“Layer Cake” is Matthew Vaughn’s directorial debut.  He was Guy Ritchie’s producer on “Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels”,  “Snatch” and “Swept Away” and when Ritchie (who wrote the screenplay) decided not to direct “Layer Cake” Vaughn stepped in.

It’s a gangster movie which starring Daniel Craig, Michael Gambon, Dexter Fletcher, Tom Hardy, Colm Meaney, Jamie Foreman, and Sienna Miller

Layer Cake, a metaphor for the many murky layers of the criminal world, is set in modern day London and features smooth-talking and sophisticated drug dealer “X” whose plan is to quietly bank-roll enough cash to retire young (early). Operating under the polished veneer of a legitimate businessman, his mantra is to keep a low profile and run a tight operation until it’s time to get out.

“X” sees his opportunity to make a final score when crime boss, Jimmy Price, asks him to find the wayward daughter of rival crime boss, Eddy Ryder. He agrees to take the seemingly innocuous gig as his opportunity to get out of the business with the blessing from Jimmy Price. From the glitz of the London club scene to the underbelly of its criminal world, a dark, twisted thriller ensues.

When a seemingly straight-forward drug deal goes awry, “X” realises he has to break his die-hard rules and turn up the heat, not only to outwit the old regime and come out on top but to save his own skin.  The film is released in the UK on September 10th.

The score was written by Lisa Gerrard and Ilan Eshkeri and features strings over beats, keyboards and guitars, plus horns and trombones.

Andy Brown was Musical Director and Steve McLaughlin was engineering / producing at the sessions at Abbey Road Studio 2.  Scoring took place over 2 sessions; LMO providing strings, horns and trombones.