Critique: Film> Reviews.

Matthew Vaughan (producer of Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrells and Snatch) makes his directorial debut with British gangster flick Layer Cake, an adaptation of J.J. Connolly's novel. Daniel Craig stars as "XXXX", who proclaims himself as a "businessman" rather than a gangster (he hates guns and prefers to keep a low profile). His original plan is to retire from the cocaine business for good, but before he can do that he must first search for his boss’s runaway junkie daughter and attempt to settle a massive drug deal gone badly wrong.

As the title suggests, the film consists of multiple plot layers, which can be quite confusing to follow at times, but the witty dialogue and numerous plot twists make this a very entertaining ride indeed. Craig, especially, is so likable as the suave, underground businessman that it's not difficult to see why he ended up playing the most popular secret agent in the world (James Bond, if you didn't know already).

Layer Cake never really threatens to topple some of America's finest gangster flicks, but it never really attempts to. It has its own distinctive style: It's neither overly gory nor overly bleak; instead, it's memorable for its touches of intelligence and humour. It prefers the laid-back approach to the "smash-bang-wallop" approach, and although it won't stand out among the endless catalogue of hits in the same genre, you still have to admire it for being a damn good movie. Us Brits should be very proud.

(C) Andy Carrington, 2009.