Following his debut in Casino Royale 14 years ago, Daniel Craig has undoubtedly left his mark as one of the best Bond to have graced our screens. However, his range extends beyond the sophisticated M16 Agent. He has played numerous roles and worked with powerful directors like Steven Spielberg, David Fincher, and Steven Soderbergh. Now that Daniel Craig’s journey as James Bond is almost over, we have curated a list of some of his other iconic movies.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
IMDb: 7.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Daniel Craig plays a disgraced investigative reporter Mikael Blomkvist who enlists the help of Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara), a brilliant computer hacker as he investigates the 40-year disappearance of the niece of a wealthy patriarch. This is a movie adaptation of the first book in Steig Larsson’s Millennium Trilogy. The movie was directed by David Fincher and produced by Sony Pictures. This film is often lauded as one of Daniel Craig’s best movies outside the Bond franchise.
Knives Out
IMDb: 7.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
Knives Out sees Detective Benoit Blanc (Daniel Craig) trying to investigate the suspicious death of Harlan Thrombey, a writer who is found dead in his home after a family celebration gone awry. Detective Blanc interrogates Harlan’s employees and family members.
Daniel Craig featured in the movie as a result of production delays in his last Bond movie- No Time to Die. Other popular actors in the film include Chris Evans, Don Johnson, Ana de Armas, and Jamie Lee Curtis.
Logan Lucky
IMDb: 7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 92%
In an attempt to break a family curse, Clyde Logan (Adam Driver) and his brother Jimmy (Channing Tatum) recruit Joe Bang played by Daniel Craig, an incarcerated southerner and explosives expert to execute an elaborate heist during the iconic Coca-Cola 600 race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Prepare to see Craig in a whole different light in this witty comedy film directed by Steven Soderbergh.
Fateless
IMDb: 6.9/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 83%
Known in the U.S. as “Fateless”, “Soestalanstáng” is a 2005 German film that sees Gyuri Koves (Marcell Nagy) a 14-year-old Hungarian Jew who drops out of school to fend for his family after his father’s deportation to a labor camp. Eventually, he is sent to a concentration camp where he meets a veteran survivor who teaches him survival techniques. He discovers the true meaning of being a Jew as he is transferred across various concentration camps. Craig plays a U.S. Army Sergeant in this movie directed by Lajos Koltai.
Layer Cake
IMDb: 7.3/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Layer Cake is about a mid-level cocaine dealer trying to leave the criminal life. Before he can leave, his boss gives him a job to kidnap the daughter of a rival and broker the purchase of a huge shipment of pills from another dealer called the Duke, this pulls Craig deeper into the dangerous and criminal life he’s trying to escape from.
According to the New Times’ Spencer Cole, Craig’s role in Layer Cake landed him his first feature as Bond in Casino Royale. His role as a cocaine dealer in Layer Cake impressed Martin Campbell, the director of Casino Royale.
Road to Perdition
IMDb: 7.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 81%
Road to Perdition is centered on Michael Sullivan (Tom Hanks), an enforcer who works for John Rooney (Paul Newman), a powerful mobster in the Depression-era. Craig plays the role of Conor, the mobster’s son, and the villain who is jealous of the bond between his father and Sullivan. When Sullivan’s eldest son witnesses a hit, Connor kills Sullivan’s wife and youngest son. Sullivan and his eldest son flee, and their journey of revenge begins. The director of the movie was Sam Mendes. The movie also features Stanley Tucci and Jude Law.