Gangsters and aliens and hippies, oh my!

Oh how the British know the makings for a good gangster flick. "Layer Cake" is the directorial debut of film producer Matthew Vaughn, whose previous claims to fame were the Guy Ritchie films "Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels," and "Snatch." While "Layer Cake" follows in the footsteps of the former two, combining comedy with gritty gangster violence and language, it is ultimately a more straightforward and mature gangster film, which promises a bright future for Vaughn.\nThe film tells the story of a fairly small-time cocaine dealer, Mr. X, played wonderfully by Daniel Craig ("Road to Perdition," "Enduring Love"). It is apparent from the get-go that X does not consider himself a gangster, but rather a businessman just trying to make it in the world. His plan in the beginning of the movie is to finish his one last job, cash in his million-dollar check and end his days as a drug runner. His plans change.\nAfter Craig is summoned to find a missing girl, the daughter of a very important mob boss Eddie Temple (Michael Gambon), he is drawn into a wild game of confusion where nothing seems to go his way. Along the way he attempts to buy and then sell off one million pills of E, fends off a determined Serbian assassin and even has some time for the woman of his dreams (Sienna Miller).\nAs X slowly gets drawn into the center of the mess that seems to be growing around him, we see how much he wants out, but also how much he wants in. Whether or not "Layer Cake" is a film that proves crime doesn't pay is up to you. \nLike "Snatch," and "Lock, Stock," there are enough twists and turns to warrant future viewings, and there is a certain level of dark British humor mixed in (take for example the imbecile character Duke, played wonderfully by Jamie Foreman). The British dialogue is raw and gritty, with some scenes/characters in need of a subtitle line, and the story (based off a book by the same name) is more interesting than the majority of so called "gangster films" released in the U.S.\nThe DVD surprisingly totes some nice special features that include a handful of deleted scenes, some fun, others not, two alternate endings (both very short and uneventful), a behind-the-scenes featurette about the film and a funny and insightful commentary track by Vaughn and Craig. \n"Layer Cake" had a limited release in the U.S., despite critical acclaim, and should not be missed if you are a fan of the genre. Oftentimes the film mimics "Snatch" other times it is more serious, taking cues from previous British gangster films like "The Long Good Friday" or "I'll Sleep When I'm Dead."\nThe film shows that Daniel Craig has the chops and the style to be the next James Bond (rumors are flying that he is in the pool) and Matthew Vaughn is already making himself known (he was the original choice to direct the next X-Men movie) and will surely be making his way up the Hollywood 'layer cake.'