From Bond to Benoit—Daniel Craig’s Best Roles, Ranked

Daniel Craig has been acting since he was six years old, and the classically trained actor has since become one of Hollywood’s most notable leading men. Throughout his journey, he’s delivered numerous acclaimed performances, both leading up to his most famous roles and afterward. Never afraid to go to extreme lengths, both physically and emotionally, Craig’s performances have landed well with critics and fans.

He brings a certain weight to each role, utilizing his charm and his dramatic talents to convey a sense of cool under extreme pressure. Not all of his roles are the same, though, as he has surprised audiences with his take on different characters. For those looking for a study in Daniel Craig’s filmography, here are 10 of his best roles to get you started.

10

Steve

Munich (2005)

Steven Spielberg’s historic drama Munich shows the Mossad retaliation against 11 Palestinians involved in the terrorist attack at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, where 11 Israeli Olympians were killed. Eric Bana stars as Avner, the leader of the team of assassins tasked with carrying out the revenge plot. His team includes Craig’s Steve, a South African Jew, who helps Avner check names off their list.

This role fits in with others in Craig’s career, highlighting his ability to portray a spy. Steve is fueled by emotion and a religious calling and wants to stop at nothing to make sure those responsible are brought to justice. Craig gives a meaningful supporting performance that helps drive home the heaviness of the situation.

Subscription with ads

No

Simultaneous streams

5

Watch Daniel Craig in Steven Spielberg’s masterful drama Munich.

9

Tuvia Bielski

Defiance (2008)

Defiance was an Edward Zwick-directed historical thriller starring Daniel Craig, Liev Schreiber, Jamie Bell, and George McKay as four Polish Jewish brothers during World War II. They take it upon themselves to rescue Jewish refugees in Belarus, building a community in the woods. Eventually, the brothers are forced to train the refugees to fight as well.

Craig has the leading role as Tuvia, the brother who seems to find danger more often than not. It’s a gripping film with a solid performance by the entire cast. James Newton Howard’s score was nominated for an Academy Award.

Subscription with ads

Yes, $8/month

Simultaneous streams

3

Daniel Craig and Liev Schrieber star in this World War II historical thriller.

8

Mikael Blomqvist

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a remake of a Swedish film of the same name, both of which are based on the famous novel by Stieg Larsson. The film stars Craig as Mikael Blomqvist, the editor of Millennium Magazine, who is hired by Henrik Vanger (Plummer) to investigate the murder of his grandniece. Blomqvist enlists the help of computer hacker and investigator Lisbeth Salander (Mara).

The film truly belongs to Mara as the enigmatic Salander. But Craig deftly plays a concerned journalist who takes on a case that completely envelops him. He and Lisbeth try to put the pieces together to unravel a decades-old mystery.

7

Connor Rooney

Road to Perdition (2002)

In a cast full of heavyweights, Craig holds his own in Road to Perdition. The 1930s-set gangster film stars Hanks as Michael Sullivan, an enforcer for the mob who seeks revenge after the family he works for has his wife and youngest son killed. He must go on the run with his oldest son (Tyler Hoechlin) to right the wrong. Newman plays John Rooney, the head of the mob family who took Sullivan in when he was a kid.

Craig plays Connor Rooney, John’s son, who has always felt slighted by his father’s relationship with Michael. He plays a smarmy, privileged fool who thinks he has power when he really doesn’t. Craig is instantly hateable in the role and sells it throughout the film. The movie was nominated for six Academy Awards.

6

Joe Rose

Enduring Love (2004)

Based on the Ian McEwan novel, Enduring Love stars Craig as Joe, a man who is set to propose to his girlfriend Claire (Morton) during a picnic when a hot air balloon accident throws their plans awry. Joe tries to save a young boy stuck in the balloon, along with a few other men. One of the men falls to his death, leaving everyone involved upset. Joe takes it particularly hard, trying to figure out what he could have done differently.

Rhys Ifans plays Jed, another man who was a part of the rescue, who increasingly stalks Joe and Claire. The movie features great performances by Craig and Ifans, as Joe’s psyche becomes completely unraveled. 2004 was the second year in a row that Craig worked with director Roger Michell, having worked with him on The Mother the year prior.

Subscription with ads

No

Simultaneous streams

5

Daniel Craig and Rhys Ifans have their lives intertwined in Enduring Love.

5

XXXX

Layer Cake (2004)

One of the first films where fans get to see Craig as a cool and suave British man is Layer Cake. He shows off his James Bond-like charms as XXXX, an unnamed cocaine dealer who thinks of himself as a businessman. He is tasked with a job by a mob boss to do one final job before he leaves the criminal business for good. The only problem is, with the friends and associates he has, he’s never going to get out.

Craig carries the movie as XXXX, and there is a caper-like feel to the film. Despite him being a criminal, the audience roots for him because of his sense of humor and quick wit. Directed by Matthew Vaughn, it helped launch Craig’s action movie career.

4

Joe Bang

Logan Lucky (2017)

A group of degenerates and low-life criminals decide to rob a NASCAR race in Stephen Soderbergh’s Logan Lucky. Channing Tatum and Adam Driver star as Jimmy and Clyde Logan, two brothers who decide to rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway during a race. Jimmy had just been fired from a construction job at the racetrack, giving him inside information on how money is moved during a race.

They enlist the help of Craig’s Joe Bang, a safe-cracker whom they must first break out of prison to help them with the heist. Craig sports bleached blonde hair and has a Southern twang to his accent, adding to his character’s quirky nature. Joe is scientifically smart, but lacks basic common sense. This comedic heist film has similar vibes to Soderbergh’s Ocean’s franchise.

Subscription with ads

Yes, $8/month

Simultaneous streams

Two or four

Logan Lucky features Daniel Craig helping out Channing Tatum and Adam Driver.

3

William Lee

Queer (2024)

Craig received critical acclaim for his portrayal of William Lee in Luca Guadagnino’s adaptation of William S. Burrough’s novella, Queer. Lee is an American expatriate living in Mexico City in the 1950s. He meets Drew Starkey’s Eugene, a young student and fellow expatriate. The two enter a platonic relationship despite Lee’s desire for more.

The movie watches them travel to South America in search of ayahuasca, and the dream-like sequences during their drug trips are carried by Craig’s comfort in his character. He delivers a soulful performance, which earned him a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor in a Drama.

Subscription with ads

Yes, $10/month

Simultaneous streams

2 or 4

Watch Daniel Craig as an expatriate living in Mexico.

2

Benoit Blanc

Knives Out (2019)

Likely unknowingly, Daniel Craig signed up to be a part of two franchises at the same time. That’s because Knives Out became a massive hit. His character, Detective Benoit Blanc, was tasked with solving the murder of a rich man (Plummer), and his family are all suspects. Craig played Blanc as a sophisticated intellectual with a Kentucky accent who uses his vocabulary and deduction skills to put the pieces together.

In the second film, Glass Onion, he is brought to a remote island by a billionaire (Edward Norton) and is forced to solve another murder. Craig chews up the scenes with joy, and Blanc is no doubt one of his best roles because of how much fun it is to watch him go. He gets to reprise the role this December in Wake Up Dead Man.

1

James Bond

Casino Royale (2006)

Craig took up the famous role of 007 in 2006’s Casino Royale, stepping into the shoes vacated by Pierce Brosnan. James Bond is one of the most iconic characters of all time, and Craig put his own spin on it, providing a grittier version than previous stars. His Bond films felt as though the circumstances were a bit more dire, and they were shot in an edgier way.

He used his size and stature to give Bond a different physicality, opting for fist fights as well as shootouts in his missions. As mentioned previously with Layer Cake, Craig showed he had the charisma to play an upscale British man, and that shone through in his five Bond films. It’s the role he’s going to be remembered for most, and one that fans were able to enjoy for years.

Daniel Craig has shown to be one of the most versatile actors working today. He has proved he can take on any acting challenge and bring his unique perspective to it. He also seems determined not to be remembered for only one role, which can be difficult for an actor who has played James Bond. It will be fascinating to see how his career moves forward because, no matter what the role is, he plays it with conviction.