Layer Cake - 05/11/05

Written by: J.J. Connolly

Starring: Daniel Craig, Tom Hardy, Jamie Foreman, George Harris, Colm Meaney, Michael Gambon, Kenneth Cranham

Official Site

I got to see a free screening of this last night. I was looking forward to it, because I liked the trailer and I enjoyed both Lock, Stock and Snatch. Vaughn was producer on both of those films... and we get to see two actors from this movies here. Dexter Fletcher and Jason Flemyng, both fine actors.

This is, by far, one of the most intricate stories I've seen brought to the big screen. It's pretty complex, and I think Connolly did an awesome job adapting it into a cohesive film. The movie, especially in the beginning, relies heavily on voice-over... and you can tell that the inner monologue of the main character, in the novel, was heavily relied on to propell the story forward. It does the same here.

The dialog, the scenes... all very well thought out. Great characters, all well developed. I was very impressed with the entire film and I'm looking foward to what Connolly will give us next.

Vaughn had a singular vision, and did not compromise. My hat is off to him for following through and presenting an entertaining, funny and dramatic film. He is obviously one of those directors that works well both with his actors and with his crew. Both the performances of the actors involved and the finished product are pretty flawless.

We have a strange group of actors in this film, all well cast. Craig did an excellent job in the lead. You might have seen his face in Tomb Raider or Road to Perdition, or The Jacket. Regardless, he's a very good actor, and I'm sure we'll see good things from him in the future... one of which is the next Spielberg film about the 1972 Olympics.

It took me until the end of the film to recognize Tom Hardy. He played Shinzon in the last installment of Star Trek: Nemesis, which I enjoyed. He didn't have an enormous roll here, but he wasn't bad. He's got a distinctive face and voice... he'd make a good leading man in the right role.

George Harris, in my opinion, stole the show from the rest of the cast (along with Craig). He was brilliant. I doubt you would be able to pick him out of any of his past films, except for Black Hawk Down. You can see him now in The Interpreter... but this guy has been around for a while... since Flash Gordon! He had a great character to work with, and brought a lot of subtle humor to the film. Simply great.

Colm Meaney you'll recognize from, of course, Star Trek, but also from a number of features. The Commitments, Far and Away, Last of the Mohicans, Con Air... he's been around for a while, and has a great personality that comes out in all of his characters.

Kenneth Cranham. You might not recognize the name, but if you've been around for a while, and you like horror movies, you'd recognize the face. Cranham was the one and only Dr. Chanard from Hellraiser: Hellbound. Great performance.

I don't have to say much about Michael Gambon's performance. He's an excellent actor with a presence. He's been around for a long time, and was an excellent choice to replace Richard Harris in the Harry Potter films. I was happy to see him in a serious role, here.

I can't say anything bad about any actor in this film! How rare is that? Pretty rare, let me tell you.

All of the casting was fantastic. So far, this is the best ensemble I've seen all year... and yes, it beats out Sin City. This group really worked well together.

Great music, great locations, and a great cast of characters gives us a very enjoyable movie. I highly recommend this one.