LAYER CAKE by J.J. Connolly

Finished Th 4/11/19

Streamed the Netflix film, 'LAYER CAKE'-

From a customer review of the movie:

"The title "LAYER CAKE" refers to the layers or levels anyone in business goes through in rising to the top. What is revealed is a modern underworld where the rules have changed. There are no 'codes', or 'families' and respect lasts as long as a line. Not knowing who he can trust, he has to use all his 'savvy', 'telling' and skills which make him one of the best, to escape his own."

The book and the movie are about 'business'-  It's 'The Art of Being a Middleman'. A successful business man is all about arranging and using connections. This is how deals are created.

Much is made of loyalty and trust, and therein lies the rub. All of your friends and business connections may turn on you at any moment, because you are not aware of all of their possible deals and relationships.

The book is a first person account of a mid level player in London's gangster scene. He doesn't reveal his name: "If I told you my name you'd be as clever as me".

The crew gets word of a huge shipment of ecstasy pills from the Netherlands by a crew of crazies. These are possibly worth millions, but they were stolen from an even crazier mob.

The crew's boss is Mr. Jimmy Price. He's an upper level mobster and later we find that he's an informant for the police. His only reason is 'the money'. There is no real trust or loyalty because it all boils down to 'the money'- regardless of the deal, connection, or the relationship.

When the boss learns that Price has turned he executes him. He uses a gun that one of his co-conspirators had used on a murder many years ago. This guy almost beats the boss to death when he learns that he murdered Mr. Price. But, all is right again when he hears the disc of Mr. Price ratting out the crew to the police.

Tammy is a girl that the boss seems to love. This is the girlfriend of one of the bosses of 'the crazies' nephew. This crew is foolish in that the purposely draw attention to themselves. They drive around in a bright yellow Range Rover and make a big splash in clubs and discos.

Mr. Price's opposite number is Mr. Ryder (Mr. Temple in the movie; why'd they have to change the name?). This is the man who delivers the disc to the boss. Mr. Ryder wants the pills to give to the Japanese Yakuza. He's going to give it away so that he can gain their favor in future deals.

The movie is one of the best adaptations of a novel that I've ever seen. Daniel Craig is perfect as 'the man with no name'.

Before I finished the movie I ordered the sequel to the novel on Amazon.