It’s hard to believe that it’s been 20 years since Daniel Craig made his debut as James Bond 007 in Casino Royale. At the time, his casting was met with skepticism, and some members of the press dubbed him “James Blond.” Craig ultimately silenced many of his critics, delivering one of the most distinctive interpretations of 007 since Sean Connery. With the search for the next James Bond keeping the franchise in the spotlight, it’s a good time to revisit Craig’s five-film run. From the disappointment of Quantum of Solace to the heights of Casino Royale and Skyfall, here’s how all five Daniel Craig James Bond movies rank, from worst to best.
How We Ranked Daniel Craig’s James Bond Movies
This ranking considers each film’s storytelling, action, villains, performances, direction, and overall effectiveness as a James Bond adventure. The order reflects my critical assessment of the five films, rather than box office performance or fan popularity.
Quantum of Solace
- Director: Marc Forster
- Release Year: 2008
- Official Eon Bond Film: #22
- JoBlo Ranking: #5 of 5
Considering how great Casino Royale was, Quantum of Solace was a major disappointment. It’s not a terrible movie, but it’s a huge victim of a few things. One is the Writers Guild strike that was happening at the time, meaning they never had a proper script. It also came out at the height of the Bourne saga’s popularity, and the shaky-cam aesthetic and how stripped-down they were badly affected this movie. It was the shortest Bond movie ever, with pretty much everything that’s not an action sequence cut out of the movie. But they also cut out all the elements that make 007 a success—namely, the glamour and sex appeal. It’s also directed by Marc Forster, who was a good director of dramas but not someone who had a good handle on action, making all the carnage—which should have been killer—tough to decipher.
Spectre
- Director: Sam Mendes
- Release Year: 2015
- Official Eon Bond Film: #24
- JoBlo Ranking: #4 of 5
Sam Mendes did a great job with Skyfall, but it was a mistake for him to come back for Spectre, as clearly he’d done everything with the franchise that he wanted to do. As such, Spectre feels very by-the-numbers, with Craig—who at the time was publicly complaining about how hard the movies were to make—giving one of his less inspired performances. Much of the buzz surrounding the film centered on the reintroduction of Ernst Stavro Blofeld and the SPECTRE organization, and many assumed Christoph Waltz was an inspired choice. He wasn’t. He turned out to be bland in the part. It does have some good points, though. Léa Seydoux is effective as 007’s love interest, who would return in No Time to Die, while the opening teaser in Mexico City is killer—easily the best part of the film. But, like with Quantum of Solace, I was very disappointed when this came out.
No Time to Die
- Director: Cary Joji Fukunaga
- Release Year: 2021
- Official Eon Bond Film: #25
- JoBlo Ranking: #3 of 5
This is divisive for Bond fans, as 007 actually dies at the end. I’m still not sure what I think of this choice, and the film, I found, was too long and overstuffed. Like too many others in the Daniel Craig era, the villains sucked, with Waltz returning in an extended cameo, while Rami Malek is a bland, wimpy villain. But it has really good action sequences, with Cary Joji Fukunaga, who hasn’t made a movie since, proving to be a solid director. Hans Zimmer also contributes a good score, and Craig seems fully engaged.
Skyfall
- Director: Sam Mendes
- Release Year: 2012
- Official Eon Bond Film: #23
- JoBlo Ranking: #2 of 5
Sam Mendes seemed like a wild choice to direct a James Bond movie, but paired with Roger Deakins as his DP, he absolutely nailed the assignment. After the disappointment of Quantum of Solace, the series could have had a hard time rebounding, so this was an all-or-nothing installment. They had a great screenplay, a terrific score by Thomas Newman (taking over from David Arnold), with a killer theme song by Adele, and, of course, Javier Bardem as one of the best Bond villains of modern times. Controversially, there’s no standard Bond girl in it, with the movie instead focusing on James Bond’s relationship with Judi Dench’s M, who delivers a potent performance.
Casino Royale
- Director: Martin Campbell
- Release Year: 2006
- Official Eon Bond Film: #21
- JoBlo Ranking: #1 of 5
Daniel Craig’s first Bond movie was his best. Beautifully directed by Martin Campbell, with some of the best action scenes in the series, including the incredible parkour sequence, Daniel Craig was an absolute smash as 007. Eva Green might be my favorite Bond girl ever as the duplicitous but sympathetic Vesper Lynd, while Mads Mikkelsen is a solid villain as Le Chiffre. The fact that so much of the movie is set at a poker table could have spelled doom, but it all works beautifully, adding up to one of the best James Bond movies ever.
For me, Casino Royale remains the high point of Daniel Craig’s James Bond era, with Skyfall close behind. While Quantum of Solace and Spectre rank lower, each of Craig’s five films contributed to a run that reshaped 007 for a new generation.
Do you agree with our ranking of Daniel Craig’s James Bond movies? Would you put Skyfall ahead of Casino Royale, or does another Craig-era adventure deserve the top spot? Let us know in the comments.
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