The Dig (2021) Review

Another week in Lockdown and another Netflix film to watch and this time it is The Dig and here is my review for it. The premise of the film is based on true events and sees an archaeologist embark on a historically significant dig in The UK. 

Main Character

Ralph Fiennes is a great actor but this is one of his best yet, he plays Basil Brown and is tremendous. He just nails this performance in his accent is absolutely on point, he really commits to it and does a great job of giving a relatable and likeable character in the lead role here. Carey Mulligan plays the woman who hires Brown for the job and she was also very good, she is a tough woman and I liked the dynamic between the two characters, Mulligan develops as the film progresses and it is effective and that is due to the high quality of her performance. 

Supporting Characters

There is a decent sized supporting cast but I find it hard to say too much about them, Lily James, Ken Stott, Johnny Flynn & Ben Chaplin all give really solid performances and show they are good actors but they aren't really given anything to work with. For me the film started to focus way more on these characters then was necessary and it took away from the film, it wasn't due to the quality of acting it was just the fact that they were dull characters. 

Story

The story is interesting, to a point. The first half of them film was the most interesting seeing Brown trying to work out exactly what he is excavating and what it could mean, also this is where Fiennes and Mulligan really shine and their dynamic is the most explored. But there is just no denying that it thinks it is more interesting then it is and falls short. It also doesn't help that in the final act of the film the story focuses more on the supporting characters and Fiennes in particular fades more into the background and it really hurts the film. 

Script

The script is functional and decent, kind of like this film. There are some decent bits of dialogue and the main characters are well written but there isn't any real big moment that stands out and it does feel like the film does lack some punch to it. 

Style 

The style of the film has good cinematography and good direction showing the landscape of the film and how good the scenery looks for this film because it is a highlight. But this film has a pretty slow pacing to it and at times it moves at a snails pace and it does hurt the overall feel for the film. 

Overall 

Overall, this is an above average film with some really good acting. Though I would say this is only one to give a chance if you like really well acted films with a base in history but for most people this is one you can give a skip. 

Rating - 6/10