NEW REVIEW UP, I spent so long doing it. Please rate me and I will return the favor. xxx tmj xxx
NEW REVIEW UP, I spent so long doing it. Please rate me and I will return the favor. xxx tmj xxx
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L4YER CAK3
Introduction
Layer Cake, released in 2004 is a British Gangster Movie. The film is based on a novel of the same name by J. J. Connolly. It is the 1st film directed by Matthew Vaughn, and the 5th produced.
Cast
Daniel Craig (The new James Bond) Tom Hardy (Black Hawk Down - Twombly) Jamie Foreman (Football Factory - Cabbie) Sally Hawkins Sienna Miller Burn Gorman Brinley Green George Harris Tamer Hassan Colm Meaney Marcel Iures Francis Magee Dimitri Andreas Kenneth Cranham Garry Tubbs Nathalie Lunghi
Plot
The film is about a character, XXXX (Daniel Craig), based in London, "I'm not a gangster, I'm a businessman whose commodity happens to be cocaine." Craig's character runs a very successful business buying, cutting and selling cocaine by using acumen and self control to avoid the greedy temptations associated with the business. Now having made his fortune through hard work and great care, he secretly plans to retire, even though, "Life is so fucking good, I can taste it in my spit." XXXX says you should have a plan and stick to it.
Price (Kenneth Cranham) however has other ideas and sends him to track down the teenage daughter (Nathalie Lunghi) of his associate, Eddie Temple (Michael Gambon), who has left a rehabilitation center with her drug addicted boyfriend "Kinky." In reality, XXXX is being sent to kidnap the daughter in an attempt to force Temple to retrieve £13 million which Price had invested in a mine operation near Timbuktu. However, as a Communist coup takes over the country, their investment becomes worthless and Price informs Temple he had invested most of his money in the venture. Temple's humerous reaction makes Price believe he has been manipulated, and he plans to use Temples daughter as pivot to force Temple to return his money. Price also orders XXXX to organize the purchase of 1 million ecstasy tablets from a flashy, cocky gangster named The Duke. In fact they had been stolen from a gang of Serbian war criminals with a notorius reputation of extracting gruesome revenge. Price believes that either Temple's skilled mercenaries or a Serbian hitman connected to the gang will see XXXX killed one way or another, and perhaps the return of his lost money.Without trying to spoil the plot further, more trouble ensues for XXXX when he finds out who Price really works for; XXXX's associate, Morty (George Harris) brutally retaliates against a former associate in a filled restaurant; part of the Duke's gang mysteriously disappears, and the ruthless Temple involves himself in the already bungled ecstasy deal.
Messages
The Layer Cake is a metaphor for different levels of British society according to Matthew Vaughn. "The movie's about showing how drugs are everywhere and it doesn't matter who or where you are, you're only one person away from drugs, scoring drugs or being involved with criminals. There's a speech at the end of the film where Temple uses Layer Cake as a metaphor for life and how you go up and up and up from one layer of the cake and to the next."
Soundtrack
The does have a sound track, produced by Lisa Gerrard and Ilan Eshkeri, there are no headlining memorable songs, but the music is utilized well to add dramatic effect with tension and add another layer of emotion and anxiety to the film.
Analysis
Personally I really liked this film, it breathes class, intelligence and humour, mixed with an effective and interesting story line. The camera work is very clever with the main feature being to zoom up close to a person, then show them a period of time later. Although the soundtrack isn't memorable, it doesn't have to be so, because there are so many other aspects of this film which are good. The acting is impressive, and the cast are well suited to their chosen roles.
Running Time
105 minutes
Ratings
80% on Rotten Tomatoes
Similar Films
1) Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels 2) Snatch
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Production Year: 1957 - Drama - Director: Leo McCarey - Original Language: English - Classification: Universal - Starring: Cathleen Nesbitt, Deborah Kerr, Cary Grant, Richard Denning, Neva Patterson, Fortunio Bonanova
Production Year: 2004 - Drama - Director: Nick Cassavetes - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over, 12 years and over - Starring: Rachel McAdams, Ryan Gosling, Gena Rowlands
As its title suggests,Layer Cakeis a crime thriller that cuts into several levels of its ... more
treacherous criminal underworld. The title is actually one character's definition of the drug-trade hierarchy, but it's also an apt metaphor for the separate layer...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
As its title suggests,Layer Cakeis a crime thriller that cuts into several levels of its ... more
treacherous criminal underworld. The title is actually one character's definition of the drug-trade hierarchy, but it's also an apt metaphor for the separate layer...
Postage & Packaging: Free! Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
A successful drug dealer is just about to retire from the industry when he finds that his ... more
ill-gotten gains begin dwindling as his legacy crumbles around him. Based on J.J. Connelly's London crime novel of the same name the producer of 'Lock Stock And...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
From the producer of Snatch, Matthew Vaughn makes his directorial debut in the stylish ... more
crime thriller Layer Cake. Based upon J.J. Connolly's London crime novel, 'Layer Cake' is about a successful cocaine dealer (Daniel Craig) who has earned a respected...
Advantages: Excellent cast and crew that makes it a very real movie. Not in the slapstick Cockney Geezer mould of Snatch and Lock Stock Disadvantages: A little dark in places that a few people might find disturbing, slows down a little now and again but not majorly
Andy.mack 20.03.2005 ·
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Review of Layer Cake (DVD)
![Layer Cake [DVD] [2004]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78505598.jpg "Layer Cake [DVD] [2004]")
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