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List Price: $14.94 | | Label: Sony Pictures Classics
Salesrank: 53682
Released: August 23, 2005 |
| Our Price: $5.48 |
| Used Price: $3.04 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
Planning to retire and begin a new life, Mr. X (Daniel Craig, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider), a successful West End drug dealer, has been asked for one last favor: to negotiate the sale of one million hits of Ecstasy. Unfortunately for Mr. X, the pills were stolen from a Serbian drug lord who'll cut off his head if he sells them. And with a London crime czar (Michael Gambon, Open Range & The Insider) promising to retire him permanently if he doesn't, Mr. X may be rightfully concerned about his future. Nothing worth losing his head over.
Description of Layer Cake (Full Screen Edition):
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 (rumored at the time of this film's release to be on the short list for consideration as the next James Bond). Listed in the credits only as "XXXX," the character is trapped into doing a favor for his volatile boss, only to have tables turned by his boss's boss (Michael Gambon) in a twisting plot involving a stolen shipment of Ecstasy, a missing girl, duplicitous dealers, murderous Serbian gangsters, and a variety of lowlifes 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
Layer Cake (Full Screen Edition) Reviews:
Good film 
2009-11-11 - Well worth watching -- Daniel Craig always is. It was fun to discover this unknown film (to me).
Great movie 
2009-10-20 - I just got this movie today.I am a Daniel Craig fan so I really loved this movie.If you like accion and a cute guy, this is it.
Movie
2009-09-10 - Purchased as a gift fot my hubby to add to his collection. Loved the movie.
A Modern Masterpiece
2009-07-30 - Matthew Vaughn has put together what might be the coolest film in years. Each scene is beautifully done: the sets/locations, cinematography, script, and the acting never seem disjointed; they all complement one another. The only word I can think of to describe the film is 'tight'. No word or shot is wasted; nothing is half-hearted.
The entire ensemble is terrific (and entirely believable in their roles), but I would single out Daniel Craig and Michael Gambon in particular for turning in what are easily my favorite performances from each. If you are fans of either, you will like this movie.
The film's plot is a bit complicated, but that just means that it repays (and justifies!) rewatching.
Finally, for better or worse, the film ends in a very different place than the book. Happily (for fans of the book), there are some deleted/alternate endings on the DVD which more closely approximate the book's ending.
cool movie. 
2009-07-20 - I knew Daniel Craig would make an excellent James Bond after seeing him in action here. "Layer Cake" invites comparison with other films from that distinct genre of which it is apart. Along with "Snatch" "Layer Cake" is the best of the British gangster films to come along over the last couple decades. Plot, acting, cinematography - **all top notch**. That it is a directorial debut makes it even more impressive. Things do get a little hairy Plot wise, so do pay attention mate. You'll dig this flick I'm sure.
