By Timothy Hager
You don’t have to be Benoit Blanc to “figure out” that Daniel Craig is fond of the character. Proof: Unlike what he did after every James Bond movie he starred in, Craig has not publicly pined for Blanc’s death. That might still come, but until then, we can continue to enjoy his take on the “Kentucky-fried” detective.
It’s understandable, though, why Craig gets itchy in big-budget franchise movies. As an actor, he is capable of more than James Bond requires. (Although, it should be noted, Craig always brought MORE than Bond required.)
With the opening of Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery at the Independent Picture House, let’s look back at three roles that shaped the mercurial actor who looks so depressed playing the world’s greatest spy and so joyful playing the world’s greatest detective:
Road to Perdition (2002) — Connor Rooney
Craig spent the first 10 years of his career in various small roles in British and American TV dramas and movies, including supporting parts in 1998’s Elizabeth and 2001’s Lara Croft: Tomb Raider. But it was the Tom Hanks-led, 1930s-set mob picture Road to Perdition that caught Hollywood’s attention.
Craig plays Connor Rooney — the insecure, volatile son of John Rooney (the legendary Paul Newman) — in a small role that showcased Craig’s ability to craft characters with unclear morals and motivations. Empire magazine called the role “simmering and quietly explosive,” traits Craig would put to good use in his run as James Bond.
I’ve never understood why Road to Perdition was largely overlooked when it was released in 2002 and in the years since. The cast is stacked — Hanks, Newman, Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tyler Hoechlin — and the movie just looks beautiful. It also marked a decidedly different role for Hanks, playing a mob enforcer trying to protect his son. (Tom Hanks with a gun!) Worth a viewing for that, alone.
Layer Cake (2004) — XXXX
If Perdition showcased Craig, the potential legitimate actor, Layer Cake showcased Craig, the potential legitimate movie star. In the debut feature from kinetic filmmaker Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass; the Kingsman series), Craig plays an unnamed drug dealer who takes on a dangerous assignment to get out of the business.
It’s not hard to draw a straight line between Craig’s acclaimed performance in Layer Cake and his casting as James Bond. Cake showcased Craig’s ability to be charming, dangerous, British and dapper in suits — all traits the Bond producers noticed.
The film doesn’t completely work — it’s a bit convoluted, with all the moving pieces and changing alliances — but Craig’s consistency grounds the film.
Logan Lucky (2017) — Joe Bang
Two years before his role as Blanc in Knives Out and four years before his end as Bond in No Time to Die, Craig had entered an interesting period of his career. With his consistent complaining about having to play Bond, Craig had earned a reputation as an actor who takes himself a little too seriously.
It doesn’t take long in Logan Lucky to see that, maybe, Craig was right in thinking his talent was being wasted as James Bond. With the right material and the right director, Craig can let go and just have fun. If any role is a precursor to the Southern sleuth Blanc, it’s his role as explosive expert Joe Bang in this “hillbilly” Ocean’s Eleven.
Craig stars alongside Adam Driver and Channing Tatum in this heist movie set (largely) in the bowels of the Charlotte Motor Speedway. As in most heist movies, or at least most GOOD heist movies, the actual crime is secondary to the characters executing it. Director Steven Soderbergh taps into Craig’s desire to have fun, play it big and go for laughs — all traits he uses in his portrayal of Blanc.
Tatum, Driver and Craig are great as a trio, with each actor’s strengths playing against the others’. But it’s Craig — as far from a British spy as possible with his prison tattoos, Southern drawl and blond buzz cut — that shines in this funny, slightly absurd and always entertaining film.