Layer Cake

Another in a series of pictures about the contemporary drug underworld that are full of dirty tricks, twists and that sort of thing. Debutant Matthew Vaughn did a good job and is helped considerably by a strong screenplay. The best thing about this is that this isn’t meant to be a spoof. In fact, quite the opposite. It is serious from start to finish. And that is good, very good, because we have seen far too many variations on “cool Richie pics". (04/21/2022)

Superb. Vaughn is talented and serves up this great genre piece excellently. Camera tricks, great music, focus on actors... Today these are the creme de la creme of British actors and you can see that Craig put a lot of Mr. Into Bond. The story is well-thought through, has some surprises in store and, most importantly, it’s entertaining. (07/28/2013)

Having seen Stardust (and been captivated by it) and most recently Kick-Ass (which captivated me even more), I decided to give Matthew Vaughn's work a go and got his first feature film to take home as well. Layer Cake is certainly a well made gangster flick with the more than good Daniel Craig in the lead role, and while it doesn't quite achieve the same "grit" as, say, Snatch, it comes across as wholesome and likeable and provides what it should in terms of genre. 80% (06/17/2010)

The third star (that puts the film a bit above-par) is because it’s the début of a director that thrilled me with his other films, otherwise, Layer Cake disappointed me and I would give it five out of ten points. What to do with a film that doesn’t take itself seriously, but it’s not funny? (07/14/2011)

The pussy-whipped Guy Ritchie isn't exactly having a good time (his current film, Revolver, has perhaps even worse reviews in British media than his previous mega-flop starring Madonna), so another "Ritchie-flick" from a talented young filmmaker comes in handy. For a debut, this is a smartly directed, well-conceived gangster film about a drug dealer and his peripatetic quest to obtain a large shipment of ecstasy, all with the help of rival drug gangs. What separates this film from a fourth star is the fact that there is not a single scene that is indelibly etched in my memory, and that I liked the genre-similar Snatch a bit more, thanks to its more engaging story. Layer Cake simply gets old fast. Daniel Craig is okay, though, he has charisma, he can act too, but that doesn't mean I can't imagine a different type of actor in the role of James Bond. (10/29/2005)