5 of Daniel Craig’s best movies that aren’t James Bond films – while you wait for No Time to Die
Despite James Bond being one of the most sought after roles in Hollywood, certain actors in the past have expressed a reluctance to portray the character. Michael Caine, for instance, in the 1960s ruled himself out of the running because he was worried about being typecast, having already starred in a number of Harry Palmer spy movies such as The Ipcress File.
A somewhat reluctant James Bond himself, it’s worth remembering that there’s more to Daniel Craig’s career than just playing 007. The British actor has starred in a wide variety of films both before and since taking the reins of the franchise from Pierce Brosnan. As he turns 5, on March 2, here are five of the actor’s best films that demonstrate the breadth of his talent and allow him to cease worrying about having to save the world for a change.
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Layer Cake (2004)
Directed by Matthew Vaughn – who would go on to direct other hits such as Kick-Ass and the Kingsman franchise – Layer Cake provided Craig with one of his breakout lead roles. In this British gangster flick he plays an unnamed cocaine dealer looking to get out of the business, but first he must complete some final assignments from his boss. Craig is effortlessly charismatic and brutal when required – traits that no doubt made him appear the perfect choice for the gritty Bond reboot that was Casino Royale.
Munich (2005)
For this Oscar-nominated work, Craig teamed with Steven Spielberg to tell the story of Operation Wrath of God, Mossad’s covert retaliation against the Palestine Liberation Organization’s murder of 11 members of the Israeli Olympic team in 1972. Although the film didn’t win any of the five Oscars it was nominated for, Munich received considerable critical acclaim and in 2017 was still reckoned one of the “Best Films of the 21st Century So Far” in a list by The New York Times.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
An adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s phenomenally popular novel of the same name – and earlier adapted in a Swedish celluloid version – David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo did its source material proud. Craig stars as Mikael Blomkvist, a Swedish magazine editor dedicated to holding members of the government to account. Blomkvist is tasked with investigating the disappearance and presumed murder of business magnate Henrik Vanger’s grandniece 40 years ago. Craig is arguably upstaged by Rooney Mara as Lisbeth Salander, the films’ eponymous heroine, who aids him in his investigation, but he is by no means a disappointment in this technically outstanding film.
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Logan Lucky (2017)
Craig was one of the best things in this heist comedy about a rather unlucky family – whose family members include Jimmy (Channing Tatum) and Clyde (Adam Driver) – in West Virginia. The clan seek to turn their fortunes around by robbing a bank, for which they recruit Joe Bang (Craig), a convict with a knack for explosives. With his bleached blonde, close-cropped hair and tattoos, Craig looks nothing like James Bond. Director Steven Soderbergh supposedly gave Craig the creative freedom to develop his character however he saw fit and the actor injects Lucky Logan with precisely the kind of energy and enthusiasm he was lacking during the filming of his fourth James Bond film, Spectre.
Knives Out (2019)
An old-fashioned murder mystery renovated for 2019, Knives Out sees Craig plays Benoit Blanc, a private detective brought in to investigate the murder of mystery writer Harlan Thrombey on the night of his 85th birthday. The film is “cosily retro” with its litany of timeworn elements such as the master detective, an eccentric cast of suspects and a trail of red herrings, but as he did in his directorial debut Brick, Rian Johnson twists established elements and cleverly subverts expectations.
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While the world waits for Bond 25, don’t forget that the reluctant 007 has also compellingly portrayed characters including an Israeli spy in Munich, Layer Cake’s cocaine dealer and a private detective in Knives Out