The Dig

                                              

Moping about the Suffolk countryside: The Dig

Too innocuous to dislike, yet not willing to break eggs in order to make an omelet, Simon Stone's The Dig tells the truish story of an unlikely archaeological excavator who uncovers a major find in 1939 England.. Ralph Fiennes is outstanding as the blue collar excavator, Basil Brown. He says more with stillness and quiet than any number of antic thespians. Carey Mulligan doesn't have much to do as the widow whose estate grounds contain ancient burial mounds. She and Fiennes spend most of the film moping about the Suffolk countryside.

Moira Buffini's screenplay, based on the novel by John Preston, nicely develops the dig itself, but the secondary plot points are less engrossing. The direction is haphazard, but there are enough good performances and a plethora of pleasant scenery to compensate.