Daniel Craig - 3 Movie Reviews, Part 1

As promised, I have begun renting and watching Daniel Craig movies from Netflix. So here are reviews from the first three movies just for you, my readers. Don't you feel the love?

Obsession 1997

This movie asks the question, “Can two men make one women happy?” The answer is a resounding, “Yes!” But don’t expect her to decide which one she wants.

Miriam, played by Heike Makatsch witnesses a struggle between John McHale (Daniel Craig) and some Berlin police officers as he tried to use a police radio to call for help for a Russian man who was being chased for stealing a card of sparkly crystal buttons and then falls and has a heart attack. Apparently John sent some of the police officers to the hospital with broken bones. She then goes to court to defend John. She, meanwhile, is seeing her long time beau, a biologist named Pierre (Charles Berling). Her testimony clears John, who was from Africa, but he is deported from Germany by the court. He remains illegally in Germany with the man whose life he saved and the man’s brother. Slowly, John becomes obsessed with Miriam. She puts him off for what seems like forever to me, but then a tragedy brings them closer. She hides her affair from Pierre for some time, until John makes it clear that he will not stand for it by moving in to their spare cottage, and then she lets the cat out of the bag, so to speak. So there is the requisite tussle between the two gents and then they both decide to make her happy and let her choose; a resolution that pleased me to no end.

Brass tacks time: He was gorgeous. There was not nearly enough nudity or sex in the movie. But I guess that goes without saying. I mean, come on, there could be a porn video of him and I would not be satisfied. Sigh. Well, I guess I would like to be the judge of that. *wink*

*** of 5 stars

Love is the Devil 1998

A former boxer and petty criminal, George Dyer (Daniel Craig), falls into the skylight of Francis Bacon’s (Derek Jacobi) ill kempt loft to burgle it. This wakes Francis and he says to George, “Stay the night and you can have anything you like.” So, George stays. Derek Jacobi was brilliant here in his performance of the effete and snobbish painter, acclaimed during his lifetime. You guys will just love seeing Daniel as the dominant top, pleasuring himself and Francis while slowly his own psyche disintegrates and ultimately self destructs from his unrequited love for Francis. Together they do the whole 60’s gay scene in Paris, New York and London. This nude photo of Daniel is from this film. Rent it; see it. Of course there was not enough nudity for me (though you do get to see it all) and good gracious, they dyed his hair black!!! Whose idea was that? You will have to let me know if you buy him as gay.

*** of 5 stars

Love and Rage 1998

Typically I love Victorian movies. I had fully planned to enjoy this one. Agnes MacDonnell (Greta Scacchi) is divorced and runs a large Irish island estate. She attends a local fair at which she sees James Lynchehaun (Daniel Craig) win a race by throwing off another rider. Of course she is smitten with his unpredictable wildness. She ends up hiring him as her agent to run her estate. He was in cahoots with the local Irish Republican Brotherhood and over time apparently embezzled quite a sum of monies from her estate for this political purpose. He seduces her in the process. They have a torrid affair, which in Victorian times, means he lifts her skirt and drops his pants, gives a few thrusts and everybody sighs and it’s all over. How very disappointing for the audience (me). So why do I like these films? Ah, the romance. They are also into play acting which was interesting. Eventually, there was a confrontation where she realizes he doesn’t love her and tries to kick him out. He refuses to go and he permanently disfigures her face. He is caught by the law and sentenced to life, escapes to the U.S. and extradition was refused, because what he did was considered a political crime. You might think the plot is contrived, but you can’t, because it is based on a true story.

I did enjoy seeing Daniel in this movie as well as the Irish countryside and Victorian setting. Definitely. He plays the wild scheming, peasant cad very well.

*** of five stars.