Daniel Craig wasn’t so much of a surprise as he was a relief when he came on the scene since he was kind of like a breath of fresh air that had been waited on for a while. He started acting when he was 6 years old, mostly in plays and roles that were far and away from where he is now. But by the time he finally reached Hollywood he was a great talent that never seemed to go much of anywhere until he proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that was able to dominate on the screen and take over as he was required to do. Of all the men that have played the role of James Bond he’s one of the few that seems poised to hold onto it until the final curtain call when the character has to be passed on yet again. His skills at this point haven’t quite peaked but he has reached a pinnacle in his career and has nothing left to prove.
Here are a few movies to show just how great he’s been over his career.
5. Munich
Based upon a true story Munich is a revenge story against the Palestinian Liberation Organization after the slaying of several members of the Israeli Olympic team in 1972. The morality and the ethical concerns that come into play during the retaliatory strikes begin to wear on the men that are committing the acts as they find it increasingly difficult to locate and eliminate their targets. Eventually however the team starts meeting with opposition and several of them are taken out by opposing forces until only two remain. Disillusioned and defeated they finally give up the hunt as the main character finally returns home.
4. Cowboys and Aliens
This seemed like a pretty ridiculous premise to start with, but it’s not a new idea to be quite honest. That being said it was something that raised a lot of eyebrows and made a lot of people feel that it simply wouldn’t hold up in theaters. Surprisingly though it did better than a lot of people would have believed since it was embraced for a little while as something interesting and at least new enough to pass off as an original idea. Cowboys and aliens are typically thought to be so far apart in genre that slamming them together is kind of the equivalent of trying to make tuna and peanut butter taste good together, but somehow this pairing worked. I wouldn’t recommend the latter though.
3. Road to Perdition
This is one of those movies in which Daniel was simply one of the worst human beings around. He’s the son of a criminal kingpin that happens to think that he’s just the hottest thing around and will be the future of the family business, but unfortunately he’s kind of a weakling with a serious impulse control problem. When he kills Michael Sullivan’s family however and fails to kill Michael he unleashes a problem that his family can’t fully handle on its own. He’s the kind of character that you wait the entire movie to see get killed or at least get his due, but eventually it happens quite easily and without much of a fuss.
2. Dream House
It’s amazing the power the mind has in convincing a person that something horrible didn’t happen, but in truth that horrible thing is usually lying right beneath the surface, waiting to come out yet again. For Peter Ward this horrible occurrence was the night that he was shot in the head and his wife and two little girls were frame. After finally being released from a mental hospital he tries to put the pieces back together but his mind insists that his family is just fine and his derelict home is still beautiful. It all comes crashing down however when reality begins to barge in, reminding him just what he’s lost.
1. Casino Royale
There have been many men that have taken up the famous role of James Bond but only a few of them have ever done it the kind of justice that was really needed to make it into something special. Daniel Craig has taken the role and run with it as much as he’s been able since this movie and to be fair he’s done a very good job of it. There are rumors floating around that he might soon be done with the franchise but until that happens he’s going to be the 007 that everyone wants to see and is excited to learn will be back on the screen at any given time. When he does get replaced there’s no doubt that he’ll be remembered fondly as a part of the Bond legacy that has made the character such a legend.
Daniel is definitely a worthwhile actor and he’s proven it more than once.
