10 Incredible Performances The Academy Ignored This Year
4. Daniel Craig (Knives Out)
Detective Benoit Blanc may be Daniel Craig's finest character to date.
There I said it.
Yes, his work as James Bond has been consistently great for the most part - Quantum of Solace and Spectre weren't that bad - and turns in Defiance and Logan Lucky have reminded us of his talents outside of the super-spy world. However, Knives Out offered him the chance to flex a different set of muscles than he did in any of those other roles.
Piecing together a mystery and playing a game of chess with the numerous suspects in front of him, Craig produced a performance which was as entertaining as it was engaging and his 'dubious' Southern accent was nowhere near as distracting as others claimed it to be.
Acting as the confidant, the enforcer and the investigator on the flick of a switch, Craig as Blanc was such a stand-out that the premise of a sequel revolving around him cracking another case was pitched almost immediately after the whodunnit hit cinemas.
Yet, despite his class in the role and the fact that Craig landed a Golden Globe nomination for his efforts, the Academy outright ignored his multi-faceted performance.
At least it looks like he'll get another crack at a nomination in the sequel.