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IMDbPro

Layer Cake

  • 20042004
  • K-15K-15
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
7.3/10
181K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,263
487
Daniel Craig in Layer Cake (2004)
Trailer 1
Play trailer1:58
1 Video
99+ Photos
ActionCrimeDrama

A successful cocaine dealer gets two tough assignments from his boss on the eve of his planned early retirement.A successful cocaine dealer gets two tough assignments from his boss on the eve of his planned early retirement.A successful cocaine dealer gets two tough assignments from his boss on the eve of his planned early retirement.

IMDb RATING
7.3/10
181K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,263
487
  • Director
    • Matthew Vaughn
  • Writer
    • J.J. Connolly(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Daniel Craig
    • Sienna Miller
    • Michael Gambon
Top credits
  • Director
    • Matthew Vaughn
  • Writer
    • J.J. Connolly(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Daniel Craig
    • Sienna Miller
    • Michael Gambon
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 341User reviews
    • 148Critic reviews
    • 73Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award
      • 2 wins & 9 nominations total

    Videos1

    Layer Cake
    Trailer 1:58
    Layer Cake

    Photos106

    Daniel Craig and Sienna Miller in Layer Cake (2004)
    Jamie Foreman, Sally Hawkins, and Burn Gorman in Layer Cake (2004)
    Colm Meaney, Daniel Craig, and Jamie Foreman in Layer Cake (2004)
    Colm Meaney, Rab Affleck, Daniel Craig, and George Harris in Layer Cake (2004)
    Colm Meaney, Rab Affleck, Daniel Craig, and George Harris in Layer Cake (2004)
    Daniel Craig and George Harris in Layer Cake (2004)
    Daniel Craig, Ben Whishaw, and Sienna Miller in Layer Cake (2004)
    Daniel Craig and Ben Whishaw in Layer Cake (2004)
    Colm Meaney, Daniel Craig, Tom Hardy, George Harris, and Tamer Hassan in Layer Cake (2004)
    Daniel Craig in Layer Cake (2004)
    Colm Meaney in Layer Cake (2004)
    Daniel Craig in Layer Cake (2004)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Daniel Craig
    Daniel Craig
    • XXXX
    Sienna Miller
    Sienna Miller
    • Tammy
    Michael Gambon
    Michael Gambon
    • Eddie Temple
    Tom Hardy
    Tom Hardy
    • Clarkie
    Jamie Foreman
    Jamie Foreman
    • Duke
    Sally Hawkins
    Sally Hawkins
    • Slasher
    Burn Gorman
    Burn Gorman
    • Gazza
    Brinley Green
    • Nobby
    George Harris
    George Harris
    • Morty
    Tamer Hassan
    Tamer Hassan
    • Terry
    Colm Meaney
    Colm Meaney
    • Gene
    Marcel Iures
    Marcel Iures
    • Slavo
    Francis Magee
    Francis Magee
    • Paul the Boatman
    Dimitri Andreas
    • Angelo
    Kenneth Cranham
    Kenneth Cranham
    • Jimmy Price
    Garry Tubbs
    • Brian
    Nathalie Lunghi
    Nathalie Lunghi
    • Charlie
    • (as Natalie Lunghi)
    Marvin Benoit
    • Kinky
    • (as Marvyn Benoit)
    • Director
      • Matthew Vaughn
    • Writer
      • J.J. Connolly(screenplay) (novel)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      It was Daniel Craig's performance in this movie that caused producer Barbara Broccoli to take notice and think he might be a good fit for James Bond.
    • Goofs
      Slavo and Dragan are supposed to be Serbians but they speak Romanian.
    • Quotes

      Eddie Temple: You're born, you take shit. You get out in the world, you take more shit. You climb a little higher, you take less shit. Till one day you're up in the rarefied atmosphere and you've forgotten what shit even looks like. Welcome to the layer cake son.

    • Crazy credits
      The film title appears on a door that XXXX walks through.
    • Connections
      Featured in Näin tehtiin Casino Royale (2006)
    • Soundtracks
      Hayling
      Written by Daniel Ormondroyd, Jon Nowell, Hafdís Huld and Jon Collyer

      Published by Copyright Control

      Performed by FC Kahuna

      Courtesy of Skint Records

    User reviews341

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    8/10
    An entertaining British crime thriller
    "Layer Cake" may not be a particularly original film. Its plot seems reminiscent of countless others, e.g. "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels". Nonetheless, it is a stylish and entertaining one and keeps the viewer hooked right up until the final scene.

    Daniel Craig plays a drug dealer (whose character is not actually named and who is referred to simply as "XXXX" in the closing credits) in London. He regards himself as a businessman rather than a criminal. He professes to a hatred of guns and violence and he goes about his lucrative dealings in a low-key manner and in a way designed to keep himself under the radar and out of trouble. His aim is to make some money and to retire to Spain or somewhere similar to enjoy the fruits of his ill-gotten gains. However, his plans come awry when, on the threshold of retirement, he is asked by a powerful crime boss with whom he has done a number of deals in the past (Jimmy Price, played by Kenneth Cranham) to find the missing daughter of a friend and associate of his. That friend and associate turns out to be Eddie Temple (brilliantly portrayed by Michael Gambon), who is even more powerful, devious and ruthless than Price. It transpires that Price's motives in asking for his friend's daughter to be located are not as altruistic as they seem. Price also asks Craig's character to find a buyer for a huge consignment of drugs that have, in fact, been stolen by another dealer (The Duke, played by Jamie Foreman) from a ruthless Serbian drugs gang whose leader Dragan has a penchant for beheading anyone who gets in his way. Craig's character finds it difficult to say no to the powerful Price and so he embarks on a course that raises his profile and makes him enemies.

    "Layer Cake" is a riveting film. Although its plot earns few marks for originality, it is a well- written one (by J J Connolly, who based the screenplay on his own novel of the same name) and is clearly and accessibly portrayed. There are several clever twists that are plausible and unexpected. I have seen so many films of this sort in which the plot is either ludicrous or does not hang together properly. That is most definitely not the case here. The direction is very good and Craig himself is excellent in the starring role. The supporting cast, which contains a number of well-known British character actors as well as stars such as Gambon, are all very good too. The soundtrack, which features British rock music by the likes of The Cult and Duran Duran and which makes good use at the end of the film of Joe Cocker's version of "Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood", perfectly complements what we see on the screen. There are some minor visual continuity errors. One such is that the injuries on the face of Craig's character after he receives a going over from his fellow gangsters for supposed disloyalty are not compatible with each other in succeeding scenes. I also think that the film's attempts at humour are somewhat misplaced. Here are two examples. Temple is portrayed as liking opera and in one scene is keen to complete a conversation so that he can get away to go to a performance of Berlioz's "The Damnation of Faust". A northern hit man, when travelling in a taxi with Craig's character, is more keen on practising his oral French in readiness for an imminent test than on a more normal conversation. These two scenes are presumably intended to lighten things up. But they seem merely to be bolted on for the sake of it and add nothing to the development of either character. These are minor weaknesses though.

    "Layer Cake" is an entertaining film that is well worth seeing. 8/10.
    helpful•15
    5
    • roger-pettit1
    • Jun 16, 2012

    FAQ5

    • Why is the film called Layer Cake? (SPOILERS)
    • What is the exact song that plays during the tower block roof scene when XXXX is kidnapped by eddie temple and learns about Jimmy ? (SPOILERS)
    • Do we ever learn xxxx's real name?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • October 1, 2004 (United Kingdom)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • Gaumont Columbia Tristar (France)
      • Sony Pictures Classics (United States)
    • Languages
      • English
      • Romanian
    • Also known as
      • L4yer cake - diilerin käsikirja
    • Filming locations
      • Stoke Park House, Park Road, Stoke Poges, Buckinghamshire, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Sony Pictures Classics
      • Marv Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • £4,000,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $2,339,957
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $81,706
      • May 15, 2005
    • Gross worldwide
      • $11,850,214
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 45 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Digital
      • DTS
    • Aspect ratio
      • 2.35 : 1

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