23 replies to this topic

[00 Brosnan]

Saw Layer Cake (the entire film) for the first time yesterday. Good film, my kind of movie. Reminds me of a cross between Blow and Reservoir Dogs...only British. That Sienna Miller couldn't get any sexier..too bad her role isn't all that big.

I hope they make a sequel, apparently it's been discussed and could happen. They left the ending kind of open. SPOILERS....Daniel Craig's character doesn't die after being shot (like one might assume he does in the film) in the book.

Getting kind of tired of the main character suddenly being killed in the end of drug movies, it's not very original in this day and age.

[AMC Hornet]

He looked dead to me - but then, so did King Kong & Dr. Phibes....

[blueman]

Saw it when it came out, said to myself "That guy's the next James Bond!"




But never thought EON would cast him, too non-traditional looking.

[David Schofield]

Saw it when it came out, said to myself "That guy's the next James Bond!"




But never thought EON would cast him, too non-traditional looking.

Saw it only AFTER Craig was cast as Bond... and still wondered what the hell EON thought they were doing.

Shows what I know, eh?

[Messervy]

Yes, Layer Cake is a very good movie. The plot itself is quite unoriginal, but the characters are very well designed, the lines are good, the situations somewhat unexpected, etc. And the end really takes you by surprise.

I saw it after Craig was cast for Bond, but before Casino Royale was actually shot. After seeing it, I could understand EON's choice. After eventually seeing the transformation in Craig between LC and CR, I did understand that EON had been very clever and quite onward-looking.

[00 Brosnan]

I saw it after Craig was cast for Bond, but before Casino Royale was actually shot. After seeing it, I could understand EON's choice. After eventually seeing the transformation in Craig between LC and CR, I did understand that EON had been very clever and quite onward-looking.

The only films I can remember seeing Craig in before he was announced as the sixth James Bond were Road to Perdition and Tomb Raider. Based off those two films, I never would have guessed he'd succeed Brosnan as Bond.

However, after watching Layer Cake I can totally see the potential EON saw in him. Craig doesn't have that typical James Bond look, but there were some Bond traits there. His cool demeanor with the ladies and his smart professionalism throughout the film.

[David Schofield]

but there were some Bond traits there. His cool demeanor with the ladies and his smart professionalism throughout the film.

Are you really sure about that?

I'd cite shaking like a ting virgin when talking on the phone to Tammy while she talks about the effect on her nipples, getting his head shoved in a freezer by Morty and general physically abused, like walking straight into Sydney's bullet like a smug superior pillock????

Yeah, never seen James Bond be remotely that cool.

But hey, Craig never intended to give off the Bond vibe in LAYER CAKE because he isn't playing James Bond, and XXX is not remotely like Bond. Brilliant acting from DC.

[Miles Miservy]

Saw it when it came out, said to myself "That guy's the next James Bond!"




But never thought EON would cast him, too non-traditional looking.

I thought the same thing about Clive Owen after seeing "The International".

[00 Brosnan]

but there were some Bond traits there. His cool demeanor with the ladies and his smart professionalism throughout the film.

Are you really sure about that?

I'd cite shaking like a ting virgin when talking on the phone to Tammy while she talks about the effect on her nipples, getting his head shoved in a freezer by Morty and general physically abused, like walking straight into Sydney's bullet like a smug superior pillock????

Yeah, never seen James Bond be remotely that cool.

But hey, Craig never intended to give off the Bond vibe in LAYER CAKE because he isn't playing James Bond, and XXX is not remotely like Bond. Brilliant acting from DC.

I didn't mean completely. I only meant in certain scenes Craig had a coolness about him that comes out in his Bond films.

[Loomis]

Saw it when it came out, said to myself "That guy's the next James Bond!"




But never thought EON would cast him, too non-traditional looking.

Saw it only AFTER Craig was cast as Bond... and still wondered what the hell EON thought they were doing.

Shows what I know, eh?

I watched LAYER CAKE when Craig was rumoured as the next Bond, a few months before he was actually announced, and the scene near the beginning when he swaggers into the posh golf club and keeps his cool while being interrogated by the rather more uncouth crime boss (who shoots at him a line of dialogue along the lines of "Are you a ho-mo-sex-ual, using long words like that?") convinced me beyond a shadow of a doubt that he'd be the perfect choice for 007.

That said, LAYER CAKE is not a particularly good film (and its violence and lowlife characters leave a rather nasty taste). The chief problem is its script, which is a confusing mess. That said, it has a surprising amount of visual flair for a British flick, and Craig is very good indeed.

[jaguar007]

I rented Layer Cake before Craig was announced but after his name was mentioned in the rumor mill. While we were watching it, my wife said to me "I can't see him as James Bond...but he is REALLY hot!"

For years she always joked that George Clooney was going to be her next husband, about a month after we watched Layer Cake I made a comment about Clooney and she said "forget Clooney, I like that guy who might be James Bond".

[Baccarat]

...That said, LAYER CAKE is not a particularly good film (and its violence and lowlife characters leave a rather nasty taste). The chief problem is its script, which is a confusing mess. That said, it has a surprising amount of visual flair for a British flick, and Craig is very good indeed.

Did we watch the same film? I'm not sure how the taught script could be considered confusing, or that the "violence and lowlife characters" could come as a surprise given the subject matter. At least we agree on the visual flair. I will concede that the ending is somewhat disappointing; I much prefer the alternate version included in the DVD extras.

Layer Cake is a superb film with many memorable scenes. I think it is almost wholly successful in balancing the prosaic life of "real" drug dealers with the arrogance and stupidty of gangster wannabees. The cast is uniformly excellent, and Colm Meaney almost steals the show from Craig. The scene in which Gene shows XXXX his guns and tells him about the realities of killing a man is particularly powerful.

Edited by Baccarat, 19 May 2011 - 09:48 PM.

[The Shark]

My stick with LAYER CAKE (along with Guy Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino's entire output), its that it's soulless, flashy, shallow and nihilistic. A bore to watch.

At least Ritchie's films had some verve and humour.

[AMC Hornet]

DC's hairstyle was better in LC than it was in CR and QoS. Brioni and Tom Ford suits, an Omega watch, an Aston Martin DBS - and hair courtesy of Uncle Bernie and his 'Home Barber*' kit?

*(As seen on TV)

[00 Brosnan]

My stick with LAYER CAKE (along with Guy Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino's entire output), its that it's soulless, flashy, shallow and nihilistic. A bore to watch.

At least Ritchie's films had some verve and humour.

I couldn't disagree more about Tarantino's films.

DC's hairstyle was better in LC than it was in CR and QoS. Brioni and Tom Ford suits, an Omega watch, an Aston Martin DBS - and hair courtesy of Uncle Bernie and his 'Home Barber*' kit?

*(As seen on TV)

Lol. I think Craig looks better with longer hair (like in Layer Cake), but I don't think his hair looked "Do-it-yourself" bad in CR or QoS.

[blueman]

My stick with LAYER CAKE (along with Guy Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino's entire output), its that it's soulless, flashy, shallow and nihilistic. A bore to watch.

At least Ritchie's films had some verve and humour.

A lot of Bond films strike me that way. A lot of them.

[The Shark]

My stick with LAYER CAKE (along with Guy Ritchie and Quentin Tarantino's entire output), its that it's soulless, flashy, shallow and nihilistic. A bore to watch.

At least Ritchie's films had some verve and humour.

A lot of Bond films strike me that way. A lot of them.

I'd say every Bond since since '97 has struck me as that. John Barry's presence alone, previously was enough to elevate them. Giving them a poignancy that they didn't really deserve.

[hilly]

A couple of years ago on my birthday, my girlfriend indulged my love of all things Bond-related and surprised me with a night at Stoke Park. I actually got to tread on the hallowed Goldfinger golf course and stand on those steps where Craig cops it. I'm sure I must have been just a little embarassing to be with...
The extras on the Layer Cake dvd are quite interesting, including an alternative ending in which Craig's character just drives off into the sunset with Sienna Miller, and a discussion with Matthew Vaughn as to why they went with the ending that was ultimately used

[KMiller007]

I saw Layer Cake around the time of its release and I love the movie. Very cool. Craig is excellent as usual.

[domnule alb]

I saw it after Craig was cast for Bond, but before Casino Royale was actually shot. After seeing it, I could understand EON's choice. After eventually seeing the transformation in Craig between LC and CR, I did understand that EON had been very clever and quite onward-looking.

The only films I can remember seeing Craig in before he was announced as the sixth James Bond were Road to Perdition and Tomb Raider. Based off those two films, I never would have guessed he'd succeed Brosnan as Bond.

However, after watching Layer Cake I can totally see the potential EON saw in him. Craig doesn't have that typical James Bond look, but there were some Bond traits there. His cool demeanor with the ladies and his smart professionalism throughout the film.

The most "Bond moment" for me was when Craig's character is in his bathroom grinding the pills into the bourbon; almost wonder if it inspired CR to add the "mirror scene" in Bond's hotel suite. Good stuff.

[DamnCoffee]

Brilliant film! One of my favourites. I checked this out as soon as I found out Craig was cast as Bond. Great movie, and a great performance.

[quantumofsolace]

http://whatculture.c...-layer-cake.php

[SILVERTOE]

I saw this at the cinema, when it came out in 2004, as my mate wanted to see it, and is the kind of bloke who can't go to see things on his own, unlike me, who had no trouble going to the cinema or thatre by himself. I quite enjoyed it, but i always see DC as GEORDIE PEACOCK, even now, i still see him as GEORDIE PEACOCK and not JAMES BOND.

 

What i found interesting weas, the day CR was released on DVD here in the UK, LAYER CAKE was re-released on DVD, with DC holding a gun and looking very BOND like!

[Trevelyan 006]

I recently bought Layer Cake as I found it for rather cheap on DVD. I had previously never seen the film but always itched to see it, so when I came across the opportunity, naturally I picked it up. With that said, it may have become one of my favorite and most unique films I own! It is like nothing I've ever seen before and it is its sheer individuality that drew me in (as I felt that it didn't play out and wasn't shot like your typical drug dealer situation-gone-bad film). I like in the film how each and every question on your mind is answered at some point during the film shortly after you formulate it, it kept me constantly interested and looking forward to what the next scene would be. The only 'gripe' (if you can call it that) I had was with the thicker accents that made some quicker scenes harder to understand, as I am not a native. Forgive me.

 

All in all, the film was worth every dime and I just wish I would have bought it sooner.

 

*Edit: Not to mention that the ending absolutely blew me away as XXXX is simply killed by Sydney after all XXXX had been through.

Edited by Trevelyan 006, 13 December 2013 - 02:50 PM.