The series has been packaged as both a feature film and a 3-part miniseries due to its short runtime of 2 hours and 4 minutes. However, it was originally released as a limited series produced by the BBC with three separate episodes, each roughly 43 minutes long. Craig fans will be able to enjoy this underrated crime thriller in its original format as it is now quietly streaming on Prime Video.
Daniel Craig’s 3-Part Crime Thriller Is An Easy One-Night Binge
Archangel is worth an easy one-night binge on Prime Video, especially for dedicated fans of Daniel Craig’s movies and series. Spanning three short episodes, Archangel stars Craig in an ambitious role that is very different from his James Bond performance or his more recent iconic portrayal of Benoit Blanc in Rian Johnson’s Knives Out movie trilogy.
Combining elements of crime, mystery, and political thriller, Archangel is set in 2005 Moscow and a freezing Russian port city called Arkhangelsk, which translates to Archangel. The story follows Craig’s protagonist, Christopher “Fluke” Kelso, who is a British historian and college professor who is considered to be an expert on the Soviet Union.
Kelso attends a conference in Moscow where he is approached by a former KGB officer who claims he witnessed the death of Joseph Stalin in 1953. Kelso finds this particularly interesting, since some historians have speculated that Stalin had been poisoned by someone in his inner circle. The KGB agent tells Kelso that a notebook was taken from Stalin’s safe and is thought to have been secretly buried somewhere in Moscow. As Kelso dives deeper into the conspiracy, he becomes a target of numerous Russian interest groups, including FSB intelligence officials.
If you love political conspiracy thrillers with crime elements, such as the renowned series The Americans or British spy thrillers, such as Apple TV’s hit series Slow Horses, consider Archangel a must-watch. Because it’s so short, even compared to the briefest of modern limited series, it’s truly one of the easiest shows to binge in one night, not just on Prime Video, but on any streaming platform.
Watch Daniel Craig’s Archangel On Prime Video This Weekend
At the time of writing, Prime Video is the exclusive streaming home for U.S. viewers to enjoy Daniel Craig’s standout performance in Archangel. The series is wildly easy to start and finish in just one sitting, and is well worth the investment for fans of well-crafted thrillers. That said, it’s not exactly Craig’s best work, but it sure does make for a perfect one-night binge-watch on Prime Video.
In retrospect, Archangel was actually a pivotal stepping stone in Craig’s landing the James Bond role just one year later. Prior to the release of Archangel, Craig’s most notable performances included those in movies like Elizabeth (1998) and Road to Perdition (2002). Archangel provided a framework for how Craig could work as a leading man in a heightened international thriller with a big budget and even bigger expectations.
Archangel built some buzz ahead of its 2005 release since it was an adaptation of the celebrated novel by Robert Harris. While most viewers found the series to be a faithful and engaging interpretation, there are some additional “Hollywood” elements in the Archangel series that the purest lovers of the original text may take issue with. Still, Craig delivers his signature star power in the hidden gem thriller series, even before he skyrocketed to fame, making Archangel worth a one-night binge on Prime Video.
- Birthdate
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March 2, 1968
- Birthplace
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Chester, Cheshire, England
- Height
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5 feet 10 inches