CORPORATE LINE: LAYER CAKE, a riveting thriller set in the drug underworld of the UK, marks the directorial debut of producer Mathew Vaughn (Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, Snatch) and stars Daniel Craig, Colm Meaney, Kenneth Cranham, George Harris, Jamie Foreman, Sienna Miller and Michael Gambon.
Sleek, well dressed and polite, our unnamed hero (Daniel Craig) is a consummate professional. Treating cocaine and ecstasy like any other commodity, he has made a fortune for himself by keeping his hands clean and staying under the radar. Having made the decision to retire, his aim is to break free from the world of crime, drugs and violence and live a simple, quiet life with the money he has amassed.
But before this can happen, crime boss Jimmy Price (Kenneth Cranham) wants two last favors from him. First, he must track down the missing, drug addict daughter of powerful criminal Eddie Temple (Michael Gambon). Second, he must negotiate the sale of a huge shipment of ecstasy with The Duke (Jamie Foreman), a loose cannon petty crook playing well out of his league. What should be routine transaction is anything but and nothing goes according to plan. Instead, duplicity and hidden alliances become the order of the day, in a struggle for power that reaches from the crack dens of London to the highest ranks of British society. Quickly he learns he is part of a machine much greater than he imagined, and getting out won’t be quite as easy as getting in.
THE FILM: If you’ve seen Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels then you’ll feel like you are watching its poorer step-brother. Director Guy Ritchie bailed on the film, probably after realizing how bad it was going, only to be replaced by Matthew Vaughn. The film looks like a Ritchie film but the plot is lackluster.
The characters are useless. You never once care about any of the characters and that leaves a giant hole in the middle of this film. All of the action sequences feel over the top and convoluted—obviously in a hope to overcome the movies major deficiencies.
DVD FEATURES: The commentary by director Matthew Vaughn and the cast is not entirely delightful—particular because the movie is insufferable.
Deleted Scenes – there are 16 scenes, with or without comments. It’s hilarious to note the alternative endings are worse than the one they decided to go with.
There is a short Making Of that is purely nonsense.
FRANKLY: In the end you don’t care what happens—you only want it to end. Layer Cake is devoid of personality.
+ Charlie Craine
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