Tom Cruise goes for it in "Digger," a big, showy apocalypse comedy that matches and even one-ups the performer's outsize energy. After a decade of franchise fare, it's a reminder that Cruise is still one of our finest actors, and that at 64, he still has plenty more to offer the world of film than death-defying stunts in "Mission: Impossible" sequels.

To be fair, "Digger" is a bit of a death-defying stunt in its own right. Cruise appears underneath pounds of makeup to become Digger Rockwell, a wealthy oil tycoon and master of the universe who wields mighty global power.

The stunt here is Cruise finding the man underneath the prosthetic potbelly, and he fully inhabits the character beyond the balding hairline and thick Southern accent. The fear is some sort of outlandish two-hour version of his garish "Tropic Thunder" Les Grossman shtick, but those worries wash away as Cruise not only slips into the character but brings him to life.

A catastrophic scenario presents itself for which Digger bears responsibility, and he and his allies — including U.S. President Compson (John Goodman, chewing the appropriate amount of scenery) — go into major spin control. Their concern isn't necessarily stopping the inevitable, but making sure they look OK coming out of it.

Digger and Compson are joined by Riz Ahmed as Ganesh, a scientist and desperately needed voice of reason; Sandra Hüller as Digger's half sister; and Jesse Plemons as Kenny, a tech magnate with a cloudy backstory that is eventually made clear. "Digger" is part "Dr. Strangelove," part "Don't Look Up," a kind of caricature of power and the malignant goons running our doomed world.

There's nothing subtle at play in "Digger," as subtle has never been the language of director Alejandro G. Iñárritu, the double Oscar winner behind "Birdman" and "The Revenant." Everything here is purposeful, deliberate and grand, from the performances to the stunning shot compositions of cinematographer Emmanuel Lubezki (himself a triple Oscar winner, for "Birdman," "The Revenant" and "Gravity") to the triple underlined global warming message that is at the center of the film. Everything is as quiet as a fire alarm.

That goes doubly for Iñárritu's approach, which comes with a built-in high-wire act, which doesn't seem to be entirely necessary. It's like going to the store to get milk but taking the longest route possible, which involves jumping over an entirely avoidable pit of alligators along the way. Maybe skip the alligators and just go get the milk?

But that's not how Iñárritu or Cruise are built, and the audaciousness of their stunt makes "Digger" a bold experiment on top of an already lofty presentation. There's an astonishing showpiece in the center of the film which updates Gordon Gekko's "greed is good" speech from "Wall Street" for our modern world, and Cruise delivers it with aplomb. A smaller swing wouldn't yield such bombastic results. But "Digger" plants its feet, drives its shovel into the ground, and strikes oil.

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'DIGGER'

Grade: B+

MPA rating: R (for pervasive language)

Running time: 2:08

How to watch: In theaters Oct. 2

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