The Two James Bond Films Daniel Craig Believes Define the Iconic Spy—And They’re From the 60s

Daniel Craig may have left an indelible mark on the James Bond legacy with his brooding, hard-edged portrayal of 007, but even he remains a devoted fan of the films that launched the franchise into cultural immortality. In a revealing interview with Devin Faraci, Craig named Dr. No and From Russia with Love as his favorite Bond films—paying tribute to the roots that shaped the secret agent’s enduring mystique.

“They’re great, just the best; they’re two of my favourite movies,” Craig said enthusiastically. “Sean Connery being physical, scary, complicated, bad—all those things about the character. Besides whether it’s Bond, it’s a great character; it’s something he created that’s lasted this long. Those two are very special.”

For Craig, it’s no surprise that the earliest Bond installments stand tallest. Though he charted his own course during his 15-year reign as 007—ushering in a grittier, more emotionally complex version of the spy—he never hid his admiration for Connery’s groundbreaking performance. Where Roger Moore brought playful camp and Pierce Brosnan exuded sleek suavity, Craig intentionally steered his Bond closer to the raw danger and charisma that Connery first delivered in the early 1960s.

Craig’s reverence for the franchise was clear long before he ever donned the tuxedo. A fan at heart, he understood that Bond couldn’t survive on nostalgia alone. Reinvention was crucial. That’s why his debut in Casino Royale was a game-changer: portraying a young, unrefined agent still learning the ropes, Craig re-established Bond’s vulnerability and lethal edge for a new generation—qualities that harkened back to Connery’s original blueprint.

Still, Craig made the role unmistakably his own. Rather than imitating his predecessors, he infused Bond with a battered humanity and steely intensity that felt tailor-made for the 21st century. Yet by anchoring his interpretation in the spirit of Connery’s Dr. No and From Russia with Love, Craig ensured that his Bond remained tethered to the saga’s most essential qualities.

As cinema’s most famous spy approaches his seventh decade on screen, the task of casting each new Bond only grows more challenging. Today’s candidates, much like Craig, are fans before they are actors—deeply aware of the towering legacy they’re stepping into.

For Daniel Craig, at least, honoring that legacy meant looking back to where it all began, and reminding audiences why James Bond has never truly gone out of style.