A stylish, dynamic stew of thorny underworld twists and deceptions, Layer Cake stars Daniel Craig (Road to Perdition, Enduring Love) in a charismatic performance as "a businessman whose commodity happens to be cocaine." Savvy and successful but looking to get out of Britain's organized-crime drug trade, Craig's character finds himself dragged back in by an uncouth kingpin (Kenneth Cranham) who intimidates our anonymous hero (whose name is never mentioned) into a job way out of his depth--hunting down an associate's sexy, strung-out missing daughter. But the girl is barely a jumping-off point for a byzantine plot in which one stupid mistake by an irresponsibly flashy small-time associate (Jamie Foreman) begins a domino effect of revelations, double-crosses, paybacks, and bursts of violence--all of which come tumbling down on the protagonist's head. Directed with agile, sharp-witted panache by Matthew Vaughn (producer of Guy Ritchie's films Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels), and blessed with a suave visual signature, snappy production design, clever editing, and crisp cinematography, Layer Cake is a feast of cunning filmmaking. Highly recommended. [Note: DVD extras include audio commentary by director Vaughn and writer J.J. Connolly, a Q&A screening with Vaughn and co-star Craig (29 min.), 14 deleted scenes and two alternate endings with optional commentary (22 min.), a "making-of" featurette (6 min.), two storyboard comparisons (5 min.), a poster gallery, and trailers. Bottom line: a fine extras package for an excellent thriller.] (R. Blackwelder)
Layer Cake
Sony, 105 min., R, VHS: $51.99, DVD: $26.99, Aug 23 Volume 20, Issue 3
Layer Cake
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