Peel the Onion | James Bond: Daniel Craig's 007 Movies Ranked (Part II)

By J.B.Browne

After fifteen years and five films, Daniel Craig's tenure as James Bond ends with No Time to Die [sad face]. But how do the Craig Bonds rank? Which was best and which were duds? Read on as we climb to the top spot.

3/5

Skyfall (2012)

Perhaps a tad controversial placing this resounding fan favorite in the middle, but according to our list, this is where the Craig Bonds get GOOD. Where to start with Skyfall? The two main elements of any great Bond are a great Bond girl, an equal to James, and a great Bond villain, hopefully one more magnetic than James. Skyfall has one of the best villains in Raoul Silva, played by Javier Bardem in peak Anton Chigurh camp psychopathy.

The cyber-terrorist and former Secret Intelligence Service operative doesn't appear until roughly halfway through. But when he does, he dominates. Apparently, the first draft of the script for Skyfall had a villain known as "Javier Bardem" in anticipation of his eventual casting, which is probably why he's so good as it was written for him.

Skyfall Funny Silva Scene HD

Clip via James Bond 007

The climactic final half-hour is thrilling, foreshadowing the horror trappings of the opening scene in No Time to Die. Bond's failure to save Judi Dench's M, Bond's symbolic mother figure, set against the bleak-picturesque Scottish Highlands at Bond's childhood home, is both claustrophobic and riveting. Skyfall hammered home the theme of family, something that resonated with audiences deeply. And like Casino Royale, Skyfall's winning formula draws from the stylistic nihilism of 2008's The Dark Knight. Add to that Roger Deakins' world-class cinematography and the reintroduction of classic Bond gadgets and peripheral characters like Q, Skyfall wins from the start.

2/5

No Time To Die (2021)

Whether you've seen it yet or not, No Time to Die is a sterling finale for Daniel Craig's Bond tenure. It satisfies because its primary function is to conclude the Craig cycle as an extended farewell to our very own 21st century millennial Bond. Some set pieces are intoxicating, and like old Bond movies, the excitement of travel-through-screen to exotic places is thrilling. There are tweaks to the Bond formula too. Instead of an action sequence, the film begins with a little girl in a chalet in the dead of winter. It's beautiful and quiet, but for the encroaching horror of a Japanese kabuki mask-wearing figure. A sinister home invasion ensues, recalling the Halloween movies but also the end of Skyfall. It's an original un-Bond-like vibe.

No Time To Die Trailer

Clip via James Bond 007

No Time to Die has two main villains. One is Christoph Waltz's Blofeld, returning from Spectre, running Spectre while feigning insanity in solitary confinement, and whose one central appearance is an interrogation scene that's pure Anthony Hopkins Hanibal Lecter. The other is Rami Malek's Lyutsifer Safin, which might as well be a poorly disguised "Hi, I'm Lucifer Satan" party name. Malek's performance is somehow big and echoey without much depth for his character to convince us of his master plan. Finally, because of the ultra arc climax of Craig's Bond, we're given one explosive ending that will have Bond fans reminiscing for years.

Read our in-depth No Time to Die review here – Part 1, Part 2

1/5

Casino Royale (2006)

You don't need to be a fan of Bond movies to appreciate how good Casino Royale is. Hardcore fans will lean on Skyfall as their fave, but Casino Royale stands up to repeat viewings more than any other and is one of the best Bond films ever (if not the best). But when Daniel Craig was initially cast, fans kicked back with slogans like "Bond is not Blond." Fortunately, Craig more than made the character his own, reinventing him with a gritty realism for a post-millennial audience on the cusp of social media outrage culture.

The mid-noughties were a time for loudness wars and crash-bang-wallop action sequences. Then came Casino Royale, a Bond reboot with all the suave calmness of its title character. Languid pacing, proper dialogue, drawn-out scenes, killer looks, and nuclear silences. The characters were believable once again, which was the intention.

Casino Royale's Opening Parkour Chase

Clip via Movieclips

Craig portrayed Bond non-judgementally, something we'd never seen before. We see fundamental change as well. Bond's attitude towards women changes during Craig's run, making sense after what happens to him in Casino Royale. Betrayed by his love and then losing her, his callous womanizing for the rest of the series feels like a response to the emotional trauma gleaned in Casino Royale (rather than old Bond toxic masculinity). The chemistry between Vesper Lynd (Eva Green) – Bond's female match – is palpable, and her loss drives the character right up to No Time to Die.

In Le Chiffre, we have a worthy runner-up for best Craig Bond villain after Silva. Mads Mickelson is pitch-perfect as the asthmatic bleeding eye gambler, a sore point for the audience when dispatched in a trice. And who could forget THAT torture scene? Casino Royale was a ballsy reboot opener and one that enriches with every rewatch — a perfect way to start the Craig cycle again after No Time to Die.

As he would refer himself, J.B. Browne is a half "foreign devil" living with anxiety relieved by purchase. HK-born Writer/Musician/Tinkerer.

 

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