Review of Layer Cake (2004) by Tyler M — 31 Mar 2012

The art of good business is being a good middle man.

Convoluted story, unrelatable characters, and a sleek sexy style...

The Story: A young drug dealer on the verge of retirement finds himself in a game of cat and mouse with a loudmouth drug dealer, an informant, a crime lord, and numerous other shifty characters. The story itself is a little convoluted, and the film might require multiple views just get the entire story, but it's worth the time. It's incredibly stylish with a sleek sexy look, even if you can't follow the story, the imagery is entertaining to say the least. Clocking in at 105 minutes it flies, it feels like an 90. The biggest problem with the film? The characters! Not necessarily the main characters, but the film has a slew of side characters that come in and just disappear... For the most part. Some characters feel a little incomplete, and a few aspects of the story feel a little too minor. There's almost too much going on for it's own good.

The Cast: Daniel Craig , George Harris, Colm Meaney, Kenneth Cranham, Michael Gambon... Daniel Craig is the nameless man listed as XXXX, he's the films protagonist, the hero so to speak. He gives a great performance as he starts out at the top, falls to the bottom, and climbs back to the top only to retire. It's still a little hard to imagine him as the next James Bond, but this film proves that he's definitely got the stones to play whatever role he's cast for. George Harris is Morty, XXXX's partner/body guard. He gives a strong performance as a character you're constantly learning about. It's a shame that we don't see more of him on screen. Colm Meaney is Gene, working for the boss, it's his job to make sure everyone else does their jobs. He gives a great performance, even adding a little bit of humor here and there. Not the most relatable character in the film, but definitely one of the strongest. Kenneth Cranham is Jimmy Price, he's the boss. Looking to get his hands on a large amount of pills, so that he can get his hands on a large amount of money, so that he can do whatever it is he does. He gives a good performance, but you probably won't care much about him. Michael Gambon is Eddie Temple, he's the real boss. Playing the part of the puppet master perfectly, the second you hear him utter his first line, you'll know he's a force to be reckoned with. Easily one of the best performances in the film.

One to Five Scale: 4.

If the acting wasn't top notch this would get a 3 instead of a 4. Watch it once to take it in, watch it twice to figure out just what's going on, and watch it three times to enjoy it to it's fullest.

Tyler.