Five Totally Different Takes On LAYER CAKE!!

Hi Harry.

Long time reader, first time writer.

I've just returned from an advance preview of a crime thriller called 'Layer Cake', which first caught my interest when the trailer was shown when I went to see 'The Village'. I'm not usually a fan of crime films, and I was originally intending to wait until it came out properly, but I felt I needed something to wash out the bad taste of 'Cellular'. I don't know if you think readers of AICN will be interested, but seeing as this film pleasantly surprised me, I thought I'd share my thoughts. And before anybody on Talkback even dares to consider this, I AM NOT A STUDIO PLANT. I am simply a casual moviegoer who was very impressed by this film.

It's hard to describe the plot without giving much away. This is a film with several twists and surprises…some small, some not so small. Briefly, the story revolves around a drug dealer (who is referred to as "XXXX" in the end credits) in England played by Daniel Craig, whose boss gives him an assignment: to find the missing drug addict daughter of an old friend of his, played by Michael Gambon. There is also an equally important side plot involving millions of pounds worth of ecstasy that Craig's character has to help deal with. It takes a while to realise the important link between these two different aspects of the storyline. Like I said, I don't want to give anything away.

It's interesting to note that this is the directorial debut for Matthew Vaughn, who served as producer on Guy Ritchie's feature films. That said, this is not just another 'Lock Stock' or 'Snatch'. This is an extremely stylish film, among other things, but not to the point where it smothers the rest of the film like I thought 'Snatch' did. There's a very memorable sequence near the beginning of the film where the main character imagines his local corner shop as a squeaky clean white shop with the shelves filled with ecstasy and cocaine, which includes a sly reference (accidental or intended) to ‘Trainspotting’. The cinematography and editing are all perfect. I may even go as far to say that, in terms of pure aesthetic value, 'Layer Cake' rivals 'Fight Club' and this year's 'Collateral' (both of which I adored). I expect big things from this talented filmmaker.

The screenplay is written by J.J. Connolly, who also wrote the book on which the film was based. Let's just say that I'm now tempted to pop down to my local WHSmith's and buy one or more of his books. I just found the dialogue and the narrative itself very engaging. A nice touch about the film is that it doesn't hinge entirely on its many surprises, so it should stand up to repeated viewings well (I'll probably buy the DVD). That's not to say that the numerous twists aren't jaw dropping, because they are, but in a way that doesn't stop the film in its tracks.

I'll admit that I haven't seen Daniel Craig in anything before, but after this I will make an effort to seek out his previous work. His performance in this film is very calm and reserved, and this suits his character perfectly. It's also good to see that the director didn't simply cast Guy Ritchie favourite Jason Statham. I like Statham as an actor, but I don't think he would have worked in this role. I read in an interview with Craig in last month's edition of London’s Time Out magazine that he had accepted an offer by Steven Spielberg to star in his upcoming 'Vengeance'. After this film, I can see why Spielberg approached him in the first place. Not to put the rest of the cast down, who are also excellent in their respective roles, particularly Michael Gambon and Colm Meaney. One problem I have with this type of film is that the F-words stick out like a sore thumb whenever they are uttered. But with these actors, they simply roll off the tip of their tongue and sound completely natural. However, this is Daniel Craig's film first and foremost, and he looks and acts terrific.

There are just three problems I have with this film. One is that it is occasionally hard to follow (only occasionally). The second is that the ending left me feeling unsatisfied (if they'd remove the last thirty or so seconds of the movie, I'd be happy), but that may be just me. The third is that during one specific on-foot chase scene, the hand-held camerawork is so hyperactive that you can hardly see anything (I also had a similar problem with some scenes of 'The Bourne Supremacy'). Still, this is only one scene, and the rest of the film is pitch perfect.

Overall, I'd score this one 9/10. Honestly, I can see this standing the test of time like 'Get Carter', which is somewhat similar. Who knows, this may even be recognised at the BAFTA's. I sure hope it will, anyway.

Eddy.

Wow. Talk about polar opposites in terms of reactions. Here’s another:

Ahoy hoy Harry and all at AICN.

It's been a while since I had something to chime in on - last time was for Bonds last outing - and this time it's for a, potentially, even more quintessentially British movie making endeavour, namely the mockney gangster flick.

'Layer Cake' was originally to be the next film from Guy Ritchie (I guess returning to what he knows best after the disgrace that was 'Swept Away') but at the last minute he jumped ship and the directing reigns were picked up by producing partner Matthew Vaughn. What made him jump ship... I don't know, but if I was to pro-offer a guess, I'd say the story.

So what is the story, well in a nut shell we have a London Coke dealer getting ready to call it quits. He has one last deal to do which will net him a cool one million pounds. Then, just as everything is about to fall into place, he is asked to do a favour for his local neighbourhood crime lord. Namely, seeing to the buying and selling on of a million ecstasy tabs and finding the missing daughter of another crime lord.

So far, so good. But then, like in all good films of this ilk, everything starts to unravel quicker than you can say "Gawd Blimey Guv'nor!" And everything does indeed unravel, not just for our protagonist, but for everyone watching this pale imitation of a decent crime film.

You see, it starts so well. The first five minutes look like you're in for a real sweet ride, with flashy visuals, roving camera work, sweeps, fades, dissolves and a typical verbose voice over, that all come together to set up the story. And then, nothing. The camera work becomes static, or uninteresting at best. The characters we're introduced to are caricatures of the worst type (loud mouthed thugs, crime bosses thinking they've arrived by being members at the local golf club, the tart with a heart). And worst of all the story just starts to think it is far cleverer than it really is.

By the time the ending limps into view (by which point we have endured torture, murder, extortion, Serb contract killers, drug over doses and Scousers) you just don't care about anything or anyone.

And it's all such a shame, as there is some real talent on view here, the best British actors from the big and small screen (including Michael Gambon, Colm Meaney & Kenneth Cranham). It's just a shame that their characters have absolutely nothing of interest to say.

So, should this tired little flick happen to pass your way and you have nothing else to do, do not go and see this expecting another 'Lock, Stock...' or even 'Snatch'. In fact, do not go and see this flick. Instead stay in, read a book, call your mum, go to the pub with some friends, re-align your chakra, take a shit in a Sainsbury carrier bag behind your local Virgin megastore... anything, just don't waste your time.

Right then, I'm off to find a carrier bag.

Yours, Ken Luxury-Yacht.

And now another, this time back on the side of digging it:

Since the release of “Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels” six years ago, the genre of Brit gangster movie has sharply declined from the hip to the hated, thanks to a slew of watered-down imitators that failed to bring anything new to the genre.

So it’s not unfair to approach “Layer Cake” with some trepidation. After all, when a movie prides itself on being from the folks that brought us “Lock, Stock” and its chirpy but vacuous follow up “Snatch”, you should really be expecting ninety minutes of comedy Cockney villains, outrageous scams and oh-so-cutesy rhyming slang.

Be thankful then that producer and Claudia Schiffer-impregnator Matthew Vaughn’s first directorial outing is actually pretty damn good. It’s refreshingly short on cliché, and while it’s unlikely to have the same trans-Atlantic crossover appeal as “Lock, Stock”, it remains a tight and twisted thriller.

The central conceit here has our unnamed protagonist – a drug dealer who finds himself on a middle rung of a rather unpleasant ladder – attempting to get out of the business. However, incompetent underlings and overly demanding superiors are determined to ruin his clean break, and along the way he gets tangled up with a stolen shipment of Serbian ecstasy, a rather vicious hit man with a penchant for keeping his victims heads as trophies, and more treachery and double-crossing than you should shake a treacherous, double-crossed stick at.

The main selling point here (and contrary to what the Sienna Miller-headed ad campaign would have you believe) is Daniel Craig. Previously sidelined into uninteresting roles in even less interesting movies (“Tomb Raider 2”?), this movie shoves Craig front and centre, and then lets his endless charisma do the rest. The guy oozes charm and quiet cool from every pore, making his unnamed protagonist instantly likeable, but never sidelining the fact that he’s still a selfish crook. Around him are a bunch of recognisable and dependable faces, most notably Colm Meany as an old-school hard man and the gorgeous Miller. Her character doesn’t bring much to the story, but she’s so easy on the eye that you’ll regret Vaughn didn’t drop her into a few more scenes just for some relief from the array of thugs on display.

Story-wise, “Layer Cake” is pretty densely plotted. JJ Connolly has penned the script, adapting from his own novel, and he’s done a good job of stripping down the excess and focusing on the plight of Craig’s character. There may be one too many twists thrown into the final act, and a couple of side-stories never really develop into anything more than flashback anecdotes. Vaughn has a good eye for the everyday London locations, and manages to fuse together the occasional comedy aside with some rather brutal violence. One particular scene, where a nasty beating is doled out in a café to Duran Duran’s Ordinary World, is particularly swift and shocking. Vaughn’s style is more in line with Soderbergh than Guy Ritchie, and while it offers nothing startlingly original, it still makes for entertaining viewing.

“Layer Cake” opens in the UK on Friday (Oct 1st), but no US release date has been set. With Craig, Miller and Vaughn’s stars all ascending, you should expect one soon. For while “Layer Cake” doesn’t entirely re-invent a genre, it takes the same route as “Shaun Of The Dead” and provides a fresh, snappy alternative to increasingly generic feel-good Brit flicks like “Love, Actually” and “Wimbledon”. Definitely worth checking out.

And just as I’m about to put the story up, one more positive reaction sneaks in:

Moriarty et al,

I dialled in a review of the Irish Film 'Intermission' with Colin Farell, Colm Meaney and Cillain Murphy, which you guys posted 12 months ago... Now I've just seen Matthew Vaughn's directorial debut 'Layer Cake' here in Dublin last night, this film previewed on the weekend this side of the pond in both the UK and Ireland.

Let me start by saying that this is a spoiler free discussion of the film and that I went in having avoided any press reports or media speculation about the film. For me its a very rare occiasion when I go in completely devoid of any pre-conceived notions as to what a film may be like as I sit down to watch it, however this was one such rarity!

Based on JJ Connolly's novel 'Layer Cake' is a fresh and welcome addition to the gangster genre however I do it a slight disservice by classifying this piece as being solely a slice of gangster pulp. This is a much more texteured and multi-faceted examination of one business man (Daniel Craig), whose business just happens to be drugs trying to make his way in the world. This is not a one last heist, one last job movie, it is a road movie that is sketched in the landscape of London's criminal underworld. The characters are evocative, interesting and at times hillarious there is at times an evocation of callous humour in the violence something akin to certain scenes in Pulp Fiction yet it iss is a dark piece for the most part. I place layer cake in the good comapny of Collateral and The Bourne Supremacy which for me have been the two best thrillers of the year but this is not an americanised piece of English cinema like 'Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrells' or 'Snatch'. Unlike Michael Mann's 'Collateral' whose darkness of subject matter is reflected in the LA nightscape so fittingly, Layer Cake is a juxtaposition of Night and Day, The use of London's true visage as a backdrop is most subtley captured in Vaughn's direction which although not as cool or in many instances as gimmicky as Guy Ritchies in either 'Lock Stock' or 'Snatch' it is very effective and for a first timer he has some lovely touches especially the opening scences. But the Music and more importantly the Cinematography work in this film is what stayed with me after the credits had rolled. This is never a predictable or proletariat affair by any means and - in jokes - aside it is far more "expansive" and to me the subject matter has much more ressonnance of DePalmas's 'Carlito's Way', which I think all would agree is high praise.

The cast is on top form with a long time favourite Colm Meaney delivering another superior performance, that guy is just noy in enough he like his fellow Irish actor Brendand Gleeson is always watchable. BUT this is Daniel Craig's movie, I liked his previous work especialy his scenes in Road to Perdition but this is careeer making performance. Kenneth Cranham is solid as ever and Sienna Miller supplies the eye-candy whilst that other veteran Irish actor Michael Gambon is truly terrific in this role.

To conclude 'Layer Cake' is by no means a perfect film and there are flaws but overall a very wortwhile effort and one I would recommend.

If ya post it....

Waylander

Okay, then. This one’s opening soon overseas, so I’m sure we’ll hear from more of you then. In the meantime, I’d love to get some takes from people who really dig the genre and see what they have to say. Sounds like reactions are all over the map, which interests me even more.

"Moriarty" out.