Remakes get a bad rap, and frankly it’s sometimes deserved. At their worst, remakes can be pointless exercises in flattening an interesting film into something broader and less singular. Whether it’s a shot-for-shot remake like Gus Van Sant’s notorious “Psycho” redux or a misguided switch up like the execrable 2012 “Total Recall,” many remakes offer nothing of value.
These issues are often only magnified when an American director decides to put their own spin on a film that originated from outside the states. From overly sentimental mush like “CODA” or “The Upside” to dismal J-horror remakes like “Apartment 1303 3D” (remember that? No we didn’t either) to Will Ferrell starring in a broad comedic take on “Force Majeure” called “Downhill,” these international remakes often have nothing to offer compared to their originator except for putting the story in English. It brings to mind Bong Joon-ho’s famous quote about the “one-inch tall barrier of subtitles,” as 90 percent of the time your just better off finding the original.
And yet, for all of the bad remakes out there, there are some that more than justify their existence. Some rare ones even go beyond that and actually have a decent case for being superior to the original. The good remakes bring something new to the table — an indelible performance, a new wrinkle in the story — to distinguish them from the original.
But the greatest add a distinctly American perspective — a milieu, a vibe — that makes the story feel different, even if the beats play the same. With “Speak No Evil,” an American take on the 2022 Danish horror film, out in theaters now, IndieWire is taking a look at the American remakes that deserve appreciation. To qualify for the list, we excluded certain films that are based on the same source material of a foreign film (see David Fincher’s “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” which is different enough from the 2009 Swedish adaptation of the original novel that it never feels like a straight-up remake).
With that said, read on for 10 of the greatest American remakes of foreign films..
