Layer Cake (DVD)

It's about damn time! I was so frustrated I never had the chance to see Layer Cake in the theaters, but now that I own it I will certainly be watching it again. I loved this movie!

For those in the know and those that know their British gang flicks, you are already aware that this is director Matthew Vaughn's first time behind the lense, but not his first time in the genre. Vaughn was the producer on such killer hits as Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. Personally, Snatch is one of my favorite films, and for those of you looking for the same thing here you aren't exactly going to get the same style, such as Guy Ritchie's flashy cuts and quick story movements, but that doesn't mean it takes a back seat.

Layer Cake places you into the life of drug dealer Mr. X (Daniel Craig) who is on his way out of the drug racket, but not without a favor for the big boss man Jimmy Price. Price charges our man with the duty of finding Charlotte Ryder, the daughter of one of his old pals, as well as a part in the moving of one million Ecstasy pills. Once out on the job, we soon learn there is far more to Price's plan than has been initially revealed, as I quote him, "You know why people like you can't leave this business? 'Cause you make too much money for people like me."

That pretty much sums up Layer Cake in a nutshell.

This film is a wild trip through London filled with guns, drugs, sex, Sienna Miller and a bit more drugs. The dialogue in the film is superb and as good as I could have expected from anything Vaughn would find to his liking. Honestly the only thing that seemed to be missing was a part for Jason Statham, but Daniel Craig fills in nicely in the lead role as Mr. X. You can see why his name was being tossed around for the part of James Bond. Calm, cool and collected, Craig emotes everything you would expect from a slicked out gangster and I am sure he would be able to do the same thing for the super suave character of Mr. Bond.

As for this DVD's special features they are really quite limited, and it isn't often that I say this, but the deleted scenes and alternate endings are really the best part.

There is an audio commentary with Vaughn and writer J.J. Connolly, which really gets boring considering there is very little energy in the guys' voices. There is also a Q&A session with Vaughn and Craig that is also not too exciting, Q&As never really float my boat. Finally there is a making-of featurette that isn't too bad along with some trailers.

Getting back to the deleted scenes and alternate endings. Personally I wanted the ending to go another direction, so to appease me, there are two alternates on this disc, one of which gives me my ending. All the scenes in this section are worth a once over for those of you that loved the film, and especially those that love the dialogue, there is a lot more good stuff here.

Overall, I wholeheartedly recommend this DVD to anyone that has seen and liked either Snatch or Lock, Stock, or British gang flicks in general. Layer Cake is an immensely complex and well thought out feature that has you thinking the whole way through just waiting for the next double-cross, and after multiple viewings you will begin to see even more of what happened behind-the-scenes. Oh yeah, and you will also see Sienna Miller in that bra and garter again... never a bad thing.