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Movies that feel like Layer Cake (2004)

If you loved Layer Cake, the closest films we have are We Own the Night (2007), Collateral (2004) and Lord of War (2005). All three share Layer Cake's contemplative and tense feel, which is what we rank on before quality. 8 of the 12 picks below are included with a subscription right now on Sundance Now, Paramount Plus Premium and Paramount Plus Essential and others, checked against today's data.

When a seemingly straight-forward drug deal goes awry, XXXX 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...

πŸ… 81% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.2 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Matthew Vaughncontemplativetensegritty

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If Layer Cake hit the spot, these will too

We Own the Night poster
We Own the Night
2007 Β· dir. James Gray
πŸ… 57%β˜… 6.8drama Β· crime Β· thriller

The same two preoccupations: gangster, and cocaine

A New York nightclub manager tries to save his brother and father from Russian mafia hitmen.

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Collateral poster
Collateral
2004 Β· dir. Michael Mann
πŸ… 86%β˜… 7.5drama Β· crime Β· thriller

Hitman is the engine of both

Cab driver Max picks up a man who offers him $600 to drive him around. But the promise of easy money sours when Max realizes his fare is an assassin.

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Lord of War poster
Lord of War
2005 Β· dir. Andrew Niccol
πŸ… 62%β˜… 7.6crime Β· drama Β· thriller

Cocaine sits at the heart of each

Yuri Orlov is a globetrotting arms dealer and, through some of the deadliest war zones, he struggles to stay one step ahead of a relentless Interpol agent, his business rivals and even some of his customers who include many of the world's most notorious dictators. Finally, he must also face his own conscience.

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Sleepers poster
Sleepers
1996 Β· dir. Barry Levinson
πŸ… 76%β˜… 7.5crime Β· drama Β· thriller

The same preoccupation in both: gangster

Two gangsters seek revenge on the state jail worker who during their stay at a youth prison sexually abused them. A sensational court hearing takes place to charge him for the crimes.

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The Departed poster
The Departed
2006 Β· dir. Martin Scorsese
πŸ… 91%β˜… 8.5drama Β· thriller Β· crime

Contemplative where it counts, tense underneath

To take down South Boston's Irish Mafia, the police send in one of their own to infiltrate the underworld, not realizing the syndicate has done likewise. While an undercover cop curries favor with the mob kingpin, a career criminal rises through the police ranks. But both sides soon discover there's a mole among them.

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A History of Violence poster
A History of Violence
2005 Β· dir. David Cronenberg
πŸ… 88%β˜… 7.4drama Β· thriller Β· crime

Drama built on grit, twice over

An average family is thrust into the spotlight after the father commits a seemingly self-defense murder at his diner.

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The Town poster
The Town
2010 Β· dir. Ben Affleck
πŸ… 92%β˜… 7.5crime Β· drama Β· thriller

Both trade on stillness more than on being thriller

A proficient group of thieves rob a bank and hold the manager hostage. Things begin to get complicated when one of the crew members falls in love with her.

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Memories of Murder poster
Memories of Murder
2003 Β· dir. Bong Joon Ho
β˜… 8.1crime Β· drama Β· thriller

Both keep circling back to murder

A sadistic serial rapist and murderer of young women terrorizes a small province in 1980s South Korea. To prevent further crimes, three increasingly desperate detectives with conflicting methods race against time to unravel the violent mind of the killer in a futile effort to solve the case.

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Red Rock West poster
Red Rock West
1993 Β· dir. John Dahl
πŸ… 95%β˜… 7crime Β· drama Β· thriller

Both built around hitman

When a promised job for Texan Michael fails to materialize in Wyoming, Mike is mistaken by Wayne to be the hitman he hired to kill his unfaithful wife, Suzanne. Mike takes full advantage of the situation, collects the money, and runs. During his getaway, things go wrong, and soon get worse when he runs into the real hitman, Lyle.

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Law Abiding Citizen poster
Law Abiding Citizen
2009 Β· dir. F. Gary Gray
πŸ… 26%β˜… 7.4drama Β· crime Β· thriller

Crime with a pulse of tension, in both cases

The difference: Reviewed a good deal more coolly

A frustrated man decides to take justice into his own hands after a plea bargain sets one of his family's killers free. He targets not only the killer but also the district attorney and others involved in the deal.

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Primal Fear poster
Primal Fear
1996 Β· dir. Gregory Hoblit
πŸ… 77%β˜… 7.7crime Β· drama Β· thriller

Gritty drama in both cases

Defense attorney Martin Vail takes on jobs for money and prestige rather than any sense of the greater good. His latest case involves an altar boy, accused of brutally murdering the archbishop of Chicago. Vail finds himself up against his ex-pupil and ex-lover, but as the case progresses and the Church's dark secrets are revealed, Vail finds that what appeared a simple case takes on a darker, more dangerous aspect.

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The Mule poster
The Mule
2018 Β· dir. Clint Eastwood
πŸ… 69%β˜… 7crime Β· drama Β· thriller

Drug mule sits at the heart of each

Earl Stone, a man in his eighties, is broke, alone, and facing foreclosure of his business when he is offered a job that simply requires him to drive. Easy enough, but, unbeknownst to Earl, he's just signed on as a drug courier for a Mexican cartel. He does so well that his cargo increases exponentially, and Earl hit the radar of hard-charging DEA agent Colin Bates.

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In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Layer Cake's defining feeling.