LAYER CAKE A film review by Steve Rhodes
Copyright 2005 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): *** 1/2
Daniel Craig plays an unnamed businessman, a hardworking and honorable guy who prides himself on always having a plan and sticking to it. In LAYER CAKE, one of the most entertaining British crime dramas in a long time, the man doesn't like guns. "I'm not a gangster," he explains in one of his many philosophical voice-over messages to us. "I'm a businessman whose commodity happens to be cocaine." An intense man with a lot of theories, including "It's only very stupid people who think the law is stupid," he plans on getting out of the business soon since he has just about accumulated enough cash to live a lifetime of luxury. Guess what? His last job won't go well.
In many ways, you've seen this basic plot a thousand times before, but it's not usually this much fun. A violent and fast-paced story, it has enough subplots and warring crime factions to keep you on the edge of your seat, trying to keep it all straight in your mind. No matter how much our hero may delude himself about there being a certain honor among thieves; the movie provides ample evidence that no one is to be trusted.
Gorgeously filmed and scored, the exhilarating film is a delight for the senses. If it has a problem, it is the accents, which can sometimes be so thick you need a knife to cut through them in order to ascertain exactly what is being said. But this is mainly a visual film, so missed snippets of dialog here and there will not detract in any way from your enjoyment. As we watch our businessman's world unravel before his eyes, we find ourselves rooting for him even as it appears that it will have to end badly for him.
LAYER CAKE is a real movie rush, giving you such an adrenalin high that it feels like it should be illegal.
LAYER CAKE runs 1:45. It is rated R for "strong brutal violence, sexuality, nudity, pervasive language and drug use" and would be acceptable for older teenagers.
The film opens nationwide in the United States on Friday, May 20, 2005. In the Silicon Valley, it will be showing at the Camera Cinemas.
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