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"Layer Cake" is as smart a crime drama as its metaphor of a title would suggest. There are so many twists and turns
here as to leave all but the most astute totally confused as to what is happening and to which side some of the players have
moved. Writer J.J. Connolly is a low brow Brit version of our David Mamet in his crafting of this crime drama, which is filled
with violence, vulgarity, and far too many scenes of drug use. We see the sad result in nightclub people and others whose
brains are addled and whose lives have been ruined by their addiction to ecstasy or cocaine.
Daniel Craig makes a great impression as an unnamed middle man involved in the drug trade in Great Britain who lives by
the credo of dealing honestly with everyone, paying his bills on time, and not getting too greedy. He knows all of his customers
and he delivers the goods on time. In short, he is a consummate businessman. Craig, known in this film only as "XXXX,"
invests his share of the drug trade profits with an Indian who in turn launders it so that he can bring it back into his real
estate business. That business serves as the legitimate cover for his drug activities.
Remember that "XXXX" is not greedy, not with himself and not with others, and now he has made enough money to
get out of the business altogether and go "legit." Hearing this, his immediate superior, Gene (Colm Meaney), tells
him that their boss, Jimmy Price (Kenneth Cranham), has invited him to lunch at a posh country club.
Jimmy has other ideas about Craig's retirement, which would be natural as Craig's character is completely trustworthy
as well as being a good businessman. It has been a good relationship for both of them, so at this lunch Jimmy makes him a
proposal that he will let him "go straight" only after he has accomplished two final tasks of a more personal nature,
some "housecleaning," as it were, both for his business and also doing a favor for a long time friend from public
school.
It seems that another drug gang run by "Duke" (Jamie Foreman) and his crazy girlfriend, "Slasher"
(Sally Hawkins), have stolen a million pills of ecstasy from an Albanian drug gang courier. This presents a problem since
the Albanians are fearless and will go to any length to protect their turf. Their leader, "Dragan" (Dragan Micanovic),
delights in decapitating his victims and packing their heads on ice. It just isn't good business to have to fight another
battle with the likes of these goons. Jimmy tells Craig's character that he needs to locate Duke and Slasher and return the
pills to the Albanians.
Secondly, Eddie Temple (Michael Gambon), an old school buddy of his and now an upper crust industrialist, has lost his
daughter to cocaine addiction. She has fled with a fellow addict named "Kinky" (Marvin Benoit), and Eddie wants
her back so that he can commit her into drug rehab.
XXXX does not like having to fulfill these two requests. Not at all. Muscle is not his line of work. Brains are, and he
has been a good middle man over the years. Furthermore, he is a guy who has farmed out the muscle to others, like his two
loyal sidekicks, Morty (George Harris) and Terry (Tamer Hassan).
He doesn't like getting his two men involved in something that isn't directly involved with protecting his own turf, and,
to be honest about it, they aren't exactly thrilled with these two requests either. Morty has already served a 10 year stretch
in prison and doesn't hanker to the idea of going back for something that isn't necessary.
The players all move about in "Layer Cake" like chess pieces on a board. Later in the movie Eddie Temple tells
XXXX that life is like a layer cake. You start at the bottom and eat your piece of s**t cake with everyone else ordering you
around. As you get older and progress on in life, you eat the s**t cake from those above you and you pass it out to those
below you. If you are really lucky and successful, then you get to sit at the top of the layer cake and maybe you might even
forget that you ever had to eat all that s**t to get there.
The supporting roles are this movie are indelible, especially that by George Harris as "Morty" and Tamer Hassan
as "Terry," his two trusted aides and sidekicks. Kenneth Cranham is his equal as "Jimmy Price," the loudmouthed
and boisterous boss of the operation who straddles the world between the streets and the country club life. The liaison between
them is more than well served by Colm Meaney who plays the role of "Gene" with passion, gusto and complete loyalty
to his boss.
Not to mention the others is to neglect them without cause, for all of the supporting roles are played with relish and
enthusiasm. Director Matthew Vaughn has done a sterling job in this his first effort at directing after producing other edgy
movies in "Snatch"(2000) and "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels"(1998).
Final kudos go to cinematographer Ben Davis for an exceptionally well filmed movie. If you can get past the language problems
you just might love this well-crafted film.
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