Daniel Craig made a name for himself as James Bond, but he has gone on to appear in many other highly-ranked roles that are worth watching. TechTrends narrowed down a list of the best Daniel Craig movies of all time to help you decide which one you want to watch.
As Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery came out recently, we believe that it is a great time to see what the best Daniel Craig movies of all time are. His performance in the movie “Knives Out” was so spectacular that fans were demanding a sequel. Craig is also known for his impressive performances as James Bond, the 21st century preeminent. However, before these roles, he appeared in many great movies that are worth watching. During his career, he has portrayed heroes, villains and the occasional comic relief role. To celebrate this incredible actor’s Detective Benoit Blanc appearing on the big screen and impressing us all with his incredible performance, TechTrends decided to put together a list of the best must-see Daniel Craig performances. Here we go.
Best Daniel Craig Movies of All Time
Daniel Craig received international fame because of his incredible performance in the James Bond movies. He has most recently appeared in Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery in 2022, with his iconic role as detective Benoit Blanc impressing many critics and audiences. Without further ado, let’s jump into the list of the best Daniel Craig films of all time.
10. The Adventures of Tintin 2011
- Genre: Adventure/Family
- Director: Steven Spielberg
- Star: Daniel Craig, Andy Serkis, Jamie Bell, Simon Pegg, Nick Frost
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 74%, IMDb 7.3
The Adventure of Tintin is an animated film. As an adaptation of the Tintin comics, the film was created by some legendary filmmakers including Steven Spielberg, Peter Jackson, Kathleen Kennedy, Steven Moffar and Edgar Wright. In this film, Daniel Craig was the voice behind the character Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine. He was a formidable pirate’s descendant and the movie’s main antagonist. Everyone who was part of this film became successful as they have worked with some of the greatest filmmakers of all time. Craig’s career benefited from this film and his voice of a convincing villain has definitely helped him in his career later. This is indeed one of the best Daniel Craig movies of all time.
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9. Layer Cake 2004
- Genre: Drama/Crime
- Director: Matthew Vaughn
- Star: Daniel Craig, Sienna Miller, Tom Hardy, Michael Gambon
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 80%, IMDb 7.3
One of the best Daniel Craig movies ever is Layer Cake, which is a crime thriller directed by Matthew Vaughn. The movie revolves around Craig’s character who is a cocaine dealer that wants to leave this life behind and get out of the drug industry to start fresh. Among his co-stars are Sienna Miller and Tom Hardy, who play incredibly well. Many people have come to know Craig in this movie, which makes this one of the greatest Daniel Craig movie roles ever. He proved that he is able to attract the audience’s attention even when playing alongside the likes of Hardy and Miller. This role definitely helped him become a leading man in future franchise movies that led him to stardom.
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8. Road to Perdition 2002
- Genre: Drama/Crime
- Director: Sam Mendes
- Star: Daniel Craig, Tom Hanks, Paul Newman, Tyler Hoechlin, Jude Law
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 81%, IMDb 7.7
This crime drama movie tells the story of a mob enforcer and his son. The two are trying to get revenge from a gangster who killed their family when the Great Depression occurred in 1931. Daniel Craig portrays the role of Conner Rooney, the main antagonist of the movie Road to Perdition. He is the violent son of Irish mob boss John Roone. Conner is jealous of the bond his father has with his adopted son, Michael Sullivan Sr. Therefore, he tries to kill Michael and his whole family, but it is Michael that kills him at the end of the movie after murdering the latter’s wife and son. Craig portrays one of his most villainous characters in this movie. We highly recommend this as one of the best Daniel Craig movies of all time.
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7. No Time to Die 2021
- Genre: Action/Thriller
- Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
- Star: Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, Lashana Lynch, Léa Seydoux, Naomie Harris, Ana de Armas
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 83%, IMDb 7.3
No Time to Die is also one of the best Daniel Craig movies of all time, which is directed by Carey Joji Fukunaga. It is yet another one of the other James Bond movies. The story revolves around Bond, who was retired from the job after what happened in the last mission. He is resting in Jamaica islands when his former friend asks for his help in finding a scientist. Agent 007 gets ready for this mission but can’t predict the dangers which are going to happen. Seems easy and safe at first, but the mission leads to a very threatening circumstance in which he opposes mysterious and powerful criminals.
The scenario of the new James Bond movie has lots of unseen ups and downs which make exciting and stunning moments for the audience. Therefore, put it on your watch list, as it is definitely one of the most breath-taking and best Daniel Craig films ever.
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6. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo 2011
- Genre: Mystery/Thriller
- Director: David Fincher
- Stars: Daniel Craig, Rooney Mara, Stellan Skarsgård, Michael Nyqvist, Robin Wright
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 86%, IMDb 7.8
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is yet another one of the best Daniel Craig movies of all time and it revolves around Craig’s Mikael Blomkvist. He is a journalist and his career is on the rocks in this mystery/thriller. He gets the help of a computer hacker named Lisbeth Salander, played by Rooney Mara, and he wants to solve the killing of a rich girl who went missing 40 years ago. According to the girl’s uncle, she was killed by one of the family members and he wants Mikael to help him find the answers he is looking for. We highly recommend this wonderful movie.
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5. Logan Lucky 2017
- Genre: Crime/Comedy
- Director: Steven Soderbergh
- Star: Daniel Craig, Adam Driver, Channing Tatum, Hilary Swank, Katie Holmes
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 92%, IMDb 7
This film has everything there needs to be in a heist movie, relatable characters, identifiable villains, a complex and smart plan, and unexpected twists in the plot. Adam Driver performs as one of the Logan siblings, Clyde. Daniel Craig plays the role of Jimmy Logan, who is the master mind of the heist and the West Virginian protagonist. He was able to shine in the movie alongside other flawless cast members. Craig was able to capitalize on his every second of appearing on the screen. Moreover, the film is fast and funny, and it adds a social commentary that there is sometimes missing in this genre. This resulted in the movie receiving many good reviews, and it became one of the best Daniel Craig movies of all time.
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4. Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery 2022
- Genre: Mystery/Crime
- Director: Rian Johnson
- Star: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr.
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 92%, IMDb 7.2
Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery makes the puzzle-crazy spirit of the first movie come out and that one was also written and directed by Rian Johnson. Fans of the first movie were keen on getting a sequel with a twist and Rian Johnson delivered exactly that. Blanc, played by Daniel Craig, gets an invitation to a murder mystery party that Miles Bron, portrayed by Edward Norton, is hosting. The party is held on a private island in Greece and Miles is a tech billionaire looking for some fun with his friends. It all begins with Daniel Craig’s Benoit Blanc, the detective whose skills are phenomenal. Not to mention the novelty of James Bond voicing like a southern gentleman not wearing off yet. And, we highly recommend this as one of the best Daniel Craig movies of all time. You do not want to miss it.
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3. Skyfall 2012
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Director: Sam Mendes
- Star: Daniel Craig, Javier Bardem, Bérénice Marlohe, Judi Dench, Naomie Harris
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 92%, IMDb 7.8
Skyfall is yet another one of James Bond movies and it follows the story of Bond, played by Daniel Craig. He is investigating an attack that was done on M16 that comes to a larger scheme by Raoul Silva, who is an agent-turned-cyberterrorist, to kill the M16 director and defame him. He does this to retaliate for abandoning him. Bond has to go to cities like Istanbul, Shanghai and Macau in this movie. Before accepting to take on the mission, Bond was enjoying his retirement as everyone presumed him dead following a mission. However, when he finds out that the M16 building is under a terrorist attack, he decides to help them out. Moreover, this is the highest-grossing 007 movie as it is the only one that made $1 billion and is known as one of the best Daniel Craig movies of all time.
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2. Casino Royale 2006
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Director: Martin Campbell
- Star: Daniel Craig, Eva Green, Mads Mikkelsen, Caterina Murino, Michael G. Wilson
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 94%, IMDb 8
In 2006, Daniel Craig appeared in the movie Casino Royale, and performed amazingly well. The events of this movie occur at the beginning of James Bond’s career as Agent 007, right when he is on the verge of receiving his license to assassinate. Bond is aiming to bankrupt a terrorist fancier in a poker game at the Casino Royale. He then falls in love with an employee whose task is to give him the money he needs for the poker game. This movie is actually Daniel Craig’s first outing as James Bond and earned a lot of positive reviews from the critics and the audience. What truly made Craig internationally famous was his role of James Bond. However, he did manage to shine in many other roles and movies. So, we highly recommend Casino Royale as one of the best Daniel Craig movies of all time.
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1. Knives Out 2019
- Genre: Mystery/Crime
- Director: Rian Johnson
- Stars: Daniel Craig, Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Jamie Lee Curtis, Christopher Plummer
- Rating: Rotten Tomatoes 97%, IMDb 7.9
The movie Knives Out is quite interesting and it revolves around the story of a family after the death of their grandfather, who was a mystery novelist, Harlan Thrombey. He gives all his belongings to her nurse, played by Ana de Armas. Chris Evans played the role of Ransom Drysdale, the bratty grandson of Thrombey, played by Christopher Plummer. He gets murdered in his home. Daniel Craig plays the role of detective Benoit Blanc, who is tasked to investigate Thrombey’s death. Evans’ character holds a grudge against his grandfather as he was cut out of the will. However, it is not just him, as he loathes everyone in his family. What’s more, Blanc has to find out what led to the grandfather’s death and the mysterious of each family member unravels one by one. This is indeed one of the best Daniel Craig movies of all time.
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