Ever since assuming the role of James Bond in 2006, British actor Daniel Craig has risen to international superstardom. He has reprised the role of 007 in four films to date, including Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, and Spectre. Craig already wrapped filming on his fifth Bond entry, No Time To Die, which is slated to come out in 2020.
Of course, Craig is also poised to lead the star-studded cast of Knives Out, Rian Johnson’s murder-mystery due in theaters November 27th. To sharpen our memories as we look ahead, check out his best movies.
The Power Of One (7.2/10)
Craig made his big-screen debut in the 1992 movie The Power of One. 27 years later, it still ranks among his best movies according to IMDB. Power of one indeed!
Directed by John G. Avildsen, the film tells the story of P.K. (Stephen Dorff), an English boy dwelling in Africa during WWII. Craig plays the P.K.’s primary nemesis, Sgt. Botha, a local Afrikaner who torments the boy so badly he develops a case of severe bed-wetting. But in the end, it’s Botha who is made to look like a fool when P.K. becomes a national symbol of wartime unity.
Defiance (7.2/10)
In one of his first starring roles post-Casino Royale, Craig won over critics and audiences alike as Tuvia Bielski in the sterling WWII drama Defiance.
As one of four Bielski brothers alongside Liev Schriber, Jamie Bell, and George MacKay, Craig stars in a story of Jewish family members who escape Nazi occupation in the woods of Belarus. Intent to survive and thrive, the brothers join a group of Russian resistors and begin life anew behind enemy territory. The Edward Zwick film earned an Oscar nomination for Best Original Score.
Layer Cake (7.3/10)
Produced during the height of Guy Ritchie’s cool and stylish British gangster flicks, Craig stunned eyes and turned heads with his delicious role of XXXX in Matthew Vaughn’s Layer Cake.
Taking center stage, Craig plays an affluent cocaine pusher who, on the brink of his early retirement, is given two monumental final tasks to fulfill. First, XXXX must find the spoiled daughter of his boss’ longtime acquaintance. Secondly, he must negotiate two-million pounds of high-quality ecstasy with a powerful drug ring. All the while, XXXX’s romance with Tammy (Sienna Miller) threatens to ruin everything.
The Adventures Of Tintin (7.3/10)
Craig’s second collaboration with Steven Spielberg almost ranks as high as his first! However, in The Adventures of Tintin, Craig plays a villain unlike any we’ve seen from him before.
Based on the classic Herge comics, the film revolves around a little boy named Tintin’s adventure searching for sunken treasure. Along with Captain Haddock (Andy Serkis), the two hunt for clues to the whereabouts of the shipwreck. Along the way, they must evade the dangerous threats of Sakharine (Craig), who wants the treasure for his own greed. Craig also voices the role of Red Rackham in the film.
Elizabeth (7.4/10)
While he wasn’t quite a household name in 1998, Craig worked stood out among the star-studded ensemble of the historical biopic, Elizabeth.
The film chronicles the budding reign of Queen Elizabeth I (Cate Blanchett) of England and how she navigates her new role as a monarch. Craig earned the plum role of John Ballard, a Jesuit Priest who was put to death for attempting to assassinate Elizabeth I during what is known as the conspiratorial Babington Plot. The film was nominated for seven Oscars, winning one for Best Makeup.
Munich (7.5/10)
At the time, Steven Spielberg’s Munich was hailed for its performances by seemingly unknown actors. Since then, however, names like Eric Bana and Daniel Craig have become all but househlold items. Go figure!
Munich tells the harrowing true story of the 1972 Olympics in Munich, Germany, in which several Jewish-Israeli competitors were assassinated. In the aftermath, Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir greenlights a ruthless counterattack to kill the assassins. Craig plays Steve, a South African wheelman who serves as part of the insurgency led by Avner Kaufman (Eric Bana).
Road To Perdition (7.7/10)
In 2002, Craig hit the big-leagues by starring opposite cinematic heavyweights Paul Newman and Tom Hanks in the superb period gangster drama, Road To Perdition.
Directed by Sam Mendes following his award-winning American Beauty, Road to Perdition follows the innocent son of a ruthless mobster who witnesses his father murder someone in cold blood. Hitting the road to evade retaliation, the father and son bond over what they believe is right and wrong. Hot on their trail is Connor Rooney (Craig), a vengeful hitman out for blood!
Skyfall (7.7/10)
It’s interesting to note how only half of Craig’s Bond films have made this Top 10, yet both rank among the Top 3. The deduction? People either love or hate it when Craig plays 007, there’s very little middle ground.
Skyfall refers to to the name of Bond’s secluded childhood country home in the UK. The fate of M (Dame Judy Dench) hangs in the balance when MI6 suffers a major breach, putting Bond in the precarious position of identifying the culprits and cleaning up the mess. Fortunately, that’s his forte!
The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (7.8/10)
During the height of his reign as James Bond, Craig wisely took time out of his busy schedule to work with David Fincher on the English-language adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. According to IMDB, the movie has left a permanent mark!
Craig assumes the role of Mikael Blomkvist, a dogged journalist stonewalled at every turn when he takes a 40-year-old missing person cold case. With nobody to trust, Blomkvist turns to Gothic steampunk hacker Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) to help solve the case.
Casino Royale (8.0)
You only get one chance to make an impression. Luckily for Craig, his first go-around as the dashing super-spy James “007” Bond remains his most beloved movie of all, according to IMDB voters.
Craig gracefully accepted the reins from previous 007 actor Pierce Brosnan, with Casino Roayle marking the first James Bond film in four years. The highly-stylized film directed by Martin Campbell goes back to basics, focusing on Bond’s first official mission after being named a 00 agent. The crux of the plot revolves around a high-stakes poker game at the titular casino in Montenegro.
