(Photo by Claire Folger / Lionsgate / courtesy Everett Collection. KNIVES OUT)
Knives Out is 5!
Before he would get to utter the words “Bond, James Bond” to the delight of millions, Daniel Craig built up a durable if not spectacular resume, showing up in a range of films from the first Angelina Jolie Tomb Raider to A Kid In King Arthur’s Court. As the sniveling son of mob boss Paul Newman in Road to Perdition, Craig was able to make an impact with a broad audience in a film that already had plenty for us to look at, including Conrad L. Hall’s rain-drenched cinematography and a rare anti-hero turn from Tom Hanks.
By 2005, Craig was on the cusp of a major breakthrough with a co-starring role in Steven Spielberg’s Munich, and crime flick Layer Cake, essentially a stylish and gritty feature-length audition tape to play Agent 007. The following year, he and GoldenEye director Martin Campbell launched Casino Royale, a rousing and hard-nosed crowdpleaser revealing a James Bond for a new cynical generation. He’s since reprised the role three more times with Quantum of Solace, Skyfall, and Spectre, and when he returns in 2020 with No Time to Die, Craig will have the longest consecutively tenured Bond in film history.
Of course, when you’re James Bond, every non-Bond role you take becomes something of an automatic sensation. Some roles, like Logan Lucky or David Fincher’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo really demonstrate Craig’s range. Other films, like Dream House or The Invasion, are spectacular bombs. And the rest, along the lines of Cowboys & Aliens and The Golden Compass, are right in the mushy middle.
We know on which end of the spectrum Craig’s latest film, the Rian Johnson whodunit Knives Out, lands. (Hint: It’s his best-reviewed movie ever.) With No Time To Die‘s April 2020 November 2020 April 2021 October 2021 release now behind us, and Knives Out his main acting outlet (with Glass Onion follow-up Wake Up Dead Man activating in 2025), take a look back as we rank all Daniel Craig movies by Tomatometer!
#1
Adjusted Score: 122367%
Critics Consensus: Knives Out sharpens old murder-mystery tropes with a keenly assembled suspense outing that makes brilliant use of writer-director Rian Johnson’s stellar ensemble.
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#2
Adjusted Score: 105292%
Critics Consensus: Casino Royale disposes of the silliness and gadgetry that plagued recent James Bond outings, and Daniel Craig delivers what fans and critics have been waiting for: a caustic, haunted, intense reinvention of 007.
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#3
Adjusted Score: 111219%
Critics Consensus: Sam Mendes brings Bond surging back with a smart, sexy, riveting action thriller that qualifies as one of the best 007 films to date.
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#4
Adjusted Score: 107863%
Critics Consensus: High-octane fun that’s smartly assembled without putting on airs, Logan Lucky marks a welcome end to Steven Soderbergh’s retirement — and proves he hasn’t lost his ability to entertain.
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#5
Adjusted Score: 115532%
Critics Consensus: Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery brings back Benoit Blanc for another wildly entertaining mystery rounded out by an outstanding ensemble cast.
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#6
Adjusted Score: 96438%
Critics Consensus: Brutal yet captivating, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is the result of David Fincher working at his lurid best with total role commitment from star Rooney Mara.
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#7
Adjusted Score: 105339%
Critics Consensus: It isn’t the sleekest or most daring 007 adventure, but No Time to Die concludes Daniel Craig’s franchise tenure in satisfying style.
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#8
Adjusted Score: 89339%
Critics Consensus: Somber, stately, and beautifully mounted, Sam Mendes’ Road to Perdition is a well-crafted mob movie that explores the ties between fathers and sons.
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#9
Adjusted Score: 85380%
Critics Consensus: A stylized, electric British crime thriller.
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#10
Adjusted Score: 85829%
Critics Consensus: Munich can’t quite achieve its lofty goals, but this thrilling, politically even-handed look at the fallout from an intractable political conflict is still well worth watching.
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#11
Adjusted Score: 81603%
Critics Consensus: Reid gives a fearless, realistic performance in depicting an older woman’s sexual blossoming.
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#12
Adjusted Score: 84410%
Critics Consensus: Drawing deep from the classic Raiders of the Lost Ark playbook, Steven Spielberg has crafted another spirited, thrilling adventure in the form of Tintin.
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#13
Adjusted Score: 81114%
Critics Consensus: Though comparisons with last year’s Capote may be inevitable, Infamous takes a different angle in its depiction of the author, and stands up well enough on its own.
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#14
Adjusted Score: 75484%
Critics Consensus: Brutal and breathless, Quantum Of Solace delivers tender emotions along with frenetic action, but coming on the heels of Casino Royale, it’s still a bit of a disappointment.
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#15
Adjusted Score: 81359%
Critics Consensus: Spectre nudges Daniel Craig’s rebooted Bond closer to the glorious, action-driven spectacle of earlier entries, although it’s admittedly reliant on established 007 formula.
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#16
Adjusted Score: 65405%
Critics Consensus: Professionally made but artistically uninspired, Ed Zwick’s story of Jews surviving WWII in the Belarus forest lacks the emotional punch of the actual history.
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#17
Adjusted Score: 60699%
Critics Consensus: While it strains credibility and isn’t ultimately as profound as it might first appear, Enduring Love is still an intriguing thriller fueled by strong performances from Rhys Ifans and Daniel Craig.
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#18
Adjusted Score: 51557%
Critics Consensus: Renaissance attempts to blend sci-fi wonder with stark noir animation, but is often more fun to look at than to watch.
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#19
Adjusted Score: 54438%
Critics Consensus: Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford are as dependably appealing as ever, but they’re let down by director Jon Favreau’s inability to smooth Cowboys & Aliens‘ jarring tonal shifts.
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#20
Adjusted Score: 49834%
Critics Consensus: The Jacket is a case of creepy style over substance.
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#21
Adjusted Score: 49773%
Critics Consensus: Without the bite or the controversy of the source material, The Golden Compass is reduced to impressive visuals overcompensating for lax storytelling.
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#22
Adjusted Score: 40579%
Critics Consensus: Despite Daniel Craig’s earnest efforts, Flashbacks of a Fool suffers from an ambitious but underdeveloped script.
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#23
Adjusted Score: 9205%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#24
Adjusted Score: 35687%
Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
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#25
Adjusted Score: 41327%
Critics Consensus: This biopic about Sylvia Plath doesn’t rise above the level of highbrow melodrama.
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#26
Adjusted Score: 25798%
Critics Consensus: Angelina Jolie is perfect for the role of Lara Croft, but even she can’t save the movie from a senseless plot and action sequences with no emotional impact.
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#27
Adjusted Score: 26288%
Critics Consensus: The Invasion is slickly made, but it lacks psychological insight and thrills.
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#28
Adjusted Score: 11299%
Critics Consensus: Kings has good intentions, a talented cast, and the basis for an incredible fact-based story; unfortunately, they don’t amount to much more than a missed opportunity.
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#29
Adjusted Score: 13694%
Critics Consensus: The straightforward retelling of Kuki Gallman’s life in Africa neither moves or entertains the viewer.
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#30
Adjusted Score: 9932%
Critics Consensus: Dream House is punishingly slow, stuffy, and way too obvious to be scary.
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#31
Adjusted Score: 5861%
Critics Consensus: Disappointing even by the relaxed standards of live-action children’s entertainment, A Kid in King Arthur’s Court stands as a rare near-total misfire from Disney.
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