Here’s the new UK poster for Robert Pattinson’s Bel Ami. The poster is pretty boring and doesn’t to what we’ve seen from the film but does feature the man from everyone’s favourite vampire movie, Twilight!

The film is helmed by Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod and as well as Pattinson stars Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Christina Ricci, and the fabulous Colm Meaney who I will always remember as Chief O’Brien in Star Trek: The Next Generation or the fighting guy in Far Away!

Bel Ami is the story of Georges Duroy (Pattinson), who travels through 1890s Paris, from cockroach ridden garrets to opulent salons, using his wits and powers of seduction to rise from poverty to wealth, from a prostitute’s embrace to passionate trysts with wealthy beauties, in a world where politics and media jostle for influence, where sex is power and celebrity an obsession.

Source: LoveFilm

Robert Pattinson may have been at Comic Con promoting Twilight: Breaking Dawn yesterday (watch the footage here) but tonight it’s all about his new movie, Bel Ami which has just had it’s first trailer released. You might remember we put up some images for the movie a little while ago and now, Protagonist Pictures have released this first trailer.

The film is helmed by Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod and as well as Pattinson stars Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Christina Ricci, and the fabulous Colm Meaney who I will always remember as Chief O’Brien in Star Trek: The Next Generation or the fighting guy in Far Away!

Bel Ami is the story of Georges Duroy (Pattinson), who travels through 1890s Paris, from cockroach ridden garrets to opulent salons, using his wits and powers of seduction to rise from poverty to wealth, from a prostitute’s embrace to passionate trysts with wealthy beauties, in a world where politics and media jostle for influence, where sex is power and celebrity an obsession.

Source: MSN

On 14th April 1865, John Wilkes Booth walked up behind Abraham Lincoln in his box at Ford’s Theatre and shot him. As this film’s tagline testifies however, although one man shot Lincoln, more than one man killed him. Booth and his accomplices were pursued and for the most part found and arrested, though Booth himself was shot rather than being brought in to stand trial. Booth and many of his co-conspirators met on occasion before the assassination at a guest house owned and run by Mary Surratt (Robin Wright). Her son John is nowhere to be found and so she is tried by a military court as a conspirator in the assassination. Frederick Aiken (James McAvoy), a lawyer and soldier who fought for the Union in the US Civil War is assigned to Mary’s defence and despite his initial reluctance to defend her, eventually comes to see the unconstitutional manner in which the trial is being conducted and resolves to defend Mary to the best of his ability.

*****

Despite the seemingly hint-laden title, this film is not really about conspiracies or outlandish conspiracy theories at all. There are none of the JFK-style attempts to peel back the layers of corruption and complicity, rather a fairly straight telling of an altogether compelling story about justice, the rule of law and the US constitution, with a clear and no doubt utterly intentional resonance with recent events in relation to terror-suspects, Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. As the conflicted defence attorney, James McAvoy does an excellent job of transitioning through the gears from disgust and indifference, through vehemence and indignation to desperation and even heroism. He quickly realises that whatever Mary Surratt might or might not be guilty of, she deserves but is patently not receiving a fair trial. His antipathy towards her grows convincingly into staunch advocacy for her rights, picking holes in contradictory and unconvincing prosecution evidence, despite his objections and best efforts being thwarted at every turn by the ridiculously biased (but no doubt historically accurate) David Hunter, who presided over the trial of a civilian in full military regalia.

At one point, driven incandescent with frustration at the injustice of the proceedings, Aiken bellows at the court, “it’s not enough is it?” Every witness has been cajoled, threatened and intimidated, every objection by him dismissed, every objection by the prosecutor upheld. It is to McAvoy’s credit that it does not feel like an explosion out of nothing, rather a simmering fury that builds to the point of eruption.

Kevin Kline and Tom Wilkinson make welcome appearances as Secretary of War Edwin Stanton and US Senator Reverdy Johnson respectively, butting heads constantly over the importance of a fair trial versus the crucial point of maintaining the peace and the fragile integrity of the only-just United States. As Stanton says (and with particular post-9/11 resonance), “the world has changed”, to which Johnson retorts, “but the Constitution must not be sacrificed”. Director Robert Redford subtly, but deftly draws attention to the manifold ways in which civil liberties and constitutional principles have been sacrificed on the altar of the “war on terror” and how our desperation to preserve our way of life can cause us to cast aside some of our hitherto most cherished principles. Stanton is not cast as the villain of the piece by any means – the film wisely portrays its various characters in realistic shades of grey – showing him instead to be a desperate and driven man, but not a malevolent one, merely as conflicted and flawed as any of us.

As the many excellent features show, a lot of care and thought has gone into recreating the era of the trial, with lighting, street scenes, clothing and cityscapes all thoroughly up to scratch. Redford was clearly operating on a modest budget, but the film never looks or feels cheap or half-baked. Instead, something fascinating, informative, intellectually stimulating and politically relevant and resonant has been crafted and it is a considerable shame that the film found less of an audience ($11.5m in the US to date against a $25m budget) and received less of a warm critical reception when it first hit the screens (at least here in the UK) that it seems to have deserved.

Despite the grand, sweeping themes, the running time is relatively tight, coming in at just under two hours (though a few more minutes off that would have helped the film feel a little brisker) and as alluded to earlier, the parallels drawn within James D Solomon and Gregory Bernstein’s script between the events portrayed and those of the past decade are tactfully handled rather than being hammered home.

This is well worth a watch and perhaps is better suited to and will find more of a home on the small(er) screen. You can buy it on DVD or Bluray here.

****~ (4/5)

Extras:

• Short featurettes by the American Film Society titled “Witness History” on everything from production design, to the defendant’s Catholic beliefs, costume design, props, military trials and a couple of the main characters from the story. Informative.
• Making Of Documentary with contributions from Robert Redford. Brief but interesting
• Director’s Commentary. At times Redford has much to say about the quality of the cast, the apparent ease with which British actors find US accents and the challenges of creating an authentic period feel for the film. At other times he falls silent for minutes at a time when it would be nice to hear a bit more from him. Perhaps a two- or three-hander would have helped fill that empty space a little?
• Photo Gallery

**½~~ (2.5/5)

Additional Bluray Extras (not available for review)

• Picture-in-Picture commentary
• Plot to kill Lincoln documentary
• Theatrical Trailer

We put up a trailer for Robert Pattinson’s new movie, Bel Ami a little while back and unfortunately, even though it was a completely clean copy, it had leaked and we were asked to remove it. I am pleased to tell you that the movie looked rather promising and I’m sure we’ll get to place it online again in the not too distant future! In the meantime, here’s a batch of new images for the movie which show Robert Pattinson with rather a lot of different women!

Bel Ami is helmed by Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod and as well as Pattinson stars Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Christina Ricci, and the fabulous Colm Meaney.

Bel Ami is the story of Georges Duroy (Pattinson), who travels through 1890s Paris, from cockroach ridden garrets to opulent salons, using his wits and powers of seduction to rise from poverty to wealth, from a prostitute’s embrace to passionate trysts with wealthy beauties, in a world where politics and media jostle for influence, where sex is power and celebrity an obsession.

No release date as yet but we’ll keep you posted.

Source: MovieLine

With Twilight entering its, ahem, twilight Robert Pattinson’s future career will no doubt be of great interest to the millions of die hard fans of the vampire series, and these new pictures from Bel Ami should sate the desire to see more of Mr P.

As well as starring alongside Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz in Water for Elephants, Pattinson will play Georges Duroy in an adaptation of Guy de Maupassant’s Bel Ami, adapted by Rachel Bennette and directed by Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod.

This will be Donellan and Ormerod’s feature debut after extensive work in the theatre and a short film The Big Fish in 1992, and they have drawn together an impressive cast including Kristin Scott Thomas, Christina Ricci, Uma Thurman, Colm Meaney and Philip Glenister. The film is currently in post production with no release dates set so far, but these pics look very promising.

The Playlist pointed us thiswaywards.

Here’s our first look at Ray Winstone’s next, The Hot Potato, a London based gangster yarn featuring Colm Meaney, Jack Huston,David Harewood Phil Davis, Derren Nesbitt, Lois Winstone, Maike Billitis, and Jean Louis Sbille.

So far we’ve seen some nice artwork for the film and the presence of Ray Winstone pretty much guarantees we’ll be on board for this one. The film is shooting now in Belgium and the UK under the direction of Tim Lewiston who also wrote the film.

Before the main course, perhaps you would care for a synopsis as an entrée?

London’s East End 1969. Based on real events. Two chancers ‘find’ a lump of Uranium and crisscross Europe to find a buyer. Accompanied by Danny’s girl, the lovely Carole. They encounter a diverse cast of bizarre characters, all trying to steal the ‘Hot Potato’, but a deal agreed inside the Vatican has the co-conspirators confounding each other. The story twists and turns to an exciting and unexpected finale.

Click it.

Wardour Pictures have been in touch to give us the first look at the new poster from their latest movie, The Hot Potato. As well as the first image, they’ve also given us a heads up of the cast in the new movie.

The cast will include Ray Winstone, Colm Meaney, Jack Huston,David Harewood, John lynch, Phil Davis, Derren Nesbitt, Lois Winstone, Maike Billitis, Jean Louis Sbille and as far as I’m aware, her first movie for Louise Redknapp. It’s directed by Tim Lewiston and is due for release in 2011.

I placed the fill press release below the poster.

Casting is now announced on a new British comedy crime caper

RAY WINSTONE, Colm Meaney, Jack Huston,

DAVID HAREWOOD, John lynch, PHIL DAVIS, Derren Nesbitt, Lois Winstone, Maike Billitis, JEAN LOUIS SBILLE and
Louise Redknapp star in
‘THE HOT POTATO’
Filming on location in Belgium and the UK from 27th September

October 2010: Ray Winstone (‘The Departed’, ‘Edge of Darkness’), Colm Meaney (‘Con Air’, ‘Damned United’) and Jack Huston (‘Eclipse’, ‘Outlander’) star in Tim Lewiston’s new British comedy-thriller ‘THE HOT POTATO’, based on real events that took place at the end of the 1960s.  They are joined by David Harewood (‘Blood Diamond’), John Lynch (‘Sliding Doors’), Phil Davis (‘Vera Drake’, ‘Another Year’), Derren Nesbitt (‘Where Eagles Dare’), Lois Winstone (‘Tamara Drewe’), German actress Maike Bilitis, Belgian writer and performer Jean Louis Sbille and, playing Ray Winstone’s young wife, a newcomer to the big screen, singer, model and TV presenter, Louise Redknapp. Principal photography began on 27th September and THE HOT POTATO is being filmed over seven weeks on location in Belgium and the UK.

London. The East End. 1969. One evening, a government research establishment explodes; an event that eventually leads to our heroes, Kenny (Ray Winstone) and Danny (Jack Huston), being in possession of a large lump of Uranium, The Hot Potato, plunging them into the threat of possible radioactive contamination!

With nothing to lose and few options available, Kenny and Danny decide to investigate the value of the ‘potato’ and, to their surprise, find that there is seemingly no end of people willing to pay a high price for it. With this knowledge, Kenny and Danny – ably assisted by Danny’s girlfriend, the beautiful and surprising Carole (Lois Winstone) and shadowed at every turn by the unshakable Harry Fisher (Colm Meaney), right-hand-man of local criminal big-shots – launch themselves on an increasingly dangerous and comedic adventure, in which they meet a diverse cast of colourful characters, all desperate to buy. As offer and counter-offer give way to double and triple cross, the story twists and turns on the way to the exciting and unexpected finale. But who wins and who loses? And what happens to THE HOT POTATO?

THE HOT POTATO is directed, written and produced by Tim Lewiston and produced by Alan Latham, Robert How, Novak Productions SCRL, uFilm sprl and Wardour Pictures Plc. David Rich Jones is the co-producer. Sonita Gale is the associate producer. Executive producer is Anthony Townson.

THE HOT POTATO marks Tim Lewiston’s directorial debut, after more than 40 films over 38 years working in the industry. “It’s wonderfully exciting to embark on my very own first feature. It’s a great story and I am thrilled to have the opportunity to tell it with such a dream cast of international talent,” admits the first-time director. “As Orson Welles remarked, this is the biggest electric train set a boy ever had!”

THE HOT POTATO is a Wardour Pictures Production, a Tim Lewiston film in association with uFilm and LipSync Post Production. Locomotive Group will handle all worldwide sales for The Hot Potato.

Here’s a movie you may not have heard of before, it’s the new movie called The Hot Potato and we’ve been given a heads up from Wardour Pictures that the cast is confirmed to include Ray Winstone, Louise Redknapp, Jack Huston, Lois Winstone, Delroy Lindo and Colm Meaney.

Synopsis: London’s East End 1969. Based on real events. Two chancers ‘find’ a lump of Uranium and crisscross Europe to find a buyer. Accompanied by Danny’s girl, the lovely Carole. They encounter a diverse cast of bizarre characters, all trying to steal the ‘Hot Potato’, but a deal agreed inside the Vatican has the co-conspirators confounding each other. The story twists and turns to an exciting and unexpected finale.

The Hot Potato is directed by Tim Lewiston and filming is hoping to start at the at the end of September this year. You can find out more from the film on their Facebook page here, they’re twitter here and the film’s offiial website here.

Who would have thought that a supporting character from 2008′s Forgetting Sarah Marshall would not only return, but jump from supporting to main character 2 years later.

Reprising the role that threw him into the mainstream, Russell Brand is back as the incorrigible front man of Infant Sorrow, Aldous Snow.  Bringing with him, all the traits and nuances that made this character so classic in Forgetting Sarah Marshall, while also fleshing him out and telling a rather surprisingly good story to boot.

Get Him to the Greek follows record company lackey Adam Green as he tries his hardest to get Aldous Snow from London to the States in time for an anniversary concert at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles.  After suffering through critical backlash and dismal sales on his last album, Aldous throws seven years of sobriety out the window and goes on the mother of all benders.  In a brainstorming session with the record company suit, Green suggests the idea of an anniversary concert in order to drum up sales.  The idea is accepted and Adam is sent on his mission to bring Aldous to L.A. by using whatever means necessary.

Traveling from London, to New York with a side trip to Las Vegas and then finally to L.A., we get to follow Aldous and Adam through the zany exploits that could only happen to a rock star.

Get Him to the Greek was written and directed by Nicholas Stoller, who also directed Forgetting Sarah Marshall.  So there was no question on whether or not it was going to be funny.  But he ended up delivering a hilarious, endearing and quite frankly, quote worthy film. And I tend to judge a film, based on how many time I quote from it.  This one will rank right up there.

I’m a bit convinced that Russell Brand is actually Aldous Snow.  I can see him having that same personality and he seems so comfortable in the role, I don’t think it’s a stretch for him to play it.  Jonah Hill is back, albeit in a different role.  He doesn’t reprise the obsessed borderline-stalk-y fan that he portrayed in Forgetting Sarah Marshall.  Tasked with controlling the uncontrollable, Adam goes from enamored to disgruntled and as he witnesses the fall of his idol, you actually start to feel for him.

There was no doubt that these actors were going to be able to pull off their respective parts, but what surprised me the most was A) how much I actually ended up enjoying the film and B) that the subject matter took on a bit of a heavier tone that what I had anticipated.  The heavier tone didn’t detract from the film at all, and it’s wasn’t prevalent through the entire movie.  If anything, it added to the film as a whole. My only real disappointment was the fact that there were scenes shown in the trailers that didn’t make it to the final cut of the film. I really hate it when they do that.  But aside from that, I can’t complain.  I’m actually hoping these make it on an unrated or directors Blu-Ray cut.

There were little throw backs to Forgetting Sarah Marshall although sadly no mention was made of the Dracula Musical or Peter Bretter.  The film also stars Sean “P. Diddy” Combs as Sergio Roma, the suit that sends Adam on his quest.  I have to say that Sergio was a highlight for me.  I really didn’t expect P. Diddy to have the chops, but the boy can do comedy.  Kudos to him!  Colm Meaney stars as Jonathan Snow, Aldous’ estranged father.  I look at him and see Chief O’Brien from Star Trek: The Next Generation, so it’s funny to see him in a bit of an obnoxious, offensive role, but the two play well off of each other.

I didn’t really see expanding the role of Aldous Snow to pay off, but in the end, Get Him to the Greek is completely worth the time and money to go see.  If you like the R rated comedies of the Judd Apatow canon, this one will probably satisfy that craving.  It’s full of sex, drugs and rock n’ roll, just like Aldous Snow.

Get Him to the Greek is now playing in the US and opens in the UK on June 25th.

Fresh off the set of Twilight: Eclipse, Robert Pattinson has managed to land himself in a movie that is directed by Declan Donnellan and Nick Ormerod and has a great cast which includes Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas, Christina Ricci, Colm Meaney, Philip Glenister and Holliday Grainger.

I’ve embedded the images below which you can click to enlarge. I can’t claim to know too much about this movie but tell us what you think of Pattinson and Thurman in costume in the comments section below.

Wikipedia Info: Bel Ami is a novel published in 1885 by French author Guy de Maupassant telling the story of a journalist, Georges Duroy. The story chronicles Duroy’s corrupt rise to power from a poor ex-NCO to one of the most successful men in Paris, most of which he achieves by manipulating a series of powerful, intelligent, and wealthy mistresses.

Images from Collider.com

Universal’s companion piece to 2008′s Forgetting Sarah Marshall, Get Him to the Greek, has a new poster which does the job of explaining the film’s premise in case anyone was unsure.

The film sees Russell Brand reprising his role as Aldous Snow from Forgetting Sarah Marshall and new boy Jonah Hill (who has his perplexed look in every shot I’ve seen so far) as a music industry lackey who has to Get Him to a comeback concert. The conceit is that he’s a bit of a womanising egomaniac, so expect hilarity to ensue.

The red band trailer didn’t look all bad, and with Brand making waves in Hollywood (with a role in the forthcoming remake of Arthur) this one could lead the way for the US to take him into their trousers and arms like most of the people in the UK seem to.

The excellent people at Live For Films showed us the way with this one, thanks be.

Get Him to the Greek will reunite the tight-trousered oddball Russell Brand with his Forgetting Sarah Marshall director Nicholas Stoller (who is himself busy with the new Muppet Movie), to tell the story of a rock star with an ego the size of Belgium getting to a comeback gig.

Throw Jonah Hill in the mix this film starts to look like another hit for Universal. Russell Brand is an acquired taste, but has made quite a name for himself over the pond and while Aldous Snow is little more than an extension of Brand’s well known comedy persona there’s a glimmer in his eye that makes for interesting viewing.

The latest trailer to hit for this one in anticipation of its June 2010 release is a red band one, which in English is 18+ so those younger than that will have to click away now.

Still here? Good.

MySpace did the honours with this one, enter your birthday (real or fake – your call) to view the goodies.

Last week, a new trailer debuted for Get Him to the Greek and I somehow managed to miss this new poster that went along with it. Get Him to the Greek is the followup to Forgetting Sarah Marshall which I actually only saw recently and really enjoyed. Russell Brand returns in this movie as Aldous Snow and is accompanied by a cast which includes Rose Byrne, Colm Meaney, Jonah Hill, Elisabeth Moss and Sean Combs. Get Him to the Greek is slated for a summer release later this year.

Click the image (which was also debuted on Apple) above to enlarge.

Synopsis: Aaron Green (Hill) gets things done. The ambitious 24—year—old has been given a career—making assignment. His mission: Fly to London and escort a rock god to L.A.’s world famous Greek Theatre for the first—stop on a huge comeback tour. His record mogul boss, Sergio Roma (Sean Combs), gives him one warning: “The artist is the worst person on Earth. Turn your back on him at your own peril.” British rocker Aldous Snow (Brand) is a brilliant musician, but due to a bad break up and nose—diving career, has fallen off the wagon and is now a drunken disaster. Weary of “yes men” and scared he’s entered the “greatest hits” moment in his career, Snow’s in the midst of a nihilistic downward spiral. When he learns his true love, model/pop star Jackie Q (Rose Byrne), is in Los Angeles, Aldous makes it his quest to win her back…right before kick—starting his world domination. As the countdown to the concert begins, one innocent young man must navigate a minefield of London drug smuggles, New York City brawls and Vegas lap dances to deliver his charge safe and, sort of, sound… all while trying to remain faithful to his med student girlfriend (Elisabeth Moss). He may have to coax, lie to, enable and party with Aldous, but Aaron will get him to the Greek.

Picture it, summer, 2009 and I’m on my holiday in New York City. I’m walking down 5th Avenue to get stopped by someone with a badge of their shirt which says ‘Get Him to the Greek’. I have no idea what that is but they say to me “Come with us and we’ll make you a star”! Naturally, I followed the lovely lady to NBC Square in New York just outside Rockefeller Plaza where there are multiple camera rigs and an awful lot of other would be ‘stars’. Turns out I’m in a movie as an extra among hundreds, but a movie nonetheless! I filmed the whole experience and you can see it here.

Why am I telling you this bizarre story you may ask?! Well, I’ll tell you! The new trailer for ‘my’ movie, Get Him to the Greek has just been released via Apple. It’s the follow-up to the movie, to Forgetting Sarah Marshall and sees the return of Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) and other cast including Rose Byrne, Colm Meaney, Jonah Hill, Elisabeth Moss and Sean Combs. Get Him to the Greek is slated for a summer release later this year.

Synopsis: Aaron Green (Hill) gets things done. The ambitious 24—year—old has been given a career—making assignment. His mission: Fly to London and escort a rock god to L.A.’s world famous Greek Theatre for the first—stop on a huge comeback tour. His record mogul boss, Sergio Roma (Sean Combs), gives him one warning: “The artist is the worst person on Earth. Turn your back on him at your own peril.” British rocker Aldous Snow (Brand) is a brilliant musician, but due to a bad break up and nose—diving career, has fallen off the wagon and is now a drunken disaster. Weary of “yes men” and scared he’s entered the “greatest hits” moment in his career, Snow’s in the midst of a nihilistic downward spiral. When he learns his true love, model/pop star Jackie Q (Rose Byrne), is in Los Angeles, Aldous makes it his quest to win her back…right before kick—starting his world domination. As the countdown to the concert begins, one innocent young man must navigate a minefield of London drug smuggles, New York City brawls and Vegas lap dances to deliver his charge safe and, sort of, sound… all while trying to remain faithful to his med student girlfriend (Elisabeth Moss). He may have to coax, lie to, enable and party with Aldous, but Aaron will get him to the Greek.

If the thought of seeing Jonah Hill and Russell Brand running down a hallway is your idea of a good time then you’re in luck.

Get Him to the Greek follows Brand’s Forgetting Sarah Marshall character Adoulous Snow being escorted by a record company intern to his concert. Hi-jinx and hilarity will no doubt ensue allowing Brand and Hill to play nicely off each other.

While the premise may not sway you then the cast certainly will. Not counting gossip girl Katy Perry, there’s Rose Byrne, Elizabeth Moss and Colm Meaney adding support amidst celebrity cameos from Pink, Christina Aguilera and Metallica’s Lars Ulrich.

This image comes from IGN (via Collider), at least we know they’ll be running in the film.

The iTunes 99p rental. For many weeks now the bane of my existence, where once i looked with anticipation to discover what had been chosen, i now look with dread. Fatal Instinct, Surfer Dude, Starter For 10, just some of the rejects i’ve been subjected to.

Imagine my surprise, then, when i found that this week’s selection might actually be watchable. Let’s take a look, then, at Layer Cake.

Initially wanting to be an actor, Matthew Vaughn thought better of it, and began in the British film industry. Vaughn served as producer for several of friend Guy Ritchie’s mockney gangster flicks, including Lock, Stock… and Snatch. Watching Ritchie work, Vaughn clearly decided it was a better gig, directing. His first film would follow Ritchie’s in the British gangster genre.

Daniel Craig is XXXX, a terrible conceit, so i’ll refer to him as Craig. Craig is a business man. He has personal guidelines, wears a suit, and won’t deal directly with his end consumers. His business? Drug dealing.

Craig conducts himself in a professional manner, so is perturbed when crime boss Jimmy Price (Kenneth Cranham) orders him to buy drugs from an amateur, and sends him on a fool’s errand to track down a missing girl. Things go from bad to worse when it is revealed the seller, named The Duke (Jamie Foreman), stole the drugs from a group of ex-military Serbians, killing one in the process. Whilst trying to negotiate the purchase of the drugs, and looking over his shoulder for a Serbian hit man, Craig discovers the missing girl is daughter of rival gang boss Eddie Temple (Michael Gambon). Jimmy has set him up.

Craig takes care of Jimmy, but with a deal still to be done, and his life still at risk, he finds Eddie pulling him in a third direction. Craig was on the verge of retirement, but now has a job on his hands just staying alive.

It’s impossible to judge Layer Cake without reference to Ritchie’s work, so i’ll make use of the comparison. Whilst Snatch et al. feature working class style shady characters, Craig’s smart, intelligent well spoken business man is a breath of fresh air. He is a calm character, but when it all starts to go wrong he finds himself slowly being brought down to the level of the hard nosed villains and petty scumbags he has taken great pains to avoid. Craig’s is a surprisingly well rounded character. He doesn’t like guns, he isn’t a fighter, and he goes weak at the sight of a gorgeous woman. Then, when he is forced to get his hands dirty, he reluctantly does what is necessary, but suffers emotionally for it afterwards. As he tries to plan, and tie up loose ends, it doesn’t come together easily for him.

Layer Cake could easily have slid into predictability, but Vaughn keeps it fresh, with enough surprises along the way to keep you guessing. Where Ritchie introduces a myriad of characters, who don’t get resolution until the big bow at the end, Vaughn cleans up as he goes. Vaughn uses flashbacks in a similar way to Ritchie in Snatch, which here are distracting and feel out of place. There are some genuinely good moments here. The scene where Craig is given a gun by Gene (the excellent Colm Meaney) is simple, yet with some wonderfully nuanced acting, feels like it belongs in a truly great movie.

Little scenes like this scattered about hint at directorial greatness, and it’s only really the more comedic scenes which drag this movie down. The more outlandish characters detract from a serious movie that generally explores some very interesting themes. The main crux is the story of a man who thinks he can stay clean in a murky world. With his rules and manners, Craig thinks he is above the petty criminals that share his circles, but learns the hard way that easy money is a difficult thing to earn.

If you can forgive the somewhat anti-climatic resolution, which suffers a little from fuzzy logic and suspect motivations, Layer Cake is a very good film, with flashes of brilliance. Where Lock, Stock… and Snatch are knockabout light entertainment, Vaughn’s first feature contains some real depth, and many, well, Layers.

I’d been looking forward to Kick-Ass because of the concept and great source material. Now i have another reason, because i think Vaughn has the potential to be a truly great film maker.

Layer Cake is available on iTunes at the discounted rate until Monday Midnight 23rd November, and on DVD now. And is definitely worth watching if you haven’t already.

Bazmann – You can now follow me on Twitter at www.twitter.com/baz_mann

Here’s the new UK poster for Gerard Butler’s new movie, Law Abiding Citizen. The trailer for the movie came out recently and it looks like a great, gritty movie with a dark storyline. Jamie Foxx, Colm Meaney, Bruce McGill, and Leslie Bibb are also in the movie directed by F. Gary Gray. It’s out on the 27th November so not too long to wait now.

Synopsis: Law Abiding Citizen is a thriller about a brilliant sociopath who orchestrates a series of high-profile murders that grip the city of Philadelphia – all from inside his jail cell – and the prosecutor assigned to his case who realizes he is the only one who can end the reign of terror.

Click the poster to enlarge or check out the trailer here.

Source: Empire

***UPDATE*** – Here’s the other poster of release of Jamie Foxx. Click to enlarge.

A few days ago I added a new poster from Law Abiding Citizen. Today, we’ve got a new poster of Jamie Foxx (click to enlarge) and a trailer for the movie. From what I’ve just seen, it looks like it’s going to be a good’n! Watch it after the jump.

Synopsis: Law Abiding Citizen is a thriller about a brilliant sociopath who orchestrates a series of high-profile murders that grip the city of Philadelphia – all from inside his jail cell – and the prosecutor assigned to his case who realizes he is the only one who can end the reign of terror.