Layer Cake (2004)

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

Director:

Matthew Vaughn

Writers:

J.J. Connolly (screenplay), J.J. Connolly (novel)

Stars:

Daniel Craig, Sienna Miller, Michael Gambon

2 wins & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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 (as Natalie Lunghi)

Storyline

A successful cocaine dealer, who has earned a respected place among England's Mafia elite, plans an early retirement from the business. However, big boss Jimmy Price hands down a tough assignment: find Charlotte Ryder, the missing rich princess daughter of Jimmy's old pal Edward, a powerful construction business player and gossip papers socialite. Complicating matters are two million pounds' worth of Grade A ecstasy, a brutal Serbian gang and a whole series of double crossings. The title "LAYER CAKE" refers to the layers or levels anyone in business goes through in rising to the top. What is revealed is a modern underworld where the rules have changed. There are no 'codes', or 'families' and respect lasts as long as a line. Not knowing who he can trust, he has to use all his 'savvy', 'telling' and skills which make him one of the best, to escape his own. The ultimate last job, a love interest called Tammy, and an international drug ring threaten to draw him back into the 'cake mix'. ...

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Plot Keywords:

nipples visible through clothing | no panties | scantily clad female | panties | lingerie | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong brutal violence, sexuality, nudity, pervasive language and drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Gaumont Columbia Tristar [France] Sony Pictures Classics [United States]

Country:

UK

Language:

English Romanian

Release Date:

3 June 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

L4yer Cake

Filming Locations:

Newport Pagnell Service Area, M1 Motorway, Newport Pagnell, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

£4,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

£1,090,561 (United Kingdom), 3 October 2004, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$81,706, 15 May 2005, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$2,338,695, 14 August 2005

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$11,850,214, 18 August 2005

Company Credits

Production Co:

Sony Pictures Classics,Marv Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital SDDS (US prints) DTS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Colm Meaney would later star opposite Daniel Craig's Quantum of Solace (2009) co-star Gemma Arterton in A Deal Is a Deal (2008).

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Goofs

When XXXX is alone in his apartment, drinking whiskey with ground aspirin, the face of a crew member appears briefly on a mirror just beyond the actor.

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Quotes

XXXX: When I was born the world was a far simpler place. It was all just cops and robbers. But it wasn't for me. Then came the Summer of Love. Hasish and LSD arrived on the scene. There were villains locked away for twelve years for robbing a bank of ten grand, doing time with drippy hippies down six months for smuggling two million quid worth of puff. I mean work it out mate. We're in the wrong fucking game. Drugs. Changed. Everything. Always remember that one day all this drug monkey business will ...

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Crazy Credits

The film lacks a traditional opening title. The title Layer Cake appears ten minutes into the film on a door that XXXX walks through.

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Connections

Referenced in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Colin Firth/Jack McBrayer & Triumph the Insult Comic Dog/The Weeknd (2015)

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Soundtracks

Can't Get Blue Monday out of My Head
Written by Peter Hook, Bernard Sumner, Stephen Morris, Gillian Gilbert,
Cathy Dennis and Rob Davis
Published by Be Music
By kind permission of Warner/Chappell Music Ltd and by EMI Music Publishing Ltd and Universal/MCA Music Ltd
Performed by Kylie Minogue
Licensed courtesy of EMI Records Ltd

User Reviews

Like a good cake, it gets better with each layer.

I was expecting good things and wasn't disappointed. It's been a while since I saw a good British gangster film. Layer Cake filled the void nicely. The acting was good, script was tight and the film was well cast. People I had not seen before were well used in their characters. The film starts out nice and simple but as it progreses it gets quite deep and twisted.

I was most surprised by Colm Meaney, I've ever only known him in Startrek.

But was superbly cast and had a quite menacing air about him.

LC has a few laughs for those with a more twisted sense of humour, it's not obvious comedy either and the film never plays for laughs. Very different to Lock Stock and Snatch. The director did well to move out from Guy Ritchie and make a serious film.