10 Best British Gangster Movies Ever

9. Layer Cake (2004)

Layer Cake is a movie you should watch solely for it starring a number of talents who, merely a few years later, all became household names. The directorial debut of Matthew Vaughn (Kick-Ass, X-Men: First Class, Kingsman: The Secret Service) is widely accepted to be the movie that won lead Daniel Craig the role of James Bond, and even watching the film today, it's easy to see why.

Craig is terrific as a man credited only as "XXXX", one of London's biggest cocaine suppliers who, of course, wants to quit the grind after funding a better life for himself.

It's not the most original premise, sure, but thanks to Craig's thoroughly engaging work, a wily script from the novel's author himself J. J. Connolly, superb musical choices - especially Duran Duran's "Ordinary World" during a memorable punch-up - and a stacked supporting cast, this is an absolute corker.

And in case you forgot - as you understandably probably did - a young-ish Tom Hardy also appears in a supporting role as Craig's drug cook, and Sally Hawkins is almost unrecognisable as an Uzi-totting, foul-mouthed chav. It deserves to be seen.