Layer Cake (dvd)

Parcel deliveries have improved in London in recent years

We Brits seem to be adept at churning out rom-coms with bumbling aristocratic wannabes and gangster romps with bunging East End thugs. As you probably know Layer Cake falls into the latter category with a drugs deal going wrong, various links in the chain yadda yadda yadda.

This would be a poor example of the genre if it weren't for Daniel Craig's punchy and pacy narrative and a superb and innovative (Christmas present buyers, note) sountrack that includes a favourite composer of mine: Craig Armstrong of Plunkett & Macleane and Moulin Rouge fame.

The idea of this 'layer cake' of different parties and levels of seniority and complexity would be a fantastic premise for the film if only it were executed well. As it is it's a rather a pedestrian exploration rather than the grand reveal the premise deserves.

It's not a bad film but doesn't do well on the 'so what?' test particularly after the slightly contrived and very deliberate two fingers to Hollywood climax.