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The Dig Movie Review

The Dig is a 2021 historical drama film directed by Simon Stone and starring Ralph Fiennes. It’s a slower paced, but very charming and thematically interesting period piece.

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“There are some things we just can’t

succeed at no matter how hard we try“

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An excavator and his team discover a wooden ship from the Dark Ages while digging up a burial ground on a woman’s estate. This movie is based on a real historical event that happened at the Sutton Hoo burial site where they found Anglo-Saxon remains just at the eve of World War II. The movie serves as a very good history lesson that is obviously not all that truthful in characters, but it is in plot, which matters most.

I love archaeology, so this subject matter really appealed to me, and surely enough the conversations about art, culture and history were the most fascinating parts of this movie. They explored some very interesting topics such as the passing of time and the whole conflict between the museum and the archaeologist who discovered this site was dramatic and to me very sad as it’s the little guy versus the big guys narrative that happens all the time in this cruel world.

Ralph Fiennes is phenomenal as Basil Brown. He is this very sympathetic, timid older man and Fiennes is so great in a different role that is usual for him, again showcasing his immense acting talents. But Carey Mulligan was really miscast. He is terrific per usual as she is an amazing actress who always elevates the material like she does here, but simply playing such an old woman at the age of 34 was a ridiculous choice that Hollywood keeps making unfortunately.

The Dig is also less interesting in the other characters who arrive later, such as that young couple played by Ben Chaplin and Lily James. They were solidly developed, but again not that important to the story as I preferred the previous two main characters.

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The movie is also very slow in pacing and rather uneventful in the bigger scope of things, but that is also somewhat of a strength as the filmmakers did not fabricate anything for false emotion and epic feel. The cinematography is terrific and the moving is filled with that cozy, charming British imagery that will undoubtedly appeal to many older people. The direction is also pretty solid.

While The Dig is very slow in pace and rather inferior in its second half with the newly introduced characters being much less interesting, the first half is excellent, the subject matter is intriguing and the movie deals with some very interesting themes regarding history, the passing of time and the conflict in ownership. It also looks pleasing and is such a charming watch. Ralph Fiennes is wonderful in such a great role while Carey Mulligan, though terrific per usual, was unfortunately miscast in a role that should have gone to a much older actress.

My Rating – 4