Daniel Craig’s James Bond days are firmly behind him, and he is now enjoying life in yet another franchise: Knives Out. The Craig-led murder mystery films have been major hits, each receiving positive reviews from both fans and critics. The third installment (Wake Up Dead Man) won’t be out in the U.S. until late November, but it has already had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film has been met with critical acclaim, managing an impressive 96% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Craig’s decision to play private detective Benoit Blanc initially baffled some, who expected him to take on more action-centric roles, like Bond, but the choice made sense to him since he has always excelled in mystery thrillers. Several films in his catalog fall under this particular categorization, including Enduring Love, which came out two years before he suited up as James Bond. Directed by Roger Michell, the movie could actually serve as a great installment in the Knives Out franchise.
Trauma and Obsession Drive the Plot of ‘Enduring Love’
In its opening minutes, Enduring Love fools you into thinking it’s going to be a layered and heartwarming romance drama. Joe (Craig) has planned an outdoor date in the picturesque English countryside with his girlfriend, Claire (Samantha Morton). For once, the weather isn’t vile in the usual British way — gray and cold. It’s warm. The two can’t help but talk endlessly about their future. It’s going to be all about babies, faithfulness, and endless repeats of the “Honey, I’m home” phrase.
But just as you think the filmmaker is nestling too comfortably in familiar genre conventions, something happens. As the couple prepares to pop a bottle of champagne, a hot air balloon drifts past them. Inside is a boy who seems too scared to jump down. Because the laws of dating forbid men from looking like cowards in front of their girlfriends, Joe rushes to secure the balloon’s basket. He is joined by a few other men, but the wind proves too strong, lifting them all up. Everyone airborne manages to drop to the ground safely, except for one man who gets lifted into the sky before horrifically falling to his death.
The incident leaves Joe totally traumatized, and he can’t help but mention it to Claire all the time. He later goes to retrieve the body of the victim together with fellow rescuer Jed Parry (Rhys Ifans). As the weeks go by, Jed becomes more and more friendly towards Joe. His insistence on spending all his free time with Joe makes the protagonist uncomfortable, so he starts avoiding him.
Days later, Joe is still thinking of ways he could have saved the dead man. When he pays a visit to the victim’s wife, she opens up about suspicions of an affair, claiming that following his death, the police returned a picnic basket that had been found in his car, along with a woman’s scarf. Intrigued, Joe puts on his investigative hat, vowing to find out who the woman was.
One day, Jed calls Joe, asking him to come outside so they can talk. Understandably, Joe is reluctant to leave the house, but Jed insists he will never bother him again if he just agrees to come outside and talk to him this time. The meeting between the two men results in a series of events that culminate in one of them stabbing the other.
Joe is an Obsessive ‘Detective,’ Just Like Benoit Blanc
Joe might not be an official detective like Benoit Blanc, but he shares the character’s enthusiasm for finding answers. A part of him believes there is more to the man’s fall, so he keeps digging for answers. And as is always the case, whenever Blanc is investigating, someone is sabotaging or derailing (whether intentionally or unintentionally). In the case of Enduring Love, it’s Jed, who keeps staring insolently at people as if they owe him something.
The 2000s film could also be a perfect fit for the Knives Out franchise because it heavily leans on the themes of truth and justice. In each instance, a mysterious death happens, possibly a violent act that vibrates with days-old or years-old antagonisms. And whenever something of the sort happens, people don’t just accept the initial report and move on. Proper investigations are conducted, resulting in twists and turns, smeared by red herrings. And there is always a sinister person who isn’t to be trusted, like Jed, whose obsession with Joe and the case definitely raised eyebrows.
Like Knives Out and Glass Onion, Enduring Love is a high-style and head-spinning genre flick; at the same time, it has its tentacles planted deep in social reality. You could think of it as an Agatha Christie emulation that goes a step further by revealing the intricacies of family and friendship in a way Christie couldn’t.
So, turn Joe into a professional private eye, and you have a proper Knives Out movie. There are motives, hints, and clues. There are weird behaviors and rash decisions — the creaking ingredients of the mystery thriller. Except nothing creaks. Instead, the film flows with an erotic surge, from tender moments to sudden, violent ones.
All factors considered, the 2000s flick could still work as a prequel, hinting that Joe’s traumatic experience gave him the urge to solve murder cases. Unlike Bond, Benoit Blanc is rarely seen with a romantic partner. What if the answers are in the events of this particular movie?
The door is open for plenty of possible connections. Most importantly, Enduring Love fits the franchise because of its feel for the environmental milieu. Its approach to the surroundings is so convincing because there’s no major difference between the backgrounds and foregrounds. The faces and fields are all dramatically important. By the conclusion, we feel like we know this place, for its wondrous sides and for ill.
‘Enduring Love’ Is a Reminder That Daniel Craig Thrives Better Without Guns
Daniel Craig might be considered one of the greatest actors to play James Bond, but he has never been an action star. His performance in Enduring Love is proof that he is more comfortable in the drama, mystery, and thriller genres.
As Bond, we never got to see the British actor do some of the artistically intriguing things he does here. Like how he randomly draws pictures of balloons on pieces of paper while staring into the air, trying to make sense of the pointlessness of the tragedy. Or how he simply analyzes things with similar shapes, like ovoid vases and fruits. Also, watch how he stares at Jed when the psychotic man kneels in prayer shortly after the accident.
One also has to look at the awards Daniel Craig has received throughout his acting career. While a few organizations nominated him for his performances in the Bond movies, Casino Royale, Skyfall, and No Time to Die, he has mostly been recognized when he took on psychologically heavy rather than stunt-heavy roles. There are Some Voices, Queer, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and The Trench, among others.
It would also not be wrong to assume that Daniel Craig hates action. Per his own confession, he kept on wanting to quit the James Bond franchise, but the Broccolis kept urging him to stay. In addition to that, he has starred in many other movies since being cast as Agent 007, and, among them, only Cowboys & Aliens had enough action to rival Bond. In contrast, the likes of Pierce Brosnan, Roger Moore, and Sean Connery were ever happy to fight and jump, before and after playing Bond.
So, was Daniel Craig the wrong choice for Bond? Absolutely not! All his predecessors were naturally great actors, so it was only wise to cast someone who could provide great performances effortlessly. Like Cillian Murphy, Craig is a proper actor who can play the kind of cursing, intimidating, unreachable fella you might spot in a bar by himself, and then, in another film, he loses himself in poetic soliloquies, and puts himself up there with Tom Hanks as a symbol of torment. However, he would be wiser to take on more roles like Joe and Benoit Blanc in the future, especially since he is now 57.
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