THE DIG (2021) – Review

Word of this week’s new movie release, all about archeology, may have quickened the pulses of many action film fans. Perhaps visions of a daring, rugged adventurer escaping insidious death traps, battling vicious rivals and their burly henchmen, rescuing damsels in dire distress, and snatching up mystical riches swirled in their fevered brains. Or perhaps of heroes facing peril from an ancient evil, released from the tomb to cause havoc and horror may come to mind for many. Well, maybe the word that this is based on an actual event puts the brakes on those expectations of Indiana Jones and monstrous mummies. Turns out it’s tedious and filthy work with dirt in your boots and embedded under fingernails. Ah, but despite that, along with power politics, there’s still the thrill of discovery. That may be the biggest “find” in the new “docudrama THE DIG.

The story doesn’t begin in a humid jungle or in an arid desert. It all starts on an overcast, chilly day in 1939 near Woodbridge in Suffolk, England. After a brief ride in a local’s boat, Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes) pedals his bicycle through the countryside to an opulent mansion. He has an appointment with the lady of the house, Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan), a widow with an energetic nine-year-old son Robert (Archie Barnes). She takes Basil to the land behind her home to a field dotted with several mounds of soil. Edith wants to engage his services as an archeologist to dig up whatever is beneath them. Basil is a bit hesitant as the local Ipswich Museum is keen on exploring a discovered Roman villa, but after a bit of negotiating, and despite a visit of the Ipswich director Reid Moir (James Ready), Basil accepts the job and will live at the estate in the servant’s quarters. He quickly becomes a mentor to Robert who is keen on all the sciences (he even wears a foil hat after his hero, Buck Rogers). This is a relief to Edith, whose weakened condition stems from a childhood heart ailment. As aircraft swoop in from the skies overhead in preparation for a possible war, Basil discovers two ancient rivets, possibly from a ship. In need of more aides than his two locals, Edith brings in a distant cousin, the nomadic photographer Rory Lomax (Johnny Flynn). And after meeting with Moir, he then contacts Charles Phillips (Ken Stott) of the British Museum who brings in several scientists to reveal the seventh-century burial ship deep below the mound. Included in the crew are the husband and wife team of Stuart (Ben Chaplin) and Peggy Piggott (Lily James). But can they explore the site and discover its secrets before the country enters this armed conflict engulfing nearly all of Europe?

A big switch from his usual suave, “upper crust” roles, Fiennes slips into the skin of determined “digger” Basil as though the part were a pair of old dependable work boots (the kind he’s wear on the mounds). Fiennes captures the tired stoop of a man who’s spent most of his life outdoors toiling from sun up to sundown. But he also gives him dignity and a feeling of pride in his skills. And though he’s considered “working class”, Fiennes conveys that Basil’s zeal for learning and natural curiosity has not dimmed at all since his youth. Yes, he’s often gruff and stubborn, but he shows a real tenderness as he nurtures young Robert’s interests and as he deals with his employer. Mulligan’s quite believable as the aristocratic Edith, who never puts on “airs” around anyone, especially Basil. She shows us Edith’s adventurous spirit as she visits the mounds, but it’s tinged with sadness as her heart continues to fail her. Edith doesn’t quite give in to despair, as Mulligan slows her stride and lets us see her delight of motherhood while knowing her boy will soon be on his own. She perhaps sees Basil as a mentoring uncle who challenges her intellect and honesty. All while being an “older sister” in spirit to the adventurous Rory who is given the full rebel “good bad-boy” vibe (he‘s going into the services, camps outdoors, and rides a motorbike) by the dashing Flynn. It’s no wonder that he catches the eye of Peggy who James plays as a neglected wallflower finally bathed in sunlight and ready to blossom. Also of note are the twin pompous “supervisors” played with prickly charm by Stott and Ready, along with the warm-hearted spouse of Basil played with subtlety by Monica Dolan.

Director Simon Stone captures the quiet country life of 30s England, while always letting us know of the chaos to come, with newspapers and the radio bracing the land for the upcoming conflict (those planes are always zipping above). He keeps the story moving at a leisurely assured pace which adds impact to an early scene showing the real dangers of exploration (a real scare for the claustrophobic). The relationship and emerging friendship between Edith and Basil is quite compelling and progresses naturally. Unfortunately the script by Moira Buffini, adapting the novel by John Preston, veers into romantic clichés in the second half with the Piggott/Lomax love triangle that veers into the swooning predictable soap territory as she’s rebuffed by her hubby prompting her to free herself (why, without those spectacles she’s …) with the headed to war Rory. Despite this sappy subplot, the locations and period settings are lovely and the whole finding of the boat and the ancient money is quite involving. Those elements, combined with the teaming of Mulligan and Fiennes, make THE DIG well worth exploring.

3 Out of 4

THE DIG opens in select theatres and screens exclusively in the St. Louis area at the Hi-Pointe Theatre along with Landmark’s Plaza Frontenac Cinemas