Daniel Craig names his five favourite movies of all time
Any actor lucky enough to play the British spy James Bond enters the history books of cinema history, joining such esteemed stars as Sean Connery, Roger Moore and Timothy Dalton. Daniel Craig is the most recent actor to have taken on the 007 codename, appearing in five Bond movies from 2006 to 2021, starting with Casino Royale before departing the series with style in No Time to Die.
Whilst known for his role as the international super spy, Craig has long been a staple of British cinema, shining in such movies as Matthew Vaughn’s Layer Cake, Steven Spielberg’s Munich and Lajos Koltai’s Fateless long before his time as Bond. Still, there’s no denying that the actor is best known for his 007 role, arguably making the best movie of the franchise in the form of Casino Royale.
Some careers crumble after they’ve departed from an iconic franchise, but Craig’s certainly has not, finding a new role in Benoit Blanc, the suave detective of Rian Johnson’s detective series Knives Out. Whilst promoting the 2019 movie, Craig sat down with the Academy to discuss his all-time favourite movies, revealing to fans a selection of classics.
One thing that became clear from the interview is Craig’s love for the American auteur Robert Altman, the iconic filmmaker who made several classic movies from 1960 to the 21st century. In his list of all-time favourites, Craig picks out two Altman films from the director’s heyday: 1973’s The Long Goodbye, starring Elliott Gould, and 1975’s ensemble drama Nashville, with Shelley Duvall and Jeff Goldblum, among many others.
Elsewhere, Craig sticks to the classics by picking out the Stanley Kubrick sci-fi epic 2001: A Space Odyssey, which remains a key fixture on the lists of countless favourites lists of actors and filmmakers across the world. A seminal piece of cinema made well before its time, 2001 is often considered among the greatest movies ever made thanks to its visionary approach to cinematography.
His fellow countryman Ridley Scott also makes his list of favourites, picking the director’s sci-fi epic Blade Runner for his list. Starring Harrison Ford, the story, which is based on the novel by Philip K. Dick, follows a cop in the distant future who is tasked with pursuing android ‘replicants’ and bringing them to justice. No doubt a compelling story, the most impressive feature of Scott’s movie is its effortless ability to transport the viewer to a new time and place thanks to some marvellous set design.
Bookending his list is the 1971 drama Harold and Maude by Hal Ashby, a black comedy that tells the story of a young man obsessed with death who falls for an old lady during a funeral. One of Ashby’s many masterpieces, Harold and Maude remains a challenging piece of drama that still enchants audiences to this very day.
Daniel Craig’s favourite movies:
- 2001: A Space Odyssey (Stanley Kubrick, 1968)
- Blade Runner (Ridley Scott, 1982)
- Harold and Maude (Hal Ashby, 1971)
- The Long Goodbye (Robert Altman, 1973)
- Nashville (Robert Altman, 1975)
