Layer Cake

Layer Cake (2004)

  • 81% of critics liked it
    (133 reviews)

  • 83% of users liked it
    (135,446 ratings)

A mechanic in the British drug trade finds himself caught in the middle of some dangerous circumstances in this crime thriller. XXXX (Daniel Craig) is a nameless go-between in the British mob who buys drugs from underground wholesalers and them sells them to street dealers, keeping the system… More

Play Trailer

R,
Directed By
Written By
J.J. Connolly
Genres
Drama, Action & Adventure, Mystery & Suspense
In Theaters
Apr 22, 2005 Wide
Sony Pictures Classics

Critic Reviews

  • Richard Roeper, Ebert & Roeper

    I like Layer Cake a lot.

  • James Berardinelli, ReelViews

    It's a little bleak, a little twisted, a little gory, and a lot funny.

  • Peter Howell, Toronto Star

    The film is lamentably short of narrative coherence.

  • Rick Groen, Globe and Mail

    The intricate thing dodges and feints and twists this way and turns that way until, by the time of the alleged resolution, we've lost our bearings completely.

  • Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

    It's almost too much to follow, but the style, proven by Ritchie time and again, is irresistible.

Read all 15 critic reviews

See more critic ratings and reviews on Rotten Tomatoes

Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

Rotten (59% or fewer critics rated the movie positively)

Featured Audience Ratings

  • Al S


    A kinetic and razor sharp crime-thriller. It packs style and brains. It's got the style of Lock, Stock and two smoking barrels, Resivor dogs and Goodfellas. It`s wild, fresh, stylish and frequently funny. It's brilliant, gripping, compelling and electrifying. Gangster films… More

  • Dan S


    A sharply written, funny, violent look at the British crime scene where a middleman (Daniel Craig) wants desperately out of the trade, with one last job on his mind. A somewhat of a cliche plot structure is executed with style and offers enough surprises to keep it interesting, with… More

  • Universal D


    Daniel Craig in one of his pre-Bond efforts, wherein a large shipment of drugs gone missing is the object of mucho consternation. Colm Meaney and Michael Gambon aid in ratching up the drama, but not enough to cause tension as is intended unfortunately. Still not a complete bore.

  • Chris W


    Borrowing some cast members, genre, structure, and some style from his friend and collaborator Guy Ritchie, Layer Cake marked the directorial debut of Matthew Vaughn. Based on the novel of the same name (and scripted by that boo's author), this is the story of a successful… More

  • Phil H


    Along with Guy Ritchie, Matthew Vaughn is the probably the second biggest director from the UK at the moment with some huge films under his belt, he is also the British gangster film maker of our modern age along with Mr Ritchie having made 'Lock Stock' and… More

Read all 20 featured audience ratings

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Cast

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Trailers & Clips