Layer Cake

2004's LAYER CAKE at times has a Guy Ritchie feel.  Not a coincidence as director Matthew Vaughan produced LOCK, STOCK AND TWO SMOKING BARRELS & SNATCH for him, A Brit who was fond of rapid edits and cool soundtracks.  Vaughan pays homage with a few stylistic nods (including a cheeky flashback or two) and slick dialogue, some of it via lead actor Daniel Craig's narration, but otherwise has designed his own engaging, signature crime drama that is not quite as breathless and hip.  This is good news: the world certainly didn't need another Tarantino wannabe who's quick to rub technique in our faces. 

The somewhat unpredictable story was adapted by J.J. Connolly from his novel.  The unnamed protagonist - called XXXX - is a drug dealer (Craig) who has amassed a fortune and is trying to retire from the business.  You know how that goes in underworld tales. He is a methodical, patient businessman who insists he is not a gangster, hates guns, and usually makes wise decisions, like leaving the more unsavory tasks to his associates.  Ah, but the company he keeps may well be his Waterloo. Morty (George Harris) spent a decade in jail and is the sort who will beat a bloke to a pulp with nary a wink.  Gene (Colm Meaney) also has a murderous history and an impressive gun collection that may cause our antihero to reconsider his firearm aversion.

Before he's allowed to call it quits, XXXX is given a no-option double assignment by his old boss Jimmy (Kenneth Cranham): find the missing daughter of a local kingpin and facilitate the sale of a huge load of Ecstasy that has been obtained by an obnoxious small timer known as "The Duke" (Jamie Foreman).  Unfortunately, The Duke stole the X from a proud band of enterprising Serbian war criminals.

XXXX's odyssey through London is hardly a pleasant one, with crushing discoveries of betrayal, threats from those nasty Serbs, physical abuse from his own colleagues, and even his attempt to consummate a liaison with a bewitching blonde named Tammy (Sienna Miller, underused) is interrupted by henchmen who decide to hang him over a ledge.  Good thing their boss, Eddie (Michael Gambon, fabulous) is a refined, reasonable sort who recognizes that XXXX is a smart man, one who may be an heir to the "Layer Cake", the meaning of which you can discover for yourself.  Eddie, by the way, is also the father of the missing girl, a story thread that may or may not figure significantly overall.

LAYER CAKE is what you might term "quiet cool" - the movie has several moments of contemplation, strategizing, attention to soft sounds, to go along with the occasional jolts of brutality, including a sniper attack that goes terribly wrong.  Vaughan lets us get into XXXX's head, and Craig does a solid job as the befuddled near-Everyman who is no hard-hearted demon - he is, despite his occupation, essentially decent and is constantly surprised when others do not respond in kind.  He's cool and careful, but also scared and frustrated, like a slightly more neurotic Steve McQueen.  Some have called Craig's performance a warm up to his eventual take on James Bond, but XXXX shares little with the mostly detached super agent, in my opinion.  This character is more human.  Flawed, vulnerable, tired.  Not as wise as he believes he is.

Vaughan does not overdo it with pop tunes, with effective uses of The Cult's "She Sells Sanctuary", Duran Duran's "Ordinary World", and XTC's "Making Plans for Nigel".   The inclusion of The Stones' "Gimme Shelter" may have been a tip to Martin Scorsese, but really adds nothing to this movie.