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The British gangster films Get Carter and The Long Good Friday were built on hard-boiled characters caught in situations that pushed their code of honor. Layer Cake (the title has more to do with fecal matter than with baked goods) aspires to that model, but it’s drawn more to the stylized contrivance that made Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels a hit — no surprise given that director Matthew Vaughan produced Barrels. A nameless middleman (Daniel Craig) cuts drug deals between various London crime syndicates. He’s a good-looking bloke adroit at navigating among businessmen, thugs, and sociopaths. He also wants out, but of course there's one final job, and the attendant onslaught of babes, thugs, treachery, and clichés. Many plot turns are obvious, despite the filmmaker’s smugness; others just drop. Gritty? Yes, but only half-baked. The intriguing ensemble cast includes Colm Meaney and Michael Gambon. (104 minutes)
BY TOM MEEK
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