To be honest it was hard to watch Matthew Vaughn’s 2004 attempt at the British gangster movie without making constant comparisons to Guy Ritchie’s arguable masterpieces Snatch and Lock, Stock… It was down to this fact, maybe, that I thought the whole film just kind of, missed the target a bit. The attempts to make an ultra-cool British gangster flick did not go unnoticed; with slick the camerawork and nonchalant discussions regarding matters that really should be treated anything but nonchalantly, (that seem to have become mainstays of the contemporary manifestation of this genre) present throughout.
Because of this, I have tried my best to analyse this film without considering the words ‘Jason’ or ‘Statham’.
The first thing I noticed is that the whole film has some kind of slightly off-putting ‘sheen’ plastered all over it. The action is often obscured by a strange cinematic effect that seems to serve only to massage somebody’s creative ego rather than actually evoke any real kind of emotion from the viewer. For example, in the final scene of the film, the song ‘Aria’ by Lisa Gerrard is played as we pay witness to the final endeavours of XXXX (Daniel Craig’s unnamed protagonist). ‘Aria’ is a beautiful, impelling piece of music that if used cleverly could create a stunning finale to the entire affair. Vaughn seems to have realised the song’s potential, and has attempted to create a kind of beautiful juxtaposition between event and accompanying soundtrack. It should work, I want it to work, and for a brief moment it sort of does work, but then you sit back and look again and realise that this film is maybe just trying a little too hard.
That’s just me being picky however, essentially Layer Cake is a good movie! Michael Gambon as Eddie Temple is an inspired choice, with his brilliantly apt description of Hector Berlioz’s The Damnation of Faust being a true nugget of writing genius; “Man sells his soul to the devil. All ends in tears, these arrangements usually do.” It isn’t just Gambon who gets the killer lines though, the film is packed with quick witted and clever dialogue that you really would expect from a movie of this kind, and the congregation of typically thick-accented British actors tend to pull them off with vigour. The story itself does not disappoint either, with enough plot twists to keep anybody’s eyes firmly glazed to the screen, and the creation of a feeling of genuine compassion for Daniel Craig’s nicely portrayed ‘drug baron with a conscience’ lead character.
Craig fits into the role surprisingly well, the James Bond in waiting could be forgiven for seeming quite unfitting in such a typified role, but he tends to be genuinely compelling, and even does something that is rarely seen in movies nowadays; actually shows some form of remorse for committing the act of murder! Craig’s monologues are always brilliant and become instruments that you not only need to help understand and progress with the story but genuinely look forward to hearing. His relationship with Sienna Miller is as captivating on camera as the tabloids would have considered it to be in the real world; he manages to maintain a level of cool confidence whilst still portraying raw, and sometimes incredibly touching, emotion.
Despite all of this, however, there is still a small, guilty part of me pining for a certain shaven headed cockney.
