The Greatest Gangster Thriller I have Ever Seen

The ultimate synthesis of recent British crime classis; the seriousness, characterization and aesthetics of Sexy Beast and the loopy, multilayered plotting and style of Lock Stock... and Snatch. Very highly recommended.

I found this to be a real gem, especially in the wake of the too-many-to-mention below par british gangster film flops we have been subjected to in this post-Lock Stock world we live in. Layer Cake is smart, stylish, sexy, witty, meticulously acted and intelligently directed. Daniel Craig excels, and more than proves his ability to hold a whole film together in a more mainstream production.

If you can solve the rubics cube in 30 seconds or less you might be able to keep up with this movie, personally I found it rathering confusing. For this I deduct whopping two points. I also lop off another point for a surprising but flawed ending. I left the teather thinking why did I bother seeing this movie. Well it did have a few redeeming qualities such as better than decent acting and good cinematography. But ultimately it lacked shen or spirit. It's an undescribable quality that a movie has or does not. This movie unfortunately did not so I take another point for this making this movie a 6 out of ten. It's really too bad because this movie could have been really good if they but just put a bit more thought into it. Rent it but save your 8 bucks or however much it costs in your area. We have a $1.50 movie theater an hour a way. It might be worth that. P.S. Usually critics are too harsh on movies this time they went the other direction but only by a point so I can't rag on them too much this time.… Expand

I'll have to agree with Shawn Levy of the Portland Oregonian. The movie was far too impressed with itself, and just became more and more convoluted as the film wore on. If I ever rent it on DVD, I'm going to switch on the English subtitles, so I can figure out what some of those characters with the strong accents were actually saying.

Excellent in it's complexity.

It's just "okay." You've seen this before - perhaps not as well acted - but there's nothing especially new here.

Stunning. Tough to follow. Cinematography is a joy to watch.

I saw the movie, then I read the novel it's based on, and then I saw the movie again. It took every bit of that to figure out what was happening in this very confusing movie. Frankly, it wasn't worth the effort. The movie has style and interesting characters, but the story is, ultimately, old and familiar.

Well acted. well shot. well writen. great directing. hard to follow at times with all the characters but still an amazing british crime thriller.

30 seconds into the movie: Oh, this wants to be a smart thriller. 30 minutes later: this isn't sexy beast. End: it ain't Sexy Beast, mate.

It would have been a lot better if they connected the dots more and effectively concluded some of the points and scenes they were trying to accent.

Vaughn makes a good debut with this. Its much better than "Snatch." The plot is very complicated and theat is the best paer and hte acting is excellent specially from Craig. A sequql could be on the way.

Layer Cake is, to me, the perfect movie: the characters are genuine and well acted; the plot is original; and there's some great action and cinematography. You have to listen carefully (at least I did) to the actors due to their accents, but the lead character is excellently portrayed. You can truly imagine him as a real guy just trying to eke out a reasonable living in a dangerous, unpredictable business. This is one I'll probably buy on DVD.… Expand

Best movie of 2005 as of June 1st. Exceptional acting combined with a smart, side-winding story that creates a fully engrossing film.

The movie is well acted but the plot is very similar to Carlito's Way.

Too clever by half. While this movie is well crafted, with excellent acting, etc., it ultimately defeats itself by having about five too many plot twists -- and endings. I enjoyed most of it, but ended up leaving the theater feeling pissed off.

Failed to grab me in the first ten minutes, which is always a bad sign. Scorsese or Tarantino wannabe. Craig is excellent, but, my God, we've seen this before, done much better. Film has a feel of trying really hard to be outrageous and irreverantly shocking, but just comes off as being mundane and boring. Watch Trainspotting or Reservoir Dogs again, you'll be better off.

Like a great rock song, Layer Cake hooks you early and never disappoints, rocking you until the final power chord of an ending. Daniel Craig is sensational supported by a cast that once again proves the UK has the best characer actors in the world.

This was pretty good. The lead actor was very good. But I didn't enjoy this nearly as much as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels or as much as Snatch. And the very end made the movie almost pointless, it angered me.

It's got a good level of ambience but it feels far too smug. The plot seems to have been Snatched from Carlito's Way as well.

Amazing supporting performances.... Good flick. Probably the best thing out there right now.

One of the best ever...mathew vaughn has now proven himself to be not only a good producer but also an excellent director...hilarious scenes...great plot...very good dialogues...some were pretty hard to follow in the beginning but later as the movie reveals its real self...u'll love it...a very detailed but comical approach to a crime genre...long live crime movies...thanks to some great directors.… Expand

Its a classic gangster thriller. Film holds your the attention and makes you think while watching and after it.

All is good in this movie: great cast, great story, great tempo, perfect tempo: from start to finish. A movie you can see again and again.

Daniel Craig was great, and I wanted to see his work before James Bond. Good writing and dialogue, but I have seen much of the style before. Nonethess, it was quite interesting, and I am glad I watched it.