Stars: Marlon Brando, Sal Marquez, Renato Salvatori

Director: Gillo Pontecorvo

Summary: Manipulative English mercenary Sir William Walker is posted to a Portuguese colony in the Caribbean. Once there he uses his skills to engineer a slave revolt as part of his calculated plans for the English to seize control of the colony.

Manipulative English mercenary Sir William Walker (Marlon Brando) is posted to a Portuguese colony in the Caribbean. Once there he uses his skills to engineer a slave revolt as part of his calculated plans for the English to seize control of the colony.

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As its title suggests, Layer Cakeis a crime thriller that cuts into several levels of its treacherous criminal underworld. The title is actually one character's definition of the drug-trade hierarchy, but it's also an apt metaphor for the separate layers of deception, death, and betrayal experienced by the film's unnamed protagonist, a cocaine traffic middle-man played with smooth appeal by Daniel Craig (whom you probably don't need reminding is the latest James Bond). Listed in the credits only as "XXXX," the character is trapped into doing a favor for his volatile boss, only to have tables turned by his boss's boss (Michael Gambon) in a twisting plot involving a stolen shipment of Ecstasy, a missing girl, duplicitous dealers, murderous Serbian gangsters, and a variety of lowlifes with their own deadly agendas. As adapted by J.J. Connolly (from his own novel) and directed by Matthew Vaughan (who earned his genre chops as producer of Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrelsand Snatch), Layer Cakeimproves upon those earlier British gangland hits with assured pacing, intelligent plotting, and an admirable emphasis on plot-moving dialogue over routine action. Sure, it's violent (that's to be expected) and not always involving, but it's smarter than most thrillers, and Vaughan's directorial debut has a confident style that's flashy without being flamboyant. This could be the start of an impressive career. --Jeff Shannon

Aspect Ratio:	Full Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 0
Year:	1969
Release Date:	September 27, 2004
Runtime:	113 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	H S C 10087
Keywords:	English, Burn, Drama, Historical
Genre:	Drama