ever Seen’
Neil Young has called Tom Cruise’s film *Digger* “the best film I have ever seen”, arguing that critics have overlooked its artistic and political meaning. His praise stands out because the film has divided critics and is struggling at the box office.
Writing in his newspaper, Young described *Digger* as an artful reflection of today’s political and social climate, and advised readers to see it without relying on reviews. Two weeks after release, it had earned about $38 million worldwide; Variety reported it would need $350 million to break even. The film was the last released by Warner Bros. before its merger with Paramount, and other supporters include Jane Fonda, Guillermo del Toro and Anne Hathaway.
- Neil Young called *Digger* the best film he has ever seen.
- The film has grossed about $38 million worldwide.
- Young sees it as an artistic reflection of contemporary life.
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Tom Cruise stars in Digger, a film that has drawn sharply different responses from critics and audiences. Neil Young is a musician who also writes for his own newspaper, where he has discussed the film’s artistic and political themes.
A film’s box-office earnings are compared with the costs of making and promoting it, but the amount needed to break even can be difficult to establish. Digger’s release also came as Warner Bros. was preparing to merge with Paramount, two major film studios.
Both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Young’s praise makes the case that Digger’s artistic and political meaning deserves attention beyond its commercial performance or mixed reviews. A film can take creative risks and reflect its moment in ways that critics miss, so viewers may reasonably prefer to judge it for themselves.
The case against
The sceptical case is that strong praise from a prominent supporter does not establish that the film succeeds artistically or politically; critics’ reservations may reflect shortcomings viewers should take seriously. Its reported box-office receipts, far below the stated break-even figure, also suggest it has yet to find a broad audience, though that alone does not settle its quality.