Layer Cake
Sony Pictures Classics | Release Date: May 13, 2005 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
73
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews
Positive:
24
Mixed:
6
Negative:
0
Watch Now
Stream On
Buy on
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Stream On
Expand

Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
100
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Fast, convulsive, and densely exciting new British gangster thriller. Read full review
88
Chicago TribuneAllison Benedikt
Don't let the fast-and-loose vibe fool you: Right up to its operatic finale, this is one tight one last job. Read full review
88
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
Craig is fascinating here as a criminal who is very smart, and finds that is not an advantage because while you might be able to figure out what another smart person is about to do, dumbos like the men he works for are likely to do anything. Read full review
88
Philadelphia InquirerSteven Rea
Things get a little tricky by the end, but it's the sort of trickery that's immensely satisfying. Read full review
88
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Doesn't reveal all its layers until you've taken the last bite. Read full review
80
The Hollywood ReporterRay Bennett
Smartly put together, with interesting characters and caustic wit. Read full review
80
VarietyLeslie Felperin
There's a proper lived-in believability about Layer Cake's depiction of how the worlds of the rich, the criminal and the criminally rich intersect. Read full review
80
The New York TimesManohla Dargis
The newest in British gangland entertainment and the tastiest in years. Read full review
80
TimeRichard Schickel
Layer Cake is a treat--especially if your taste in desserts is devil's food. Read full review
80
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
A colorful cast whose combined energy lifts the story off the ground. Read full review
80
Washington PostDesson Thomson
It's a stylish and classic gangster saga about the clashing of rival empires. Read full review
80
Washington PostStephen Hunter
The director Vaughn has a flair not merely for action and ambiance but also for character. Read full review
78
Austin ChronicleMarc Savlov
Layer Cake is suffused with a stately sense of menace and a sort of doomed existential suave. Read full review
75
USA TodayMike Clark
There's a lot here to feed crime-fiction enthusiasts. Read full review
75
New York PostKyle Smith
This is a smart, vivid, thrillingly real gangster picture that nevertheless resembles many others. Read full review
75
PremiereGlenn Kenny
It’s hilarious, and genuinely cool. Read full review
75
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Laced with flashbacks and stylistic tics, but it never loses its forward momentum, and to the last shot, it avoids predictability. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
A crime drama in a special class. Read full review
75
Baltimore SunMichael Sragow
Cheeky, brass-knuckles British crime film. Read full review
75
Miami HeraldPeter Debruge
It's like "Lock, Stock" as filtered through the mind of David Mamet, with Craig as the suave middleman holding it all together. Read full review
70
Film ThreatChris Barsanti
The writing is crisp and deeply layered, and the filmmakers gave themselves a rich array of actors to work with. Read full review
70
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
The always-dependable and chameleon-like Craig has the chops and substance for that kind of film, but Vaughn prefers to keep matters brisk and superficial. Read full review
70
Los Angeles TimesKevin Crust
A sleek, effective entertainment that is a refreshing respite from the slick emptiness of recent American crime dramas. Read full review
70
Dallas ObserverBill Gallo
By the end, you may be exhausted by the effort of trying to unravel the thing, but you may also be taken by the power of its spell. This is a movie that compels you to watch. Read full review
60
TV Guide MagazineMaitland McDonagh
The result is so intoxicating, it hardly matters that you've heard it all before. Read full review
58
Seattle Post-IntelligencerPaula Nechak
Craig's got the stuff but the ending of this cake is soggy for its protagonist and audience. Read full review
58
Portland OregonianShawn Levy
Lively, cheeky, dense and, ultimately, too flip, clever and torturously twisted to be fully engrossing. Read full review
50
Village VoiceMichael Atkinson
What's abundantly clear is how far this kind of moviemaking has come from any knowledge of real criminal life; it's a geek's ineffectual daydream of mayhem. Read full review
50
Boston GlobeWesley Morris
A lot of the problem is that the picture's protagonist is both naive and foul. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
One of those crime flicks besotted with its own plot. Read full review
More From This Movie

73 Critic Reviews

8.4 User Reviews

Details & Credits|Trailers

Current Movie Releases
By MetascoreBy User Score
1 81 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple
2 77 Project Hail Mary
3 75 Send Help
4 73 Hoppers
5 72 The Sheep Detectives
SEE ALL
Essential Links
New on Amazon Prime Video
New on Netflix
Coming Soon to DVD/Blu-ray
SEE ALL