Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
When a seemingly straight-forward drug deal goes awry, XXXX has to break his die-hard rules and turn up the heat, not only to outwit the old regime and come out on top, but to save his own skin...
Layer Cake is a slick, confident British crime thriller elevated well above its genre peers by strong performances—particularly Daniel Craig in a star-making turn—and Matthew Vaughn's assured, stylish direction. The cinematography is genuinely exceptional, with cool color grading and dynamic framing that give the film a distinct visual identity. The ending is a genuine gut-punch that lingers. The plot, while engaging, is somewhat convoluted and follows fairly familiar neo-noir territory of a mid-level criminal trying to exit the game, keeping it from standing out as distinctive. Novelty is competent but the film sits comfortably within the post-Lock Stock British crime wave without radically distinguishing its conception.