Layer Cake

"Layer Cake" the stylish neo noir film by Matthew Vaughn, making his directorial debut, shows a man with enormous potential to do much better in future projects. The film, based on J.J. Connelly's novel, is a study about the drug business by some ruthless people that are making a lot of money with their illegal commerce.

Point in case, the nameless hero of the story who figures he has played the game right and now is about to make an exit from the business. Little does he know that his friend Jimmy Price has other ideas for him to execute, no doubt driven by a desire to get him in trouble, as proves to be the case.

"Layer Cake" screams for a second viewing. In fact, it is probably a requirement because it will make things clearer to the viewer who might get lost in this story with so many twists and turns.

Daniel Craig is the best thing going in the movie. In fact, he kept reminding us of a young Steve McQueen because of his cool demeanor and how he seems to move effortlessly throughout the film. Kenneth Cranham, as Jimmy Price, is also another actor whose contribution is an asset in the film. Michael Gambon, leaner and tanner, is a cool drug lord who rules a vast empire. Colm Meaney also is excellent, as well as the extensive cast.

Look for the next film by Matthew Vaughn!

This is a clever drug dealer movie set in the UK. It starts out with the main character (XXXX) and narrator cheerfully extolling the virtues of the drug industry when you are careful and organised like he is. He is about to retire with a nice little fortune. Then it all starts to go wrong, one thing after another as layers are added to the plot.

Sometimes it seems as if the plot is too complex and there are two dangers, one of leaving the audience behind and two leaving gaping holes in the plot. Still the humour and action set pieces are enough to pull it through. It is not as good as Snatch or Lock, Stock etc but is original enough to stand on its own right. Worth a look.

I can IMPOSSIBLY outline the plot of Matthew Vaughn's Layer Cake, so I'll just say it's about a nameless guy (Daniel Craig) doing some criminal stuff in London.

In my observation there are three approaches to gangster characters in crime films: 1) The overly-amateurish 'gangsters' that are scared sh*t and mess up, like in Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, 2) The kind of gangster who is an amateur, but picks up on criminal ways quickly and effortlessly if the occasion calls for it, like Max the cab driver from Collateral and 3) The stone-cold professionals who can do whatever, whenever with whatever, like any mob-boss, contract killer, etc.

What is so endlessly refreshing about Layer Cake (2004) is that it applies none of these approaches to its main character Daniel Craig. He is a drug-dealer, but reluctantly resorts to violent ways. He hates guns. Murders and violence disturb him. He takes time to cope with things. He shows fear and hesitation. He actually bleeds when he is hit. In short, he is an extremely realistic person and this facilitates the film's realistic atmosphere - there's no glossy visuals or over-the-top violence.

Now, it is my opinion that Layer Cake could have perhaps used some of the latter to spice things up. Its director is the producer of Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and it is clear here that he is trying to move away from flashy Ritchie editing and effects as much as possible, making his own film just a bit too barren in order to be 'different'. It works fine, but as a result, the gangster characters aren't very funny or colourful - rather they are down-to-earth London men trying to make a living. A shady living, true, but still a living.

A few bland characters and an extra-template romantic storyline featuring Sienna Miller (I like her, but she is redundant in this film) drag this film down, but overall it is a very solid crime thriller, superbly acted by Daniel Craig. The score is great. In particular, please note the great use of "Ordinary World" by Duran Duran. Layer Cake isn't gloriously entertaining or anything but it feels very real and engaging and it is interesting to see the acting abilities of future Mr Bond - as well as his bare chest.

7/10

The trailers to Layer Cake left me with mixed feelings. Usually when a trailer needs to draw reference to 'one's we made earlier' (in this case Lock, Stock, and Snatch) when the writer or director of said films has nothing to do with the project, the end result is a poor copycat. After watching the film, I am more than impressed!

Layer Cake introduces us (once more) to the world of the cockney gangsters, and the dealing of drugs. The medication of choice this time is Ecstacy, and the set up involves an up-and-coming name in the dealing trade being thrown a job by one of the big names. Sent to find a missing girl, and also buy and sell on a large shipment, it all seems like easy work. However, as he soon finds, things are not always as they seem, and before long his life is at risk when the deal begins to go sour.

For the first 20 minutes of the film I couldn't decide whether it was going to be a Lock, Stock, or Honest (the dreadful All Saints film). The film uses the obligatory 'catchy' tunes from the past 2 decades, and uses the same type of framing of scenes as the genre. For the first 20 minutes, whilst we were introduced rapidly to the characters in the tale, it was hard to discern where the plot was going, and even harder to care much about the players. By the half way point I was engrossed! The plot twists and turns at various points throughout, and you do begin to care about the lead character and the associates around him.

The film oozes cockney cool, and although not quite on par with the best of the genre, it is still a worthy, and very engrossing, offering from director Matthew Vaughn. Stylishly shot, with a great soundtrack, this is one of those films that blokes will walk out of very pleased, but their partners may not feel the same way. Whilst not really violent or sexist in nature, this is a lads film through and through, and it is one cake that I want another slice of.

A fun thriller that combines fast-paced action and black humor in the purest Ritchie style , concerning a mobster who tries to leave his sinister job when a chain of events unfolds, involving betrayal , disorder , blackmail , deception , mayhem and killings . Stars XXX (Daniel Craig), he's a sharp-suited, throughly modern criminal. Impeccable in appearance, well dressed, always attentive, XXX seems like a serious and ruthless businessman. But in reality his profession consists of trafficking cocaine and ecstasy. Work with which he has managed to amass a great fortune while gaining respect from the English mafia. He now intends to retire from the business to enjoy the money he has earned. But his boss Jimmy Price (Kenneth Cranham) asks him for two last requests : locate the daughter of missing criminal Eddie Temple (Michael Gambon) and act as intermediary in the purchase of a huge stash of ecstasy.

Lavish production packed with action, intrigue, suspense, amusement and with overtones of ¨The Long Good Friday . Casting , plot twists , lots of action and attractive dialogue in Guy Ritchie style are spot on. The filmmaker Mathew Vaughan, producer and screenwriter of among other titles: ¨Lock and Stock¨ and ¨Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch¨by Guy Ritchie, makes his debut as a director and does it well, with this adaptation of the original novel of the same name by J. J. Connolly, who is also the screenwriter of the film. In the beginning, Vaughn was only going to intervene as producer, leaving the task to Ritchie, but when he rejected it Vaughn decided to direct. It stars the charismatic Daniel Craig (Casino Royale, Munich, The Jacket) as a young and successful cocaine dealer who by his boss in organized crime asks him to perform a couple of favors. As a elegant criminal, Craig dances around an ever-evolving cast of gangster types, attempting and failing to quit the messy drugs business into which he slips more and more at every tick of the clock. J. J. Connolly's novel and script gives Vaughn a credible host of roles to perform and the director refrains from caricature painting instead a distinct, muted vision of the London underworld in which the rising towes and grey skies of 'Canary Wharf' stress the onset of a new crime generation, fuelled by drugs, and Eastern European muscle. Peel away the elegant suits, the wit, the drugs, the chases, the complex intrigue, twists, turns and you're not left with with much else to chew on.

Daniel Craig is well accompanied by a good cast, such as: Michael Gambon as a powerful construction business player and gossip papers socialite and Kenneth Cranham as another ageing crimelord who has his own agenda. Along with Tom Hardy (Venom, Dunquerke, Inception), Jamie Foreman (Elizabeth, Sleepy Hollow), and the rising actress Sienna Miller (Alfie, Casanova). And adding others as Jamie Foreman, Sally Hawkins, Burn Gorman, George Harris, Colm Meaney, Marcel Iures, Dexter Fletcher and Ben Whishaw, all of them giving simpathetic interpretations.

This fun thriller that combines action-packed and drops of humor with Tarantinian dialogues was well directed by Matthew Vaughn. He's a good writer, producer (Guy Ritchie movies) and director, producing or shooting blockbuster films, such as: ¨Layer Cake¨ ¨X: First Class¨, ¨Stardust¨, ¨Kick ass¨, ¨Rocket man¨, ¨Silent night¨, ¨Tetris¨, ¨Blood night¨, among others. Rating: 7.5/10. Better than average. Well worth watching. The film will appeal to Daniel Craig fans and British thriller enthusiasts.