Layer Cake (Full Screen Edition) | 
| Director: Matthew Vaughn
Actors: Daniel Craig, Sienna Miller, Michael Gambon, Tom Hardy, Jamie Foreman
Studio: Sony Pictures Classics
Category: DVD
List Price: $14.94
Buy Used: $2.11
You Save: $12.83 (86%)
New (37) Used (27) from $2.11
Rating:  120 reviews
Sales Rank: 43960
Format: Ac-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Dvd, Full Screen, Special Edition, Subtitled, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Romanian (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), French (Dubbed)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 99
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 105 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: D12217D
ISBN: 1404994351
UPC: 043396122178
EAN: 9781404994355
ASIN: B0009X7BD2
Theatrical Release Date: 2004
Release Date: August 23, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
| |
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Our hero has two last jobs to complete: locate the junkie daughter of a chum of his volatile gangster boss & broker the sale of an enormous load of ecstasy. In the process he must abandoned his self-styled rule of criminal conduct designed of course to keep him removed from the dirty work. Studio: Sony Pictures Home Ent Release Date: 10/23/2007 Starring: Daniel Craig Sienna Miller Run time: 105 minutes Rating: R Director: Matthew Vaughn
Amazon.com
As its title suggests, Layer Cake is a crime thriller that cuts into several levels of its 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 layers of deception, death, and betrayal experienced by the film's unnamed protagonist, a cocaine traffic middle-man played with smooth appeal by Daniel Craig (rumored at the time of this film's release to be on the short list for consideration as the next James Bond). Listed in the credits only as "XXXX," the character is trapped into doing a favor for his volatile boss, only to have tables turned by his boss's boss (Michael Gambon) in a twisting plot involving a stolen shipment of Ecstasy, a missing girl, duplicitous dealers, murderous Serbian gangsters, and a variety of lowlifes with their own deadly agendas. As adapted by J.J. Connolly (from his own novel) and directed by Matthew Vaughan (who earned his genre chops as producer of Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch), Layer Cake improves upon those earlier British gangland hits with assured pacing, intelligent plotting, and an admirable emphasis on plot-moving dialogue over routine action. Sure, it's violent (that's to be expected) and not always involving, but it's smarter than most thrillers, and Vaughan's directorial debut has a confident style that's flashy without being flamboyant. This could be the start of an impressive career. --Jeff Shannon
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 115 more reviews...
The surprise inside the cake May 31, 2009
Michael J. Tresca (Stamford, CT USA)
Like Pulp Fiction, Layer Cake's title hints at the irregular path the film takes to tell its tale. It follows an honorable crook, which we know only as XXXX (Daniel Craig), who specializes in trafficking cocaine. XXXX's strategy is to never get involved directly with the criminal element, surrounding himself with other honorable criminals who in turn conduct themselves professionally. It's all a very neat arrangement on the surface, and XXXX thinks he's got the system beat. He plans to retire and disappear from the business. WARNING: As we eat this cake, there's bound to be some juicy spoilers inside.
Peel back a layer... and it turns out that XXXX actually has a boss, Jimmy Price (Kenneth Craham). He demands XXXX personally track down Charlie, the daughter of Price's fellow crime boss Eddie Temple (Michael Gambon, an evil version of Dumbeldore!). This violates XXXX's rule of never getting personally involved, but he has no choice.
Peel back a layer...and Price also wants XXXX to organize the distribution of "super ecstasy" tablets from The Duke (Jamie Foreman). Except that the drugs were actually stolen from a Serbian gang, who is intent on tracking them down and murdering everyone involved.
Peel back a layer...and we discover that Price is quite vindictive. He wants XXXX to actually kidnap Charlie in a twisted revenge plot against Temple. It seems Price doesn't like the idea that XXXX thinks he can retire and wants him dead - if Temple's men don't kill him, drug dealers certainly will.
Peel back a layer...and we finally get to the best part of the cake. Nobody is innocent. The professional associates have all committed their own heinous crimes for petty reasons: clubbing snitches to bloody pulps, killing people they dislike, and hiding corpses in freezers. This awful truth requires XXXX to get his hands dirty and he does so in the most thuggish fashion.
The visual direction in Layer Cake is superb, using Matthew Vaughn's trademark whiplash style that he perfected in Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. It makes what could be a standard drug dealing tale much more interesting. Although the accents are hard to follow at times, the acting is top notch. XXXX is a complex character that gives Craig an opportunity to experience extreme violence, utter defeat, passionate lust, and a host of other emotions beyond the reach of the Bond films.
Although Layer Cake narrative can be circuitous, stick with it. There's one more layer at the end of the movie, a surprise twist that shows we were looking at the wrong cake all along.
Good movie with crazy ending April 24, 2009
J. Dixon
Movie lags and is hard to follow at times but the ending totally makes up for it!
 Layered out criminal saga February 27, 2009
Michael S. Dewey (canton, oh United States)
Not your "James Bond" Daniel Craig role in this movie, which consists of a down and dirty melange of assorted thuggies and druggies in a complex tale of double and triple dealings in the "layered" London/Western Europe drug empire. Craig's role as "XXXX" starts out as an interloper/middle man for the London big-wig drug kingpins, which is a left-handed way of saying he keeps his hands clean of the normal day-to-day street operations and makes big cash as a squeaky-clean go-between for the money men. But the so called Mr. Big, Jimmie Price (Kenneth Cranham), has some additional work for our pristine college boy that most assuredly leads him to unsavory territories where he must get his hands dirty (and bloody). His normal crew of Clarkie, Mortie and Terry are now to include the likes of Gene, Duke, Slasher, Sydney etc., who comprise some the street riff-raff he has to associate with to carry out the boss' directives. Add to that, another big boss emerges who may, in fact, be the "real" Main Man. The local constabulary along with the Liverpool boys also have some pivotal involvement in this nefarious mix.
What ensues is a complicated but engrossing tale of criminal crosses and double-crosses as the Serbs, the Liverpool boys and others in the London mob and law enforcement intersect one anothers' paths in this melodramatic tour-de-force. The layers of our metaphorical cake are eventually stripped aside and lead to a most dramatic conclusion. I don't think I'll see another crime film of this mettle for quite some time. The contributions by all involved in this project were realistic, poignant and entertaining. My only negative takes on the film are the occasional scenes of gratuitous violence that I, for one, can do without. That aside, if you like well paced and intelligent crime drama, this film is for you!
Great movie, hooked me on Daniel Craig before Bond January 19, 2009
Robert Cooney (Atlanta, GA)
I am a big fan of movies like this. If you are a fan of lock stock, or snatch, than this is a one you have to see. My parents who were not a fan of the Guy Richie movies, mostly cause they were too hard to follow for them, enjoyed this movie. I wouldn't call this an edge of your seat action movie or anything, but there are the suspensfull momments which are always great. Daniel Craig is excellent in this movie, shows he can act better than a bond. Sienna miller is also beautiful in this movie, although somewhat small character involvement.
Just watch this movie and you definately enjoy this alot, if not make it one of those "have you seen this movie? Well we gotta watch it next time your at my house!"
Also i'd reccommend Green Street Hooligans to anyone looking at this. It's another British type movie, violence and such, but based around football(soccer) firms. It's better than it sounds, top 3 i've seen.
David Craig's Bond tryout?!? January 7, 2009
E. Iseler (Grand Rapids, MI)
I love this movie. Definitely one of my favorite movies ever. After seeing this, I knew David Craig was going to be the new generation of Bond.
He oozes charisma and style in this movie. From start to finish this movie keeps you engaged, mostly because of how well Craig does taking us through his characters roller coaster ride. It's funny how you are rooting for a drug dealer to win....that's how great the writing and acting is in this movie.
If you liked D Craig in the new Bond movies, you can't miss this movie. At least rent it first if you are nervous....but you may as well buy it and save a few bucks since you will want to own it right afer renting it.
|
|
|
