Say hello to the high end world of British drug dealing. Made up by low level dealers, "cookers", hitmen, and drug barons dressed up as royal bluebloods. It's world where you're making bank one minute and running for your life the next. All of this is introduced to us in "Layer Cake" by successful west end dealer known only as Mr. X. Played with a suave and cool under pressure persona by future Bond star Daniel Craig, Mr. X has dreams of getting out of the business and getting a nice, "clean" check from his investments. But just like Michael Corleone, he finds out it isn't that easy. Before he realizes how, he finds himself in a mess involving stolen ecstasy, drug cowboys, a vicious and shadowy hitman, and a ruthless crime czar to boot.
"Layer Cake" is a film that offers everything you'd want in a movie of its type, such as the never ending tension that is established right from the start. A large part of this is due to the tight direction of director Matthew Vaughn. But one also has to congratulate Daniel Craig for this, since he does an amazing job of playing a character who appears to be cool, calm, collected but inside knows that he's in deep s***. But Daniel Craig isn't the only one who gives an impressive performance: There's Colm Meaney as X's mentor, Gene, George Harris as X's partner in crime, Morty, Jamie Forman as an annoying and impulsive drug dealer known as the Duke, a young Tom Hardy as X's cooker Clarke, and in a real tour de force performance, Michael Gambon as the charmingly corrupt Eddie Temple. I should also include that JJ Connolly does an amazing job of adapting his novel to screenplay. "Layer Cake" is just one of those films where everything just comes together to create a story that feels so real and well done that although it takes place in Britain, one feels it can happen anywhere and undoubtedly does in one way or another. So with all that said, enter the Layer cake, if you dare! Cheerio!
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