Culture

Daniel Craig's James Bond films: the final rankings

19 January 2022

Nicola Dove

Craig's Blond Bond dragged 007 into the 21st Century – which of his five films deserves top spot?

Now that every Bond film ever has landed on Amazon, it's a good time to revisit Daniel Craig's five-time stint as James Bond which placed him among the very best to don the suit, rev up the Aston and remember to pack the tiny blue trunks.

Mixing the unpredictable, brutish Bond of the Connery era(s) with the sophistication of early Roger Moore and a small dose of Dalton grit, Craig has come to define the superspy in a world that would be unrecognisable to creator Ian Fleming. Now Craig's 007 has finally, comprehensively… retired from active duty, it's about time we decided once and for all which of Blond Bond's outings was his magnum opus, including the lasted No Time To Die. All five were good(ish), but some were definitely better. Prepare to disagree.

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1/5
5. Spectre (2015)
It feels like putting 2015's Spectre at the bottom of the list is somewhat controversial, but it shouldn't be. For all the hype and hushed rumours of the return of Blofeld (seven-year late spoiler alert), what we got was a slick, composed but pretty standard Cain and Abel spin-off with guns instead of sticks. There were some highlights – the single-camera opening scene in Mexico is a thrilling introduction to a vendetta-driven Bond – but the middle section hovers unnervingly close to Poirot territory in its 'Detective Bond' outfit, and the villain's grand reveal doesn't hit as hard as it should.
That being said, it's still a very good film. Christoph Waltz is brilliant as Blofeld, and we quite like his Silicon-Valley-meets-supervillain wardrobe and digs. Craig delivers again, and we first meet Léa Seydoux's Madeleine Swann, setting up this Bond's final act with a perfectly-judged final scene. Dave Bautista's Mr Hinx is also the henchest henchman since Jaws.
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2/5
4. Quantum of Solace (2008)
It seems to be accepted wisdom that Quantum of Solace is a bad film. This isn't the case, and it's a shame that Craig's second Bond film is cursed with bad PR. It's not the smoothest of narratives, thanks to a Hollywood writers' strike and various other hurdles associated with the push and pull of tinseltown, but it approaches some real-life issues with an impressively astute eye to the future. The overarching motivation — revenge for the death of Vesper Lynd — at times overshadows the fun side of the Bond franchise and gets in the way of the film's interesting geopolitics, but national agencies working with an international cartel to control a natural resource and commit economic assassination? That's a story we want to hear.
Nicola Dove
3/5
3. No Time To Die (2021)
Craig's swan song, No Time To Die, dangles tantalisingly close to top spot for most of its 163-minute run time. It manages to balance some characteristically heavy-handed action — a frankly-unsurvivable bomb near the start after which Bond dusts himself down and moves on with mild, temporary tinnitus is a personal favourite — with quick dialogue and a pacy storyline. Phoebe Waller-Bridge's influence on the script is obvious, with regular moments of humour that cut through otherwise ridiculous scenarios and make the more emotionally-wrought scenes even more intense.
Unfortunately, it falls short in the final third, with a disturbing villain that, while played well by Rami Malek, unfortunately doesn't seem to have much of a backstory or motivation for his world-ending plans. However, with No Time To Die, we see a much more comprehensively-drawn Bond, one that takes the best parts of each previous iteration and melds them into one package. This is a man duty-bound to country and family on a farewell tour full of our old favourites. Subtle call-backs, classic one-liners and an element of the unglamorous realities of espionage make No Time To Die a Bond film that will stand the test of time. At least on ITV2.
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4/5
2. Casino Royale (2006)
From the end to the beginning. Craig wasn't too popular a choice to take on the character, with criticism ranging from his build, to his acting experience, to his blond hair. However, Casino Royale takes all that criticism and efficiently assassinates it to gain 00 status. The film serves as a Bond reboot, to the extent that we actually see him earn his licence to kill: this isn't the overly-smooth caricature of Die Another Day, but a vulnerable, unpredictable, fresh agent up to his eyeballs in his first mission.
Contrary to many fears before the release, Craig embodies Bond in this film in a way his predecessors never quite managed. He's cold, calculated and brutal: in short, he's the bastard that Ian Fleming wrote about. It's a good thing that Craig's Bond softened slightly, and fun returned to the franchise later on, but as debuts go, Casino Royale is a masterful shock to the system.

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5/5
1. Skyfall (2012)
Sorry, everyone, but it had to take the crown. It's an outstanding film in its own right, that focuses as much on character development as the big-money action sequences. Similarly to No Time To Die, this film introduces clever bouts of humour that serve to bring Bond some low-key moments in otherwise emotionally-charged situations.
While it ultimately falls slightly into the “we're the good guys, they're the bad guys” vein that it works hard to avoid, Skyfall still discusses the dirty nature of national security, and the depths to which our screen heroes sometimes have to dive in order to get the job done. Javier Bardem's Raoul Silva in particular is an inspired character that holds up a mirror to MI6's past, while Dame Judi Dench's M is an indelible influence on Bond, and her reading of Tennyson gives us a bonus taste of her incredible stage acting prowess.
It would be remiss not to mention Adele's Oscar and Grammy-winning theme track. Informed by Bond themes from the past and chock-full of orchestral swells, you'd be hard-pushed to find anyone who hasn't heard it. It's magnificent – even if it does sometimes sound like she's singing “scaffold”.
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