L4yer Cak3

Promotional photo from the movie "Layer Cake"

Over the weekend I watched the British gangster drama L4yer Cak3 (or Layer Cake). Some thoughts:

  1. Daniel Craig was an intriguing and different James Bond in Casino Royale, but I think he was even better in this movie as a troubled gangster. He plays anguish and moral ambiguity well.
     
  2. Any movie that features both Michael Gambon and Colm Meaney is worth seeing. Aldus Dumbledore (version 2.0) and Lieutenant O’Brien, together!
  3. It appears that Sienna Miller is in the movie primarily so Daniel Craig will have a reason to take off his shirt. If that’s what it takes, then so be it.
     
  4. The Wikipedia entry for this movie attempts to outline the plot. It seems at first as if it might succeed, but then sort of gives up. Still, it makes a noble effort.
     
  5. It is possible to follow the plot as you watch the movie. If you try though, you will probably not be able to avoid noticing the many plot holes scattered throughout.
     
  6. But plot holes don’t necessarily ruin a movie. The Big Sleep, for example, is riddled with inconsistencies, but it’s fantastic. Layer Cake stands up to its own flaws as well.
     
  7. If you like films with twisty plots of gamblers two-timing each other, you will enjoy this movie.
     
  8. The Wikipedia entry for Layer Cake also contains this tempting tidbit: The movie is based on a book by the same name, and that book has a sequel. It’s reasonable to assume that there will be a sequel to the movie as well. Yum!

4 replies on “L4yer Cak3”

  1. My almost-boyfriend just finished this book and loved it; I’ll have to tell him there’s a sequel. The movie is on his [and maybe our] to-watch list.

    I’m not a fan of Sienna Miller, but like you said, if she gets Daniel Craig to take his shirt off, I promise to restrain myself from throwing popcorn at the television when she’s on screen. :)

  2. Amy: Part of how you can tell Daniel Craig is a good actor is that he makes it believable that his otherwise stoic character would be dumbstruck at the sight of Sienna Miller standing at a bar.

  3. Almost-boyfriend told me over lunch that he watched this movie last night, and says that the plot holes are tied up nicely if you have read the book [and was quite excited when I told him there was a sequel]. He needed to stop the film several times to explain to his sister what was going on, from what he tells me.

    He also made some remark about Sienna Miller and how it’s understandable that Daniel Craig would take his shirt off for her as she’s not bad-looking, but I was trying not to listen.

  4. Amy, I would love to mention some of the plot holes that I think no book could spackle over, but I don’t want to post any spoilers. Drop me a line when you’ve had a chance to see it and we’ll break it down.

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