[Photos &] Tom Cruise's 'Digger' transformation: Potbellied, balding and set for a bold new mission hitting theaters Oct. 3

Hollywood's iconic action star 'Tom Cruise' returns to the screen looking completely broken down. His new film 'Digger,' set for release on 'Oct. 3,' is a 'black comedy' about the downfall of a greedy oil tycoon who triggers a climate catastrophe. Ahead of the release, Cruise and director 'Alejandro González Iñárritu' have confirmed plans to visit Korea, drawing intense attention from the country's film industry.

A 9-meter glacier crack marks the beginning of a disaster that swallows a peaceful life

The morning of oil tycoon 'Digger Rockwell' (played by Tom Cruise) begins perfectly, as usual. A routine filled with brilliant sunrises and his cat by his side, with everything seemingly under control, is shattered by a single report. An ice crack measuring a staggering '9 meters' has opened near the oil-drilling facility Rockwell built in 'Greenland.' Rockwell initially dismisses the news, but soon realizes that the crack signals a global 'climate disaster.' The film 'Digger' incisively examines how one man's endless greed threatens humanity's survival. The film is directed by 'Alejandro González Iñárritu,' the acclaimed filmmaker who swept the Academy Awards with 'Birdman' and 'The Revenant.'

Tom Cruise strips away the hero's face and exposes greed in its raw form

The film's most startling attraction is 'Tom Cruise's' remarkable acting transformation. The flawless hero image he showed in 'Mission: Impossible' and 'Top Gun' is nowhere to be found. Playing an embodiment of aging ambition, with a protruding belly and thinning hair, Cruise offers a visually startling new image from behind. Rockwell is a ruthless capitalist who calculates the financial loss at his 'drilling facility' before he considers human lives, even in the face of a horrific explosion. His pathological obsession with his cat, 'Maggie,' symbolizes not respect for life but a blind desire to control his own possession. His arrogant refusal to listen to anyone else takes precise aim at the modern world's 'old man who thinks he knows best.'

A political establishment ignoring the climate crisis delivers a chilling satire of reality

The film's cutting edge extends beyond Rockwell to the hypocrisy of 'U.S. politics.' The conduct of President 'Compson' (played by John Goodman), the vice president (played by Michael Stuhlbarg) and the rest of the leadership is caricatured to an almost grotesque degree. Even in the face of clear scientific facts — methane leaks are melting glaciers and tsunamis are striking the 'European coast' — they obsess over concealing the truth and constructing a 'false narrative' to deceive the public. It strongly recalls former President 'Donald Trump's' dismissal of climate change as a mere 'hoax' and the episode surrounding the withdrawal from the 'Paris climate agreement.' Compson's blind hostility, as he equates himself with the nation, is a bitter mirror of reality.

A moment of reflection that commands the screen asks viewers to weigh responsibility

As the story reaches its climax, the film raises a weighty question through Rockwell's dramatic change in attitude. His confession, delivered after he finally confronts his own wrongdoing and appears before the public, goes beyond simple remorse. His insistence on the necessity of the 'oil-drilling facility' strikes at the core of 'modern people' addicted to the comfort provided by fossil fuels. Ultimately, it exposes the painful truth that responsibility for the climate catastrophe lies not only with one greedy capitalist but with 'all of us' who have tolerated our own convenience. 'Tom Cruise' commands the film's complex emotional arc and leads audiences into deep reflection.

Truth shaped by a master's aesthetic — and an official visit to Korea

By the time it reaches its conclusion, the vicious joke at the heart of 'Digger' transforms into an 'apocalypse' that could become reality at any moment. Cinematographer 'Emmanuel Lubezki,' a three-time Academy Award winner, reunites with Iñárritu and deepens the film with imagery that is both breathtakingly beautiful and devastating. Meanwhile, 'Tom Cruise' and 'Director Iñárritu' will visit Korea ahead of the release. They will meet Korean fans at an official press conference on 'Oct. 1' and a red-carpet event on 'Oct. 2.' The film runs for '128 minutes', is 'rated for ages 15 and older,' and will open in theaters nationwide on Oct. 3.