Layer Cake (15)

Starring: Daniel Craig, Kenneth Cranham, Dexter Fletcher, Jamie Foreman and Michael Gambon

Welcome to the Layer Cake, where there are no 'codes' or Mafia-type respect and the dealer must struggle through many levels to get further in, or further out of the game.

Daniel Craig plays a dealer whose name is one of his most closely guarded secrets. His reason? He's seen many names added to the list of deaths due to the layer cake and is reluctant to see his added to the ever-growing list. Aided by his friend / business partner, Morty, he is out for the easy money, whilst trying not to become too involved.

Things become difficult for them when the big boss, a man by the name of Jimmy Price, assigns them the task of locating the rich daughter of one of his childhood friends. Add in a million stolen ecstasy tablets, an assassin who predicts every twist and turn Craig's character makes, and a police informer hidden somewhere along the way, and it soon becomes obvious that this job may take more than just a few days.

This film makes a refreshing change from its American counterparts. For one, the plot is (slightly) more believable. Then, there's the unforgettable chase through a warehouse...which is something only the British could come up with. Instead of having a fast paced car chase along the motorway, the British magically know every exit from a warehouse, manage to outrun and outwit several dozen police officers (who turn out to be decoys) and make an escape along the canal in a motorised rubber dinghy.

At one point, when Morty meets an old “friend”, or, more specifically, starts to beat the living daylights of him, the camera angle changes so that it appears that we are the ones suffering the attack.

Overall, though the film appeared shocking in places, I feel that it does justice to the British film industry and goes to show that you don’t need a crazy, jazzed up plot to entertain people.