Movies Like Layer Cake (2004)

Layer Cake is a 2004 crime, drama, thriller film from Matthew Vaughn with a MovieMagicScore of 6.9/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with American Gangster and Tough Enough.

Crime Drama Thriller

American Gangster

2007

Loosely based on the criminal career of Frank Lucas, a gangster from La Grange, North Carolina, who smuggled heroin into the United States on American service planes returning from the Vietnam War, before being detained by a task force led by Newark Detective Richie Roberts.

7.6

MagicScore

Tough Enough

2006

From the youth directed novel of the same name by Greogor Tressnow comes a film by Detlev Buck that is a realistic portrait of life in the section of Berlin called Neukölln. It’s about power and weakness, delinquents and victims, and the difficulties a 15-year-old faces in a poor and criminal environment.

6.8

MagicScore

Devil in a Blue Dress

1995

In late 1940s Los Angeles, Easy Rawlins is an unemployed black World War II veteran with few job prospects. At a bar, Easy meets DeWitt Albright, a mysterious white man looking for someone to investigate the disappearance of a missing white woman named Daphne Monet, who he suspects is hiding out in one of the city's black jazz clubs. Strapped for money and facing house payments, Easy takes the job, but soon finds himself in over his head.

6.5

MagicScore

The Silence of the Lambs

1991

Clarice Starling is a top student at the FBI's training academy. Jack Crawford wants Clarice to interview Dr. Hannibal Lecter, a brilliant psychiatrist who is also a violent psychopath, serving life behind bars for various acts of murder and cannibalism. Crawford believes that Lecter may have insight into a case and that Starling, as an attractive young woman, may be just the bait to draw him out.

8.3

MagicScore

The Moment

2026

A rising pop sensation navigates fame and industry pressures while preparing for her arena tour debut, revealing the transformation of underground culture into mainstream success.

6.4

MagicScore

Up in Smoke

1978

An unemployed pot-smoking slacker and amateur drummer, Anthony Stoner ditches his strict parents and hits the road, eventually meeting kindred spirit Pedro de Pacas. While the drug-ingesting duo is soon arrested for possession of marijuana, Anthony and Pedro get released on a technicality, allowing them to continue their many misadventures and ultimately compete in a rock band contest, where they perform the raucous tune "Earache My Eye."

6.6

MagicScore

Maria Full of Grace

2004

A pregnant Colombian teenager becomes a drug mule to make some desperately needed money for her family.

7.2

MagicScore

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi

2016

An American Ambassador is killed during an attack at a U.S. compound in Libya as a security team struggles to make sense out of the chaos.

7.3

MagicScore

Killing Them Softly

2012

Jackie Cogan is an enforcer hired to restore order after three dumb guys rob a Mob protected card game, causing the local criminal economy to collapse.

6.0

MagicScore

#10

The Border

1982

A corrupted border agent decides to clean up his act when an impoverished woman's baby is put up for sale on the black market.

6.1

MagicScore

#11

The Hit

1984

Ten years after ratting on his old mobster friends in exchange for personal immunity, two hit men drive a hardened criminal to Paris for his execution. However, while on the way, whatever can go wrong, does go wrong.

6.4

MagicScore

#12

Live and Let Die

1973

James Bond must investigate a mysterious murder case of a British agent in New Orleans. Soon he finds himself up against a gangster boss named Mr. Big.

6.5

MagicScore

#13

Speak No Evil

2022

A Danish family visits a Dutch family they met on a holiday. What was supposed to be an idyllic weekend slowly starts unraveling as the Danes try to stay polite in the face of unpleasantness.

6.7

MagicScore

#14

No Country for Old Men

2007

Llewelyn Moss stumbles upon dead bodies, $2 million and a hoard of heroin in a Texas desert, but methodical killer Anton Chigurh comes looking for it, with local sheriff Ed Tom Bell hot on his trail. The roles of prey and predator blur as the violent pursuit of money and justice collide.

7.9

MagicScore

#15

The French Connection

1971

Tough narcotics detective 'Popeye' Doyle is in hot pursuit of a suave French drug dealer who may be the key to a huge heroin-smuggling operation.

7.5

MagicScore

#16

Chiko

2008

This is the story of Isa, who grows up in a Hamburg suburb. It might be one of the world's richest cities but every beast has its belly and here, in the very underbelly, Chiko lives in a world where violence, staking and keeping a claim, and drug taking are the norm. Where down is not an option, Chiko is determined to rise to the top, whatever and whomever it costs.

6.3

MagicScore

#17

Carlito's Way

1993

Free after years in prison, Carlito Brigante intends to give up his criminal ways, but it's not long before the ex-con is sucked back into the New York City underworld. Reconnecting with his dancer girlfriend, Carlito gets entangled in the shady dealings of his friend Dave Kleinfeld, who also serves as his lawyer. An encounter with shifty gangster Benny Blanco sets the duo on a dangerous path.

7.8

MagicScore

#18

Fargo

1996

Jerry, a small-town Minnesota car salesman is bursting at the seams with debt... but he's got a plan. He's going to hire two thugs to kidnap his wife in a scheme to collect a hefty ransom from his wealthy father-in-law. It's going to be a snap and nobody's going to get hurt... until people start dying. Enter Police Chief Marge, a coffee-drinking, parka-wearing - and extremely pregnant - investigator who'll stop at nothing to get her man. And if you think her small-time investigative skills will give the crooks a run for their ransom... you betcha!

7.8

MagicScore

#19

Freestyle

2023

Trying to check out a recording from his debut album, a street rapper and his friend run into trouble when a major drug deal turns into a total disaster for them.

6.5

MagicScore

#20

Bad Boys II

2003

Detectives Marcus Burnett and Mike Lowrey of the Miami Narcotics Task Force are tasked with stopping the flow of the drug Ecstasy into Miami. They track the drugs to the whacked-out Cuban drug lord Johnny Tapia, who is also involved in a bloody war with Russian and Haitian mobsters. If that isn't bad enough, there's tension between the two detectives when Marcus discovers that playboy Mike is secretly romancing Marcus’ sister, Syd.

6.7

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Layer Cake?

The top films similar to Layer Cake by MovieMagicScore are American Gangster (7.6), Tough Enough (6.8), Devil in a Blue Dress (6.5). Each shares crime/drama/thriller themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Layer Cake worth watching?

Layer Cake holds a MovieMagicScore of 6.9/10 from 2,247 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Layer Cake?

Layer Cake (2004) is a crime, drama, thriller film directed by Matthew Vaughn, starring Daniel Craig, Sienna Miller, Tom Hardy.

Where can I find more recommendations like Layer Cake?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more crime recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like American Gangster Movies like Tough Enough Movies like Devil in a Blue Dress Movies like The Silence of the Lambs Movies like The Moment Movies like Up in Smoke

About movies like Layer Cake

This ranked list pairs Layer Cake (2004), a crime and drama and thriller film from Matthew Vaughn, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Daniel Craig take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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