Layer
Cake is an outstanding, pulse-pounding British crime thriller from Snatch and
Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels producer Matthew Vaughn. And while this is
his directorial debut, this excellent movie would have you believe he’s been
directing features for years.
Like
the desert that gives this movie it’s title, this intricate caper has many
layers, so many in fact that I’m not going to go into too much depth for
fear that I might give away one of the many pleasures that await you - should
you decide (and you should) to see the movie. I will say that Layer Cake features
Daniel Craig (Road to Perdition) as XXXX (not to be confused with Ice Cube’s
XXX), a likable drug dealer hoping to give up his life of crime. Of course, as
is often the case in this genre, every time he tries to leave, he gets pulled
back in. Following an assignment given to him by someone higher up on the food
chain, XXXX finds that things are never as they seem, and soon he and his loyal
partners in crime, find themselves involved in one double cross after the next.
It
is clear that Matthew Vaughn was somewhat inspired by his hyper kinetic buddy
Guy Ritchie, as Layer Cake (which is actually based on a novel by J.J. Connolly)
has imagery and plot elements that recall similar moments in the Snatch helmer’s
work. However, I have to confess that I actually prefer Vaughn as a film maker
because his first effort isn’t so much a case of style over substance. Sure,
there is plenty of flash to be found in Layer Cake, and the way the film doubles
back, adding weight to scenes that didn’t initially feel complete might appear
gimmicky, but ultimately, this film has much greater depth. There’s a lot
going on here, and Vaughn is so sure handed in his approach, that the moments
of visual bravado are just the icing on the cake. He juggles these numerous characters
and various subplots with effortless ease, and this is really why the movie soars.
Daniel
Craig is outstanding in this film, and while American audiences have had brief
glimpses of him before (some might remember him as Paul Newman’s loose cannon
of a son in Road to Perdition, or Gwyneth Paltrow’s husband in Sylvia?),
this is clearly his break out role. What can I say? His XXXX is simply cool. He’s
so effective, that it’s almost enough to make you want to run out and become
a gangster – almost. Hopefully his suave and graceful work in Layer Cake
will lead to more higher profile roles. It almost landed him the James Bond gig
(there’s a great shot in the film when XXXX gives a Bond style pose –
it’s classic), but apparently, that has since fallen through.
As
great as Craig is, he is surrounded by equally impressive talent, most notably
Colm Meaney who’s absolutely terrific as one of XXXX’s partners, and
a wonderfully grizzled Michael Gambon who hits all the right notes as an aging
gangster. The picture perfect cast is absolutely vital in the success of this
picture as a keen sense of timing plays an important role in this multi-layered
film..
This is
a violent, but highly energetic film. While it has shades of the numerous crime
thrillers that came before it (think Goodfellas, Get Carter etc.), it has a lively
soul all it’s own. What’s more, it has balls to boot. This movie is
completely unpredictable, right up to the “Holy Shit! I can’t believe
they did that!” ending.
Matthew
Vaughn is the real deal and it’s a damn shame that Fox couldn’t pursuede
him to stay on X-Men 3, because he certainly could have done something interesting
with that franchise. Still, I can’t wait to see what he does next.
Layer
Cake emerges as a much more accomplished work than the entertaining but hollow
titles on Guy Ritchie’s resume. Well, with the possible exception of that
masterpiece Swept Away. For those of you new to the site, YES! I AM JUST KIDDING!
