| Photos (see all 34 | slideshow) | Videos |
| Daniel Craig | ... | XXXX | |
| Tom Hardy | ... | Clarkie | |
| Jamie Foreman | ... | Duke | |
| Sally Hawkins | ... | Slasher | |
| Burn Gorman | ... | Gazza | |
| Brinley Green | ... | Nobby | |
| George Harris | ... | Morty | |
| Tamer Hassan | ... | Terry | |
| Colm Meaney | ... | Gene | |
| Marcel Iures | ... | Slavo | |
| Francis Magee | ... | Paul the Boatman | |
| Dimitri Andreas | ... | Angelo | |
| Kenneth Cranham | ... | Jimmy Price | |
| Garry Tubbs | ... | Brian | |
| Nathalie Lunghi | ... | Charlie | |
| Marvin Benoit | ... | Kinky (as Marvyn Benoit) | |
| Rab Affleck | ... | Mickey | |
| Dexter Fletcher | ... | Cody | |
| Steve John Shepherd | ... | Tiptoes | |
| Ben Whishaw | ... | Sidney | |
| Sienna Miller | ... | Tammy | |
| Paul Orchard | ... | Lucky | |
| Stephen Walters | ... | Shanks | |
| Louis Emerick | ... | Trevor | |
| Darren Healy | ... | Junkie 1 | |
| Matt Ryan | ... | Junkie 2 | |
| Ivan Kaye | ... | Freddie Hurst | |
| Jason Flemyng | ... | Larry - Crazy | |
| Ben Brasier | ... | Jerry - Klburn | |
| Neil Finnighan | ... | Troop | |
| Michael Gambon | ... | Eddie Temple | |
| Budge Prewitt | ... | Golf Host (as Budgie Prewitt) | |
| Don McCorkindale | ... | Albert Carter | |
| Dragan Micanovic | ... | Dragan | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| James Dodd | ... | Principal Dancer (uncredited) | |
| Steve Hooper | ... | Couple Having Sex (uncredited) | |
| Kinky Kerry | ... | Couple Having Sex (uncredited) | |
| Peter Rnic | ... | Serbian Gangster (uncredited) | |
Directed by | |||
| Matthew Vaughn | |||
Writing credits | ||
| J.J. Connolly | (screenplay) | |
| J.J. Connolly | (novel) | |
Produced by | |||
| Adam Bohling | .... | producer | |
| Stephen Marks | .... | executive producer | |
| David Reid | .... | producer | |
| Matthew Vaughn | .... | producer | |
Original Music by | |||
| Ilan Eshkeri | |||
| Lisa Gerrard | |||
Cinematography by | |||
| Ben Davis | (director of photography) | ||
Film Editing by | |||
| Jon Harris | |||
Casting by | |||
| Leo Davis | |||
| Jina Jay | |||
Production Design by | |||
| Kave Quinn | |||
Art Direction by | |||
| Steve Carter | |||
Set Decoration by | |||
| Joanna Barrs | (as Jo Barrs) | ||
Costume Design by | |||
| Stephanie Collie | |||
Makeup Department | |||
| Fae Hammond | .... | chief hair stylist | |
| Fae Hammond | .... | chief makeup artist | |
| Maureen Hetherington | .... | hair stylist | |
| Maureen Hetherington | .... | makeup artist | |
| Pebbles | .... | chief hair stylist | |
| Pebbles | .... | chief makeup artist | |
| Karen Sherriff-Brown | .... | hair stylist (as Karen Sherriff Brown) | |
| Karen Sherriff-Brown | .... | makeup artist (as Karen Sherriff Brown) | |
| Dubi Preger | .... | makeup artist (uncredited) | |
Art Department | |||
| Chloe Boleyn | .... | graffiti artist | |
| Mick Boleyn | .... | construction manager (as Michael Boleyn) | |
| Sophie Boleyn | .... | graffiti artist | |
| Will Cann | .... | stand-by props (as William Cann) | |
| Nick Cosens | .... | stand-by props | |
| Noel Cowell | .... | property master | |
| Hannah Evans | .... | assistant set decorator | |
| Jonathan Holbrook | .... | scenic painter | |
| Martin Kane | .... | props | |
| Coralie Lew | .... | assistant art director | |
| Dale Manning | .... | art department production assistant | |
| Justin Overhill | .... | stand-by painter | |
| Matthew Parsons | .... | scenic painter (as Mathew Parsons) | |
| Sandra Phillips | .... | assistant art director | |
| Adrian Platt | .... | dressing props | |
| Will Pope | .... | carpenter foreman | |
| Nina Ross | .... | assistant art director | |
| John Watt | .... | stand-by carpenter | |
| Damian Butlin | .... | dressing props (uncredited) | |
| Damian Butlin | .... | props (uncredited) | |
| Craig Cheeseman | .... | assistant property master (uncredited) | |
| Andrew Palmer | .... | art department runner (uncredited) | |
| Stuart Read | .... | dressing props: dailies (uncredited) | |
Sound Department | |||
| Paula Boram | .... | foley artist (as Paula Borum) | |
| Chris Burdon | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| Matthew Collinge | .... | foley editor | |
| Matthew Collinge | .... | sound designer | |
| Matthew Collinge | .... | sound effects editor | |
| Arthur Fenn | .... | boom operator (as Arthur Turner) | |
| Peter Gleaves | .... | adr recordist | |
| Ben Greaves | .... | cable person | |
| Tom Harrison | .... | cable man | |
| Simon Hayes | .... | sound mixer | |
| Robin Johnson | .... | cable man | |
| Daryl Jordan | .... | assistant sound editor | |
| Danny Sheehan | .... | adr editor | |
| Danny Sheehan | .... | dialogue editor | |
| Danny Sheehan | .... | foley editor | |
| Jason Swanscott | .... | foley artist | |
| Sven Taits | .... | sound re-recording mixer | |
| Alexander Beddow | .... | adr recordist (uncredited) | |
| Gareth Bull | .... | foley recordist (uncredited) | |
| Matthew Collinge | .... | supervising sound editor (uncredited) | |
| Hayden Collow | .... | sound effects editor (uncredited) | |
| Danny Sheehan | .... | supervising sound editor (uncredited) | |
| Ian Tapp | .... | foley recordist (uncredited) | |
Special Effects by | |||
| Matthew G. Armstrong | .... | special effects assistant: dailies (uncredited) | |
| Laurence Harvey | .... | armourer (uncredited) | |
| Nick P. Phillips | .... | senior special effects technician (uncredited) | |
| Edward Smith | .... | special effects supervisor (uncredited) | |
| Rob Tucker | .... | special effects (uncredited) | |
Visual Effects by | |||
| Michelle Camp | .... | visual effects editorial | |
| Jonathan Dredge | .... | scanning and recording | |
| Robert Duncan | .... | visual effects supervisor (as Rob Duncan) | |
| Mike Morrison | .... | data operator | |
| Joanna Nodwell | .... | visual effects producer | |
| Asa Shoul | .... | colourist | |
| Annabel Wright | .... | digital lab operator | |
| Doron Zar | .... | digital grading assistant | |
| Andy Burrow | .... | scanning manager (uncredited) | |
| Edward Xi Chen | .... | data operator (uncredited) | |
| James Clarke | .... | visual effects (uncredited) | |
| Paul Doogan | .... | scanning, digital cleanup (uncredited) | |
| Andrew Francis | .... | HD mastering (uncredited) | |
| Joe Godfrey | .... | scanning, recording & digital cleanup (uncredited) | |
| Dianne Gordon | .... | data operator: Framestore CFC (uncredited) | |
| Alistair Hamer | .... | film mastering engineer (uncredited) | |
| Jan Hogevold | .... | production executive: Framestore CFC (uncredited) | |
| Jack James | .... | compositor (uncredited) | |
| Kevin Lowery | .... | scanning, recording & digital cleanup (uncredited) | |
| Dan McRae | .... | digital lab (uncredited) | |
| Steve Parsons | .... | visual effects: titles (uncredited) | |
| Sirio Quintavalle | .... | digital artist (uncredited) | |
| Dave Robinson | .... | systems engineer (uncredited) | |
| Jeremy Sawyer | .... | data operator (uncredited) | |
| Matina Skouteri | .... | digital lab operator (uncredited) | |
| Maria Stroka | .... | film recording producer (uncredited) | |
| Paola Varvaro | .... | digital cleanup artist (uncredited) | |
| Stephen Willey | .... | systems engineer (uncredited) | |
| Aubrey Woodiwiss | .... | digital cleanup (uncredited) | |
Stunts | |||
| Tom Aitken | .... | stunts | |
| Gary Connery | .... | stunts | |
| Bradley Farmer | .... | stunts | |
| Dean Forster | .... | stunts | |
| Andy Godbold | .... | stunts | |
| Paul Herbert | .... | stunt coordinator | |
| Rowley Irlam | .... | stunts | |
| James O'Donnell | .... | stunts (as James O'Dee) | |
| Seon Rogers | .... | stunts (as Séon Rogers) | |
| Nick Wilkinson | .... | stunts | |
Casting Department | |||
| Vanessa Baker | .... | voice casting | |
| Brendan Donnison | .... | voice casting | |
| Melissa Holm | .... | casting assistant | |
| Dixie Chassay | .... | casting assistant (uncredited) | |
| Julie Dunne | .... | additional casting (uncredited) | |
Costume and Wardrobe Department | |||
| Mike Hodge | .... | wardrobe master | |
| Fiona Lucas | .... | costume supervisor | |
| Anna Palmgren | .... | assistant costume designer | |
| Gabrielle Spanswick | .... | costume supervisor | |
Editorial Department | |||
| Hattie Dalton | .... | assistant editor | |
| Claire McGrane | .... | digital intermediate producer | |
| Jason Wheeler | .... | negative cutter | |
Music Department | |||
| Tom Chichester-Clark | .... | music editor | |
| Vic Fraser | .... | music preparation | |
| Liz Gallacher | .... | music supervisor | |
| Julian Kershaw | .... | orchestrator | |
| Richard Lancaster | .... | music recordist | |
| Stephen McLaughlin | .... | music producer (as Gohl/McLaughlin) | |
| Andrew Raiher | .... | music programmer | |
| Alex Scannell | .... | music recordist | |
| Jeff Toyne | .... | orchestrator | |
| Andy Brown | .... | music contractor (uncredited) | |
| Andrew Raiher | .... | musician: guitars (uncredited) | |
Transportation Department | |||
| Simon Barker | .... | transportation captain | |
| Ben Dillon | .... | picture car coordinator | |
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| Cidade de Deus | Carlito's Way | Scarface | Goodfellas | Kill Bill: Vol. 1 |
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Seven years ago, I sat in a movie theatre with little to no expectations for the viewing of Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, a British crime/comedy/drama from producer Michael Vaughn. I had never heard of the director (the future Mr. Madonna, Guy Ritchie) and there wasn't a single cast member that I could say I had seen before.
A few years later, Vaughn was back producing another Guy Ritchie film that put American actors Brad Pitt, Benicio Del Toro and Dennis Farnia amongst all the chaos in the British underground in Snatch.
Despite the low fanfare (they have since become cult hits), both movies were refreshingly fun flicks that ended up on my top ten lists in their respective years of release.
Now, five years since Snatch made a splash on North American soil, producer Michael Vaughn is back, this time behind the lens, for the new crime thriller, Layer Cake.
Layer Cake follows a cocaine dealer without a name played by Daniel Craig who is working towards his retirement from the underground biz. He doesn't see himself as a bad man. In fact, his voice over reveals that he is not a gangster. He's a business man. However, if Carlito's Way taught us anything it is that escape from a lifetime in the seedy crime world is not easy to dissolve oneself of.
And things start to go amok immediately when crime boss Jimmy Price (Kenneth Cranham) forcefully delegates the task of finding the lost daughter of an old powerful friend to our protagonist. Reluctantly, but without option, the job is accepted and this begins the wicked spiral deeper into the drug and criminal underworld than he had ever hoped to venture.
Soon, there will be a drug trade gone bad, an introduction to a character named Dragon who lops off the heads of his victims, friends who will both have a drink with you and kick the living life out of your body in the same afternoon and enough crosses, double crosses and screw-you's to keep you riveted to the screen.
Much like Lock, Stock and Snatch, there are enough characters in Layer Cake to keep your head spinning. Vaughn doesn't try and spell things out for the audience and throws the kitchen sink at our small brains leaving it up the viewer to try and keep pace. Probably requiring a repeat viewing (if for no other reason that to try and understand what is being said under the cover of some very strong English accents), Layer Cake veers from the traditional cookie cutter type drug/crime caper by delivering a complex mix of violence and drama that is anything but packaged with a bow on top.
By the time we are introduced to yet another group of players, headed brilliantly by the always-reliable Michael Gambon, you may need a second to collect your senses and figure out which end is up. It was like watching Memento except with more lively characters and a story that's actually worth your involvement.
I was surprised to learn that this was Michael Vaughn's directorial debut. As a novice he was able to weave a complex web of multiple stories like a seasoned veteran in what I can only suspect to be a more realistic depiction of hit men and drug lords than anything Bad Boys waved in our faces a few years back.
Lacking the dark humor of Lock, Stock and Snatch, Layer Cake is more like Goodfellas and to some extent Reservoir Dogs than its two closest relatives (an ass kicking scene to Duran Duran's Ordinary World was reminiscent of Dogs' Stuck in the Middle With You). It's a film composed with characters that are so unique and interesting, yet violent and criminal that you don't know who to root for. Case in point, Gene played by Star Trek veteran Colm Meany. As Jimmy Price's right hand man, Gene is a gangster that wouldn't hesitate to put a bullet in your brain if so ordered, but portrayed as a human being who is just doing what he is told to survive in a world to which he is too accustomed. He is maybe the most charismatic bad guy since Vincent Vega in Pulp Fiction.
Rumor in selected Trades is that Daniel Craig is the frontrunner for the Bond franchise if Pierce Brosnan decides to jump ship, and his performance in Layer Cake proves that he is up to the task. His steely blue eyes and Steve McQueen type looks can ensure that we haven't seen the last of him, and if we are lucky, in his next film his character will get a name.
Layer Cake is definitely not for all types. If you have problems following CSI, then this movie is not for you. But for those of you who do stick around through the reveals and character developments, I can assure you that the payoff is worth the investment. Layer Cake will be one of those films that in a few years, men will be talking about around the work water-cooler, using words like 'ultra-cool' and maybe even 'classic'.
www.gregsrants.com