JEFF B
One of the best crime films ever made. Matthew Vaughn, as a first-time director, uses some excellent shot making and editing techniques to keep it lively and interesting. If you liked the Godfather, you will love Layer Cake.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
03/10/25
Full Review
Gabriel S
I decided to watch Layer Cake again, now in 2025, with a refreshed, hopefully better-experienced mind. Holding a 7.2 on IMDb as of 09 March 2025, it is safe to say Layer Cake did well. I think it is justified.
Layer Cake tells the story of an unnamed protagonist, let's use Protag for short, who happens to be a cocaine dealer that wants to retire. But then there is that one last job... Actually, two.
The plot is usual with regards to novelty: a man wants to retire, but his boss wants him to do the famous one final task that turn out to get overly complicated and convoluted. In this case, Protag gets two tasks, which is finding a missing girl (subplot) and getting a final deal on some drug pills (main plot). And, as a trait of most entertaining stories, these plots eventually interconnect into the final resolution. The storyline is entertaining to watch and thrilling at times, but mostly the entertainment comes from the hot mess Protag gets into.
The film does have narration, which is a hit or miss with some people. I tend to not mind it if done right, and Layer Cake does it mostly right. I figure narration is a device you should use when the movie follows one perspective alone, in this case, Protag's, and, for 99% of the film, this is real, but we do get a feel scenes from someone else's perspective that Protag could not have known from start, and that diminishes the power of the narration monologue.
The lack of Police presence could also be intentional, a critique if you will. This is a movie about gangsters playing with gangsters, and Police force is, as one would figure at the time story is settle in, absent for unknown reasons: maybe the reason is bribery.
In 2004, Daniel Craig already had a huge catalog of earlier films he acted on, but he was yet to get the big spotlight with Casino Royale in 2006. Layer Cake, perhaps, gave him the shining aura he needed to make the final jump; and he is solid in this movie.
Same for everyone else, pretty much: solid acting, a bit goofy at times, but I guess that was intentional. As with anything, we could find different interpretations of vision, and I could argue that the idea was to show that, in the end, they are all humans trying to make a living, but well, there is that, right.
Layer Cake adapts the homonymous book by J. J. Connolly, and, surprisingly, he is the screenwriter for this movie adaptation, which caught me off-guard. Perhaps director Matthew Vaughn (this one fairly known for Blockbuster movies like the Kingsman series, X-Men: First Class — and, behold, Layer Cake was his directional debut) wanted the mastermind behind the original story to keep its originality. Funny enough, the book does have a sequel, but this movie feels like a standalone story, with beginning and an end.
When I rated Layer Cake back in 2020, I gave it an 8/10 star rating. I think this is fair; this movie is entertaining to watch, the acting is solid for the most part, and I don't see harsh detractors that could potentially decrease this rating.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
03/09/25
Full Review
Audience Member
Very entertaining and nuanced story which is coupled with vibrant characters. There are some moments in the film which i seem slightly unrealistic , such as the serbs taking so kindly to XXXX following the pills being seized by the police after tasking him with recovering the stolen pills. Overall the films intricate narrative which is riddled with plot twists is a solid watch for a movie night.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/10/25
Full Review
Ellisha D
A perfect blend of great writing and great casting that together tell a classic story.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
11/28/24
Full Review
Audience Member
One of if not best British crime film of all time. An absolute must see.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
10/06/24
Full Review
Julian P
Almost the perfect action thriller with humour. Craig is perfect and the characters full.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
09/25/24
Full Review
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