Sony Pictures Classics

Craig … Daniel Craig: Ranking the star’s non-Bond films, worst to best

Daniel Craig has joined Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, and Pierce Brosnan in the prestigious group of James Bond alumni. The British actor starred as 007 in five films over the span of 15 years, from 2006’s “Casino Royale” to 2021’s “No Time to Die.”

As Craig prepares to pass his vodka martini (shaken, not stirred) and his license to kill on to the next (yet-to-be-named) actor who will carry on the Bond legacy, it’s a good time to take a look at all the other great (and not-so-great) movies he appeared in both before becoming the legendary secret agent and during his reign as Bond. While Craig has yet to be in a movie during his post-Bond era, he will be returning as unorthodox detective Benoit Blanc in Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” later this year.

If you’re wondering what other movies featuring Craig are worth watching, and what you’d be better off skipping, we’re here to help. Stacker looked at IMDb data on all 33 non-Bond feature films Daniel Craig has appeared in and ranked them from worst to best by user rating, with ties broken by the number of votes. His five Bond films and cameo appearances were not included. “Glass Onion” was also not included as it lacked sufficient IMDb data.

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Tapestry Films

#33. ‘A Kid in King Arthur’s Court’ (1995)

– Director: Michael Gottlieb
– IMDb user rating: 4.7
– Metascore: 34
– Runtime: 89 minutes

Even the most acclaimed actors have movies on their résumé that they wish they could erase. For Daniel Craig, that might be “A Kid in King Arthur’s Court.” One of Craig’s first feature film roles, the Disney movie was a flop.

Ad Vitam Production

#32. ‘Kings’ (2017)

– Director: Deniz Gamze Ergüven
– IMDb user rating: 5.0
– Metascore: 34
– Runtime: 86 minutes

“Kings” had good intentions and a cast that featured Daniel Craig and Halle Berry in starring roles, but that wasn’t enough. The drama, which centers around the Rodney King riots, was considered a critical failure because, in the opinion of RogerEbert.com critic Odie Henderson, it is “unwilling to deal with [its subject] honestly.”

BBC

#31. ‘Saint-Ex’ (1996)

– Director: Anand Tucker
– IMDb user rating: 5.1
– Metascore: data not available
– Runtime: 82 minutes

American viewers may not be familiar with “Saint-Ex.” The British television movie, which tells the life story of French author/aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, aired on BBC Two’s TV series “Bookmark.” Daniel Craig’s role is not a big one, but he plays Henri Guillaumet, who helped pioneer French aviation.

High Speed Films Paris

#30. ‘Obsession’ (1997)

– Director: Peter Sehr
– IMDb user rating: 5.1
– Metascore: data not available
– Runtime: 105 minutes

Daniel Craig finds himself stuck in a love triangle in “Obsession.” The German film is his first leading role, but it did not go over well with audiences or at the box office.

J&M Entertainment

#29. ‘Love & Rage’ (1999)

– Director: Cathal Black
– IMDb user rating: 5.1
– Metascore: data not available
– Runtime: 100 minutes

Like the title of the previous entry on this list, here obsession is a major theme. In “Love & Rage” (which is based on the James Carney novel “The Playboy and the Yellow Lady”), Craig plays an estate manager who enters into an affair with a wealthy older woman (Greta Scacchi) and becomes increasingly erratic and violent as the relationship unfolds.

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Columbia Pictures

#28. ‘I Dreamed of Africa’ (2000)

– Director: Hugh Hudson
– IMDb user rating: 5.5
– Metascore: 33
– Runtime: 114 minutes

The adaptation of Kuki Gallmann’s autobiography was an awards season hopeful upon release, but despite Kim Basinger being praised for her starring role, the movie was a failure both critically and commercially. Daniel Craig had only a minor role in the film.

Paramount Pictures

#27. ‘Lara Croft: Tomb Raider’ (2001)

– Director: Simon West
– IMDb user rating: 5.7
– Metascore: 33
– Runtime: 100 minutes

Daniel Craig plays a major role in “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” helping Angelina Jolie’s titular character as fellow adventurer Alex West. The movie was panned by critics but was a box office success.

Warner Bros.

#26. ‘The Invasion’ (2007)

– Director: Oliver Hirschbiegel
– IMDb user rating: 5.9
– Metascore: 45
– Runtime: 99 minutes

Craig stars alongside Nicole Kidman in this sci-fi horror film, which was intended to be a remake of 1956’s “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” but ended up turning into an extended metaphor for the then-ongoing war in Iraq. Craig plays Dr. Ben Driscoll, who partners with Kidman’s character to find a cure for the alien virus infecting people.

Portman Entertainment Group

#25. ‘The Trench’ (1999)

– Director: William Boyd
– IMDb user rating: 6.0
– Metascore: 58
– Runtime: 98 minutes

Daniel Craig stars as Sgt. Telford Winter in “The Trench.” The war movie follows a group of British soldiers during WWI, depicting the two days leading up to the Battle of the Somme. The film was written and directed by award-winning novelist and playwright William Boyd.

Cliffjack Motion Pictures

#24. ‘Dream House’ (2011)

– Director: Jim Sheridan
– IMDb user rating: 6.0
– Metascore: 35
– Runtime: 92 minutes

Daniel Craig stars alongside Naomi Watts and his real-life wife Rachel Weisz in this psychological thriller about a family that moves into a house where an unspeakable crime occurred. Unfortunately, the talented cast wasn’t enough to make the movie a success.

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Universal Pictures

#23. ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ (2011)

– Director: Jon Favreau
– IMDb user rating: 6.0
– Metascore: 50
– Runtime: 119 minutes

Based on the graphic novel of the same name, “Cowboys & Aliens” boasts an all-star cast that includes Daniel Craig, Harrison Ford, Olivia Wilde, Sam Rockwell, Adam Beach, Paul Dano, and Noah Ringer. The sci-fi western marks the only time the James Bond and Indiana Jones actors have appeared in the same film, though Craig did have a small role in an episode of the “Adventures of Young Indiana Jones” television series in 1993.

New Line Cinema

#22. ‘The Golden Compass’ (2007)

– Director: Chris Weitz
– IMDb user rating: 6.1
– Metascore: 51
– Runtime: 113 minutes

The film—based on the first book from Philip Pullman’s “His Dark Materials” series—was praised upon release, and even won an Oscar for its visual effects. Along with Craig, the film featured Dakota Blue Richards and Nicole Kidman in lead roles. But while it was a global success at the box office, it underperformed in the United States, causing two sequels to be shelved. In 2019, a television adaptation of “His Dark Materials” was released, which was more generally well-received than the movie.

Canal+

#21. ‘Hotel Splendide’ (2000)

– Director: Terence Gross
– IMDb user rating: 6.2
– Metascore: data not available
– Runtime: 98 minutes

“Hotel Splendide” is an independent British dark comedy starring Daniel Craig alongside Toni Collette. The film was never properly released in the U.S., but is now available to stream through various carriers. (Fun fact: Hotel Splendide is also a fictional hotel that appears in the James Bond film “Casino Royale,” which happens to be the first Bond movie to star Craig.)

Pathé Pictures International

#20. ‘Enduring Love’ (2004)

– Director: Roger Michell
– IMDb user rating: 6.3
– Metascore: 61
– Runtime: 100 minutes

This psychological thriller, based on the Ian McEwan novel of the same name, focuses on a man (Craig) who witnesses a terrifying accident and the aftermath that haunts him. The film received mixed reviews, with Roger Ebert giving it three out of four stars.

BBC Films

#19. ‘Sylvia’ (2003)

– Director: Christine Jeffs
– IMDb user rating: 6.3
– Metascore: 56
– Runtime: 100 minutes

“Sylvia” is a biographical drama about the relationship between poets Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes. Gwyneth Paltrow stars as the titular character and Daniel Craig plays her lover, Hughes. The film received mixed reviews—Paltrow and Craig were praised for their acting; however, the movie itself was criticized for being too melodramatic.

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Dragon Pictures

#18. ‘Some Voices’ (2000)

– Director: Simon Cellan Jones
– IMDb user rating: 6.5
– Metascore: data not available
– Runtime: 101 minutes

Here, Craig stars as Ray, a young man who suffers from schizophrenia. The film examines how the mental disorder affects relationships, especially when not properly treated, and focuses on Ray’s relationship with his brother Pete (David Morrissey). The movie received mixed reviews but was praised for its acting.

BBC Films

#17. ‘Love Is the Devil: Study for a Portrait of Francis Bacon’ (1998)

– Director: John Maybury
– IMDb user rating: 6.5
– Metascore: data not available
– Runtime: 87 minutes

Daniel Craig plays George Dyer, a small-time thief and love interest of painter Francis Bacon (played by Sir Derek Jacobi). Craig (tying with Jacobi) won the award for Best British Performance at the Edinburgh International Film Festival for his role in the film, which is largely considered his breakthrough performance.

IBM

#16. ‘Renaissance’ (2006)

– Director: Christian Volckman
– IMDb user rating: 6.6
– Metascore: 57
– Runtime: 105 minutes

Daniel Craig voices Barthélémy Karas in the English-language version of this French animated tech-noir. It made little box office noise, but fortunately for Craig, “Casino Royale” came out just months later.

BBC Films

#15. ‘The Mother’ (2003)

– Director: Roger Michell
– IMDb user rating: 6.8
– Metascore: 72
– Runtime: 112 minutes

In this drama penned by award-winning novelist Hanif Kureishi, Craig plays Darren, a carpenter who engages in an affair with a much older woman—and the woman’s daughter, too. The British film was nominated for a handful of European awards, with Craig’s co-star Anne Reid receiving a nomination at the BAFTA Film Awards and Craig himself garnering a nod as British Actor of the Year at the London Critics Circle Film Awards.

Left Turn Films

#14. ‘Flashbacks of a Fool’ (2008)

– Director: Baillie Walsh
– IMDb user rating: 6.8
– Metascore: data not available
– Runtime: 109 minutes

“Flashbacks of a Fool” sees Craig star as an English actor living in Hollywood who contemplates what could have been if he’d stayed in England after receiving the devastating news that his childhood best friend died unexpectedly. The drama, which Craig also executive produced, received mixed to negative reviews and was released just months before his second Bond film, “Quantum of Solace.”

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A+E Networks

#13. ‘Genghis Cohn’ (1993)

– Director: Elijah Moshinsky
– IMDb user rating: 6.9
– Metascore: data not available
– Runtime: 79 minutes

“Genghis Cohn” is just the second film on Daniel Craig’s résumé. The dark comedy is about an SS officer being haunted by a Jewish entertainer he killed in a Nazi concentration camp. Craig plays Lieutenant Guth in the movie.

WIP

#12. ‘Infamous’ (2006)

– Director: Douglas McGrath
– IMDb user rating: 7.0
– Metascore: 68
– Runtime: 110 minutes

Daniel Craig had a busy year in 2006. “Infamous” was one of three movies he was featured in. Craig played career criminal Perry Smith in the drama based on George Plimpton’s book “Truman Capote: In Which Various Friends, Enemies, Acquaintances, and Detractors Recall His Turbulent Career.” Smith was a real-life killer who was the subject of Capote’s most famous work, “In Cold Blood.” This film traces Capote’s relationship with Smith and his partner Dick Hickock.

Fingerprint Releasing

#11. ‘Logan Lucky’ (2017)

– Director: Steven Soderbergh
– IMDb user rating: 7.0
– Metascore: 78
– Runtime: 118 minutes

“Logan Lucky” is the film that Steven Soderbergh came out of retirement to direct. The heist comedy features an all-star ensemble cast that includes Channing Tatum, Adam Driver, Riley Keough, Seth MacFarlane, Katie Holmes, Hilary Swank, Katherine Waterston, Sebastian Stan, and Craig as notorious thief Joe Bang.

Alcor Films

#10. ‘The Power of One’ (1992)

– Director: John G. Avildsen
– IMDb user rating: 7.1
– Metascore: 40
– Runtime: 127 minutes

Not all of Daniel Craig’s early movies were flops. “The Power of One” centers around Peter Philip Kennith Keith—an English South African boy growing up under apartheid—and sees Craig playing Sergeant Jaapie Botha in his feature film debut.

Mandalay Pictures

#9. ‘The Jacket’ (2005)

– Director: John Maybury
– IMDb user rating: 7.1
– Metascore: 44
– Runtime: 103 minutes

“The Jacket” is a sci-fi psychological thriller that stars Adrien Brody, Keira Knightley, Kris Kristofferson, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. Daniel Craig has a supporting role in the film as a character named Rudy Mackenzie, a patient committed to a mental institution.

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Paramount Vantage

#8. ‘Defiance’ (2008)

– Director: Edward Zwick
– IMDb user rating: 7.1
– Metascore: 58
– Runtime: 137 minutes

Daniel Craig was featured in three films other than “Quantum of Solace” in 2008, including “Defiance.” The actor starred as Tuvia Bielski in the fact-based WWII film, which centered around the Bielski Partisans—a group led by the Bielski brothers that rescued and hid noncombatant Jews in Nazi-occupied Belarus.

Sony Pictures Classics

#7. ‘Layer Cake’ (2004)

– Director: Matthew Vaughn
– IMDb user rating: 7.3
– Metascore: 73
– Runtime: 105 minutes

“Layer Cake” might be the most important non-Bond film on Daniel Craig’s résumé. Why? Because it directly led to him landing the prestigious role. When Craig did his screen test for “Casino Royale,” fellow British actor Henry Cavill also auditioned. The two were neck-and-neck but director Martin Campbell revealed that Craig’s role in the 2004 crime film swayed the director to offer him the role because the actor “showed such terrific charm” in the film.

Columbia Pictures

#6. ‘The Adventures of Tintin’ (2011)

– Director: Steven Spielberg
– IMDb user rating: 7.3
– Metascore: 68
– Runtime: 107 minutes

This animated film, based on the comic series of the same name, was a combination of pure computer animation and stop-motion animation. In it, Craig voices the big bad, Ivan Ivanovitch Sakharine. The film was a box office success and notably was the first motion-captured, non-Pixar, animated film to win Best Animated Feature Film at the Golden Globes. A sequel has been announced but development is stuck in limbo.

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

#5. ‘Elizabeth’ (1998)

– Director: Shekhar Kapur
– IMDb user rating: 7.4
– Metascore: 75
– Runtime: 124 minutes

Craig plays the infamous priest John Ballard in this biographical period drama starring Cate Blanchett as Elizabeth I of England. Craig’s role isn’t a starring one, but it’s definitely memorable as his character plots the assassination of the titular English monarch.

Dreamworks Pictures

#4. ‘Munich’ (2005)

– Director: Steven Spielberg
– IMDb user rating: 7.5
– Metascore: 74
– Runtime: 164 minutes

This historical drama documents Operation Wrath of God—a covert operation planned by the Israeli government to assassinate those involved in the Munich massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympic games. Craig’s character is part of that operational team.

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Dreamworks Pictures

#3. ‘Road to Perdition’ (2002)

– Director: Sam Mendes
– IMDb user rating: 7.7
– Metascore: 72
– Runtime: 117 minutes

“Road to Perdition” boasts an all-star cast that includes Tom Hanks, Jude Law, and Paul Newman in his final live-action film role. The Great Depression-era crime drama is based on the graphic novel of the same name and was nominated for six Academy Awards, taking home the Oscar for Best Cinematography. Craig plays the violent, vengeful son of Newman’s Irish mob boss.

Columbia Pictures

#2. ‘The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’ (2011)

– Director: David Fincher
– IMDb user rating: 7.8
– Metascore: 71
– Runtime: 158 minutes

One of the darkest films in Craig’s oeuvre, this neo-noir psychological thriller was based on the 2005 novel of the same name. Craig stars as journalist Mikael Blomkvist who accepts an assignment from a retired businessman to investigate a decades-old murder. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, taking home the award for Best Film Editing.

Lionsgate

#1. ‘Knives Out’ (2019)

– Director: Rian Johnson
– IMDb user rating: 7.9
– Metascore: 82
– Runtime: 130 minutes

Can you say new franchise, anyone? “Knives Out” features an all-star ensemble cast consisting of Chris Evans, Ana de Armas, Jamie Lee Curtis, Michael Shannon, Don Johnson, Toni Collette, LaKeith Stanfield, Katherine Langford, Jaeden Martell, and Christopher Plummer. The whodunit mystery film was not only a huge box office success but was also praised by critics. Its screenplay was nominated for an Oscar, and writer-director Rian Johnson has already inked a lucrative deal to develop two sequels centered on Craig’s character, Detective Benoit Blanc, one of which (“Glass Onion”) hits screens big and small in late November 2022.