Title: Layer Cake
Country: UK (2004)
Genre: Thriller
Director: Matthew Vaughn
Cast: Daniel Craig, Colm Meaney, George Harris
Plot
A nameless drug dealer (Daniel Craig) from London is sick of the drug business and therefore plans his retirement. However his long-time boss Jimmy Price wants him two accomplish two more assignments. The one assignment leads him to London’s junkie scene where he’s supposed to find a missing girl. The other one brings him together with the choleric gangster Duke for whom he is to sell a huge amount of ecstasy pills. Duke, however, stole the pills from a group of criminal serbs, who therefore assing the brutal killer Dragan to bring back the pills…
Review
Most people tend to compare this movie witch Snatch or Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels. This has several reasons. On the one hand director Matthew Vaughn was the producer of the above mentioned movies, on the other hand gangster comedies with typical british humor have becom into vogue during the last decade. This wrong expectation is probably the reason why this movie is pretty unknown and for many people disappointing. This is a pitty. Because as a serious criminal movie this movie works really good. And don’t get me wrong. It also contains some british humor and scuril characters, however not that much. The story is a bit tricky and interlaced. However if you hang on til the end the story lines consolidate and become a unity. Next to the story one has to highlight Daniel Craig’s performance. In this movie you can already see why he was chosen as the next James Bond. Matthew Vaughn said that he didn’t want to have a copy of Snatch or Pulp Fiction. Therefore he didn’t only disclaimed on humor but also on graphical violence. He created something difference which in the end is a very entertaining and thrilling crime movie in London’s crime scene.
