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As its title suggests, Layer Cake is a crime-thriller that cuts into several levels of its treacherous criminal underworld. The title is actually one character's definition of the drug-trade hierarchy, but it's also an apt metaphor for the separate layers of deception, death and betrayal experienced by the film's unnamed protagonist, a cocaine traffic middle-man played with smooth appeal by Daniel Craig (Casino Royale). Listed in the credits only as "XXXX," the character is trapped into doing a favour for his volatile boss, only to have tables turned by his boss's boss (Gosford Park) in a twisting plot involving a stolen shipment of Ecstasy, a missing girl, duplicitous dealers, murderous Serbian gangsters, and a variety of low-lifes with their own deadly agendas. As adapted by J.J. Connolly (from his own novel) and directed by Matthew Vaughan (who earned his genre chops as producer of Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch), Layer Cake improves upon those earlier British gangland hits with assured pacing, intelligent plotting, and an admirable emphasis on plot-moving dialogue over routine action. Sure, it's violent (that's to be expected) and not always involving, but it's smarter than most thrillers, and Vaughan's directorial debut has a confident style that's flashy without being flamboyant. This could be the start of an impressive career. --Jeff Shannon
Product Description
Daniel Craig, Kenneth Cranham, Dexter Fletcher, Jamie Foreman, Michael GambonDirector: Matthew Vaughn
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
The British gangster movie is rightly looked down upon. After Guy Richie's 'Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels' there seems to be a slew of below par films set in the British underworld, not least directed by Richie himself. Amongst these films was one that rose above and with its recent BluRay release I decided to revisit 'Layer Cake' to see if it held up - and it does.
XXXX is a new breed of criminal. He is not interested in power or fame, instead he plans to make his money importing drugs and get out whilst he still can. Everything seems to be going to plan until the big boss asked him for a favour. XXXX now finds himself dealing with the likes of 'The Duke' a two bit flash Harry who could get them all killed. Central to the story is a stash of one million ecstasy tablets stolen from very dangerous Eastern Europeans. Can XXXX keep it all together and get out alive and rich?
'Layer Cake' is a well acted and brilliantly presented gangster film. Matthew Vaughn was the producer of Richie's first two films and the influence is certainly here. However, Vaughn is far more intelligent in his direction and gives the film a more realistic feel than Richie does. Daniel Craig proves that he is a great leading man and the ensemble cast is also very strong. The BluRay transfer itself is a good one, but the quality is perhaps not worth paying extra for with this film. For me 'Layer Cake' is up with 'The Bank Job' as one of the best Brit gangster films of the past 10 years.
XXXX is a new breed of criminal. He is not interested in power or fame, instead he plans to make his money importing drugs and get out whilst he still can. Everything seems to be going to plan until the big boss asked him for a favour. XXXX now finds himself dealing with the likes of 'The Duke' a two bit flash Harry who could get them all killed. Central to the story is a stash of one million ecstasy tablets stolen from very dangerous Eastern Europeans. Can XXXX keep it all together and get out alive and rich?
'Layer Cake' is a well acted and brilliantly presented gangster film. Matthew Vaughn was the producer of Richie's first two films and the influence is certainly here. However, Vaughn is far more intelligent in his direction and gives the film a more realistic feel than Richie does. Daniel Craig proves that he is a great leading man and the ensemble cast is also very strong. The BluRay transfer itself is a good one, but the quality is perhaps not worth paying extra for with this film. For me 'Layer Cake' is up with 'The Bank Job' as one of the best Brit gangster films of the past 10 years.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
Daniel Craig is a drug dealer about to get out of the game when he gets roped into finding a girl for his boss. Twists rapidly ensue; this is one of the most densely plotted films I've seen in ages, and I was glued to the screen throughout.
This is not your typical Lock-Stock-esque gangster movie, despite coming from the same producer. There's no wisecracking mockney here, but an altogether more studied and serious piece that probably manages to skate a lot closer to reality than any of Ritchie's movies.
Craig is fantastic and oozes that on-screen charisma that probably landed him the Bond job. Partly because of this, the other actors seem fairly nondescript in comparison. Gambon's fake-fake tan is appalling!
Now, to the Blu-Ray (on my 32" 720p telly): I have to say that I didn't really notice any stand-out parts in hi-def; the image was crisp and clean throughout but no real 'wow' moments (perhaps I'm just getting used to hi def). The sound was immersive and well-used throughout, but again no eye-popping moments.
If you already have this on DVD then I wouldn't bother upgrading unless you really love it, but if you don't have it in any format then I highly recommend this to any crime thriller fans, even those who were put off by the cheeky chappy hard man antics of Guy Ritchie.
This is not your typical Lock-Stock-esque gangster movie, despite coming from the same producer. There's no wisecracking mockney here, but an altogether more studied and serious piece that probably manages to skate a lot closer to reality than any of Ritchie's movies.
Craig is fantastic and oozes that on-screen charisma that probably landed him the Bond job. Partly because of this, the other actors seem fairly nondescript in comparison. Gambon's fake-fake tan is appalling!
Now, to the Blu-Ray (on my 32" 720p telly): I have to say that I didn't really notice any stand-out parts in hi-def; the image was crisp and clean throughout but no real 'wow' moments (perhaps I'm just getting used to hi def). The sound was immersive and well-used throughout, but again no eye-popping moments.
If you already have this on DVD then I wouldn't bother upgrading unless you really love it, but if you don't have it in any format then I highly recommend this to any crime thriller fans, even those who were put off by the cheeky chappy hard man antics of Guy Ritchie.
Format:Blu-ray
This was a good gritty british gangster film which had it's fair share of drug dealing and violence that I think got Daniel Craig is role for the 007 Bond movies. Daniel Craig in my eyes was brillant in this and he proved he can act and has moved on from this role to much bigger things. The film it's self moved along at a nice pace from scene to scene with plenty of twists and turns that kept me interested to the very end. The blu ray transfer was very good with bright colours and good sound there were no stand out moments but it was still a very good clean sharp picture. If you like films like The Business,Football Factory or Sexy Beast you will love this.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Jeffs Opinion!
Love this film! The music, the actors and most importantly a good story! Directors Matthew Vaughn's first film, he'd produced Guy Ritchies "Lock, Stock........ Read more
Published 7 months ago by Jeff B
Criminal double and triple cross
Daniel Craig for a change is the bad guy in this film about the London underworld with Eastern European crimals thrown in for good measure. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Mr. D. J. Linnell
???
I love this movie! Daniel Craig delivers a stunning performance. Can somebody tell me if this Blu-ray comes with any subtitles or other languages? Read more
Published on 30 Nov 2009 by Amadou Ahnen
Craig gets toned up up for his Bond roles....
This is the film that put Daniel Craig in the shop window.
An action packed,violent,drug fuelled journey through the seedier side of life. Read more
An action packed,violent,drug fuelled journey through the seedier side of life. Read more
Published on 7 May 2009 by Scott Allison
Excellent brit gangster movie
Not quite knowing what to expect from the film I was pleasantly surprised by both the story and the quality of acting, especially from Daniel Craig. Read more
Published on 26 Mar 2008 by Valleysboy
No time for a toilet break!
This film grabs you by the "doobries" and won't let you go, right from the start. Action packed with twists and turns from the begining. Read more
Published on 21 Mar 2008 by Martin Burgess
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