Brinley Green, Burn Gorman, Colm Meaney

Matthew Vaughn directs this intricate drama, which debuted at the Sundance Film Festival, about a British drug dealer (Daniel Craig) who longs to ditch his illegal trade. But he can't do that without ...( read more  read more... )wrapping up just one more job involving a gargantuan stash of purloined ecstasy. The cache's original owners are after him as well, leaving him with no other choice but to run for his life while trying to make this one final deal a big success.

Flixster Users

84% liked it

123,962 ratings

Critics

80% liked it

128 critics

R, 1 hr. 44 min.

Directed by: Matthew Vaughn

Release Date: April 22, 2005

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DVD Release Date: August 23, 2005

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Stats: 8,463 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (8,463)


  • September 26, 2009
    After being cast as Bond, Daniel Craig's back catalogue is now much sought after. Although Craig came to most of the UK's attention with a stand out performance in Our Friends in the North, it's Layer Cake that showcases why he got the Bond audition. Perhaps now, this strong cont...( read more)ender for the best thriller of the year may find the audience it deserves. Mis-sold as a more art house friendly addition to the Guy Ritchie school of crime films, Layer Cake is a unique and remarkable experience.

    The plot is deceivingly simple and would wrongly be placed in the gangster-wanting-to-retire-peacefully cinema staple seen frequently in Al Pacino movies. It is a much greater accomplishment that the audacious visual style, superb script and excellent performances make easy comparisons to this film pretty difficult. If anything it is closer to Schrader's 'American Gigalo' where the morally questionable hero is engulfed in a situation going on around him. The predominantly male cast is faultless with everyone from Dexter Fletcher to Michael Gambon putting in superb turns to give the characters justice. Far more human than the cartoon stereotypes we've come to expect after so very many Brit gangster flicks. Craig has never looked in better shape for taking on Hollywood.

    Hats off then to Matthew Vaugn for filming Britain as it can look. Grimy in places but every bit astonishing in locations as our Stateside cousins. We've grown too used to seeing rain pouring and hackneyed clichés that have represented this country on celluloid. It's not foppish. It's not Bend It Like Beckham. So there really is no excuse left not to see it (aside from the awful trailer). Layer Cake deserves a wide audience and there's more than enough of everything for everyone to enjoy. At times hilarious, astonishingly frank and incredibly concise the whole film is a pure joy and clearly made for people that love film. Makes you wonder why they can't all be as classy as this.
  • September 16, 2009
    I?m bored of these dodgy British gangster films, generally made by rich public school boy mockneys! Not my kind of film at all. I liked it when he got shot at the end though!
  • August 19, 2009
    A cocaine distributor who enjoys a low profile finds himself hunted by Serbian drug dealers after doing business with an inept gang of crooks. Comparisons with Guy Ritchie are inevitable, and the rather overly broadly played "Duke" and his crew invite such comparisons, but the re...( read more)st of the film is quite a more sophisticated and measured affair. Daniel Craig is at his suave best as the protagonist who sees drugs as a business rather than a criminal activity and this film is no doubt the reason why he came to the attention of the casting director of Casino Royale. The cast of seasoned British veterans, including Michael Gambon, Kenneth Cranham and Colm Meaney all give able support and the plot is cleverly written. Vaughan sometimes skirts close to gimmick territory but the direction is otherwise slick and assured and the whole package comes together as a very entertaining and well made British crime film from the old school. Minor irritations are the pop music soundtrack which is occasionally misjudged and intrusive and I felt there was one too many twists at the end to convince, but otherwise very good stuff.
  • August 15, 2009
    You know how these British crime movies are. Layer Cake is less stylized than some of its peers, but its great cast and well-layered plot are more than enough to make it as good as any of the others that I have seen.

    Daniel Craig is the star of the show, and his performance her...( read more)e makes me want to watch more of his pre-Bond movies. And I've never seen Sienna Miller this blindingly sexy before. I wanted to see much, much more of her. The plot is suitably twisty and never dull, so fans of these kinds of movies are likely to be as pleased with Layer Cake as I was.
  • July 10, 2009
    Energetic performers animate an aptly-titled, intricate screenplay with quick action and slick dialogue that is so busy keeping ahead of the viewer that it is nearly indecipherable but for its separate parts. Without saying anything particularly meaningful about its many interest...( read more)ing subjects, the film is at least consistently smart and involving.
  • November 30, 2009
    great movie but the end is a bit shitty i think
  • November 27, 2009
    hahaha couldnt ever undersatns y it was called "Layer cack"?? :)
  • October 29, 2009
    !Comercial or Stupid! :| Japp! Layer cake! :|
  • October 21, 2009
    slick, sexy, thrilling crime caper
    not as good as Ritchie
    Ritchie provides a more humorous and pleasurable sense of viewing
  • October 21, 2009
    Wow this movie was brilliant. I really like british crime movies, this is very much like Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking barrels, and it seems that the director is friends with Guy Ritchie himself. The director of this film, (Matthew Vaughn) produced Lock, Stock, and two Smoking Bar...( read more)rels, Snatch, and Swept away(All directed by Ritchie). This is an amazing directorial debut for Vaughn, and he moved from this film onto Stardust, an amazing film as well, but yet a different genre. This film seemed very symbolic to me, and there was alot of twists. I noticed that Vaughn also starred Sienna Miller in both of his films, along with Jason Flemyng. Great performances from everyone, Daniel Craig plays the slick character similar to his character in Casino Royale. The cinematography, lighting, and camera lenses seemed very similar to that of Guy Ritchie's new film Revolver. I saw it tonight for the first time and it is now a definite favorite of mine.

Critic Reviews


May 27, 2005
Moira MacDonald, Seattle Times

The film's a diverting enough 105 minutes, with a few surprises in store. full review

May 27, 2005
Kurt Loder, MTV

[H]as been put together with a great deal of cleverness, and it slams along at a bracing clip ... a fast, compact and madly complicated criminal adventure. full review

May 26, 2005
Colin Covert, The Minneapolis Star Tribune

In the end, Layer Cake serves up the just desserts. full review

May 20, 2005
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

The special appeal of Layer Cake derives from its efficient, gripping story and from the personality of the unnamed protagonist. full review

May 20, 2005
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

Craig is fascinating here as a criminal who is very smart, and finds that is not an advantage because while you might be able to figure out what another smart person is about to do, dumbos like the me... full review

May 13, 2005
Kyle Smith, New York Post

Vaughn's film falls short of Goodfellas, but thanks to his ability to organize a complex story and bold, color-drenched photography by Ben Davis, Layer Cake is a cocked fist of a movie, impossible to ... full review

April 7, 2005
Steven Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer

Pulses with nasty thugs, cold-blooded crime lords, drug traffickers, blond seductresses, and a thumping suspense that can lead to head-cracking violence. full review

View more Layer Cake reviews at RottenTomatoes.com

Comments


  • leannec84
    September 23, 2007
    Absolutelt loved this film, could stare at Daniel Craig all day! How fantastic is that man, has the most amzing eyes i have ever come across. That suit at the end...... Stunning!
  • emeka79
    May 15, 2007
    Anyone gonna make a quiz or what??
  • goss90
    January 25, 2007
    fantastic film. serves british film well. Stylish, gritty and exciting. Loved it.
  • kingfirefox
    December 16, 2006
    scenario is good. actors also good. dragan rules, mr.lucky sucks

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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Layer Cake Trivia


  • Daniel Craig is the new 007. But in which British gangster film did he find fame?  Answer »
  • in what 2004 film, is Daniel Craig a successful drug dealer ready for early retirement only for his boss to give him two tough assignments the day before?  Answer »
  • In what movie does Daniel Craig play a cocaine dealer?  Answer »
  • In the movie "Layer Cake," what is Daniel Craig's occupation?  Answer »

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