One of the most quoted lines from the crime genre is Michael Corleone's quip from Godfather: Part III: "Just when I thought that I was out they pull me back in." There is something eternally fascinating about the criminal trying to retire from the underworld against its striving to keep the man in, the dark powers unwilling or unable to let their man go. It is ground often visited by crime pictures, a tradition Layer Cake follows but also does well differentiating itself from the pack.
A man with no name (Daniel Craig) is preparing to exit stage left from his drug-dealing career. Through his introductory voice-over, we learn that he sees himself not as a criminal or gangster, but as a businessman taking advantage of circumstances in the trade:
Always remember that one day all this drug monkey business will be legal. They won't leave it to people like me... not when they finally figure out how much money is to be made - not millions, ...billions. Recreational Drugs PLC - giving the people what they want... Good times today, Stupor tomorrow. But this is now, so until prohibition ends make hay whilst the sun shines.
We learn that he is careful and cautious and has been planning for a graceful retirement for sometime. It is inevitable that his plans for departure will become upset before they ever begin. A meeting with boss Jimmy Price (Kenneth Cranham) results in favors being asked: two tasks to be completed, neither palatable nor easy but both, as the nameless man learns, fraught with difficulty.
Director Matthew Vaughn produced both Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch and it is clear he is mining the same familiar turf with Layer Cake: the backdrop of a seedy London, the colorful and quirky characters, and the punctuations of violence. Vaughn moves from the producer's to the director's chair without missing a beat. Everything works well here. He maintains an undercurrent of realism that keeps the quirkiness from running too far amok and sending the film into a tailspin of parody. It also can’t hurt that he has assembled a fine cast of actors to work with, including Colm Meaney and Michael Gambon.
Article comments
1 - Rodney Welch
I liked it, too, but I found the British dialogue hard to follow, and the structure of the narrative was a little goofy. Still an all-round powerful film.
2 - The Errant Fool
Thanks for the comments.
I can see the dialog being a bit difficult to get around but compared to Snatch and Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, it's a breeze. I guess I've watched enough of these sorts of films that it doesn't distract me anymore.
As for the narrative, it didn't bother me. I thought it worked for what the film was trying to do.
3 - Rodney Welch
My main problem was that it would flash-forward to killings for no apparent reason. I never really got the motivation for that kind of editing choice -- except maybe to juice up the pace or something.
4 - Wolf
Anyone know the SONG that is for the preview on this movie? I looked up the soundtrack but, its not on the CD.
Any help would be appreciated. email me at [Deleted in line with BlogCritics Comments Policy against including contact info.]
Thanks,
WOLF