Daniel Craig is probably most well known for being the sixth actor to play the British pop culture icon, James Bond. Since his debut in the role in Casino Royale in 2006 he has played the MI6 agent four times already and is set to reprise the role in his final film No Time to Die.
But Craig's repertoire isn't just limited to sexy secret agents. He's starred in a number of other films, ranging from gritty historical war movies to tense crime thrillers to wacky action comedies. He clearly has the range, and it'd be a shame to miss out on his filmography. Here are some excellent Daniel Craig movies that don't star Agent 007.
10 Defiance
Defiance is a war film set during the Nazi Germany occupation of Belarus. It follows a group called the Bielski partisans, who were led by the Bielskis, Polish Jewish brothers who saved and recruited Jewish people to their cause during World War II.
Craig plays Tuvia Bielski who, along with his three brothers, flees to the Naliboki Forest after their parents are killed and become leaders to the other Jewish refugees they find there. While it ends up not being a particularly accurate film historically, it's interesting as a dramatized version of the lives of these men.
9 The Adventures of Tintin
This CGI animated movie is based on the popular comic book series of the same name by Belgian artist Hergé, specifically the first three volumes of the Tintin series. It follows the titular reporter, his dog Snowy, and his friend Captain Haddock as they search for a lost ship called the Unicorn.
Craig plays the film's villain Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine, a descendant of Red Rackham, an enemy of Tintin's family. The movie was praised as being a stylish and entertaining swashbuckling action film and that its motion capture was very impressive, especially for the time.
8 Infamous
Infamous is based on a book by George Plimpton with the pithy title Truman Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances, and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career. Capote himself is played by Toby Jones, while Daniel Craig plays convict Perry Smith, one of the murderers Capote is permitted to interview. Capote and Smith become friends despite Capote writing a book about his case.
The movie was well-received and would likely have been more so, if Philip Seymour Hoffman's Capote hadn't come out the previous year.
7 Layer Cake
Layer Cake (or L4YER CAK3) was the directorial debut of Matthew Vaughn, who would later go on to direct stylish action movies like Kick-Ass and Kingsman: The Secret Service. Daniel Craig stars as a London-based drug distributor called XXXX who is working to leave his life of crime behind.
Before he can go legitimate, however, his mob boss contact demands he wrap up some loose ends for him first. Some have speculated that this stylish, menacing crime thriller was the performance that led to his role as James Bond.
6 Munich
Munich is a historical drama directed by Steven Spielberg and is based on the Israeli government's Operation Wrath of God following a massacre at the Munich Summer Olympics in 1972. Eric Bana stars as Avner Kaufman, a Mossad agent chosen to lead the assassinations of 11 operatives allegedly involved in the massacre.
He puts together a team of volunteers from around the world, including Daniel Craig as the South African driver Steve. It received five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, despite being one of Spielberg's lowest-grossing films domestically.
5 Road to Perdition
Road to Perdition was adapted from a graphic novel written by Max Allan Collins. It takes place during the Great Depression and follows a former mob enforcer and his son as they get revenge on a fellow mobster who killed their family. Tom Hanks plays protagonist Michael Sullivan, who was raised by mob boss John Rooney alongside Rooney's own son Connor, played by Daniel Craig.
Connor murders Sullivan's wife and youngest son, leading Sullivan and Michael Jr. to hunt him down. The movie has garnered a number of accolades and has received praise for its performances, cinematography, and thematic clarity.
4 Love Is the Devil
Subtitled Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon, this movie was made for television by the BBC and released in 1998. It is a fictionalized biography of painter Francis Bacon and his relationship with Daniel Craig's character, a petty thief named George Dyer. It won Best New British Feature and two Best British Performance awards (one for each of its leads) at the Edinburgh International Film Festival. It's considered by most to be Craig's breakthrough role.
Most people probably aren't aware of this low profile British film, but if you're able to get your hands on it, it's worth the watch.
3 Logan Lucky
Steven Soderbergh, the director of Ocean's Eleven, came out of retirement to direct and produce this NASCAR heist comedy. It has an ensemble cast including actors like Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, and Hilary Swank.
The plot follows the Logan family as they devise a plan to rob the Charlotte Motor Speedway while avoiding the FBI. Daniel Craig plays Joe Bang, a convict and safecracker with ties to the Logan family that gets recruited for the job. It was praised as pure high energy entertainment.
2 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
Directed by David Fincher and based on the bestselling psychological crime thriller of the same name, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo received a great deal of praise for its tone and performances. It was nominated for several Academy Awards and chosen as one of the top ten films of 2011.
Daniel Craig plays journalist Mikael Blomkvist, who recruits hacker Lisbeth Salander to investigate the disappearance of a woman some forty years previous. The performances of both leads were praised, though the break out star of this movie was Rooney Mara.
1 Knives Out
Knives Out was just recently released in 2019, directed by Rian Johnson and housing a massive ensemble cast. Daniel Craig plays a private investigator named Benoit Blanc who was anonymously hired to look into the recent death of the patriarch of the wealthy Thrombey family. The movie is a tight, sharp, and hilarious star-studded whodunnit.
Every performance is engaging and the twists and turns will delight even old hands at the mystery genre. It's received widespread critical praise and already won several awards. Don't let this one pass you by.
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