Best Movie Remakes?

[El Presidente]

Best movie remakes? 

I love few things more than a weekend midday movie matinee. 

I think most of us would have watched De Niro's "Cape Fear".  I am not sure many have seen Gregory Pecks verison (1962). If you haven't, track it down as it is an absolute cracker of a movie

 

https://collider.com/robert-de-niro-robert-mitchum-cape-fear/

In 1991, Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro teamed up for one of their many iconic collaborations and one of Scorsese's only outright thrillers: Cape Fear. The film stars De Niro as Max Cady, a violent criminal recently released from prison and set on reckoning with his former lawyer, who he believes threw the case. Nick Nolte portrays Samuel Bowden, the attorney who comes face to face with Cady and has his family life thrown into chaos by this vengeful figure from his past. De Niro delivers a terrifying, animalistic performance as Cady, and it highlights one of the greatest strengths of this film: it is a remake with its own distinctive sense of tone and style.

The original Cape Fear was released in 1962, directed by J. Lee Thompson, starring Gregory Peck as Bowden and Robert Mitchum as Cady. The film was an adaptation of a novel, The Executioners, by John D. MacDonald. The book and the original film all follow the same loose story, but each has enough variation that the experience feels fresh across both adaptations. One of the most notable differences is the characterization and ultimate fate of Max Cady, as Mitchum's is far more reserved but just as effective as De Niro's.

De Niro's Cady is an outright homicidal maniac, and the role stands in stark contrast to how Mitchum slipped into the character. Mitchum plays Cady with a much more snakelike quality—he is not frightening or unusual in appearance, and he is incredibly charming in a specific and smug way that only reveals his ulterior motives to those who he knows can do nothing about it. Mitchum portrays Cady similarly to how he portrays Preacher Harry Powell, the disarming and slick antagonist of Charles Laughton's Night of the Hunter. Both characters are con men who can smooth-talk their way out of accountability and into places where they can cause more harm.

 

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Cape Fear to my mind is an example where the remake truly honours the original. 

Are there other examples that come to mind? 

[Mr. DD]

The Thing (1982), a remake of 1951's The Thing (From Outer Space).  (It was re-made again in 2011 but wasn't very good.)

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Thing_(1982_film)#Sequels

[JohnS]

The best movie remakes are the ones whereby you wouldn't even contemplate that there was an original made. Consider these below:

• Ben-Hur (1959) - originally a 1925 silent film
• The Wizard of Oz (1039) - originally a 1925 silent film
• Scarface (1983) - originally a 1932 film
• 12 Monkeys (1996) - originally a 1962 French short film
• Casino Royale (2006) - a completely different re-take on the 1967 spoof comedy
• Insomnia (2002) - originally a 1998 Norwegian film
• The Fly (1986) - originally a 1958 film
• Dawn of the Dead (2004) - a remake of the original 1978 film
• The Departed (2006) - a remake of a 2002 Hong Kong film
• Ocean's Eleven (2001) - a remake of the 1960 original starring the 'Rat Pack'
• Let Me In (2010) - a remake of a 2008 Swedish film

Of course, there's many more one could add here. I must add a caveat though. There are some films one should never remake (though some have tried). For example, 1942's Casablanca can not be improved upon, nor should anyone even contemplate remaking 1941's Citizen Kane.

And what about the film that has been remade the most times? Would that be Akira Kurosawa's 1954 classic, 'The Seven Samurai'? (The Magnificent Seven, A Bug's Life anyone?)

[Chibearsv]

I loved the Coen brothers version of True Grit

[BigGuns]

@JohnS provided a stout list already.  I'll add The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) to it

[Lucas Buck]

11 hours ago, Chibearsv said:

I loved the Coen brothers version of True Grit

Love this film so much. Huge improvement on the original which was no mean feat! I love the Duke but Jeff Bridges knocks it out of the park as Rooster Cogburn. 

[CaptainQuintero]

Lord of The Rings is a pretty strong contender 

[riderpride]

Ocean's 11 is a decent one, but The Hills Have Eyes was awesome. A nod to The Thing and Dawn of the Dead as mentioned previously.

Cheers!

 

[GJZDAD]

Another vote for Scarface, with some Cuban connect because, why not. The Pacino version was to be filmed in on location in Miami. But when the Cuban-American community got a whiff of the storyline they raised hell. Most of the filming was then relocated to California. 
 

[Capn_Jackson]

The Thing, with Kurt Russell.

Scent of a Woman (remake of an Italian film).

A Star is Born (the most recent one was tough, but great).

Cape Fear (although the Robert Mitchum one is also a favorite).

True Grit.

3:10 to Yuma.

Father of the Bride (maybe my favorite of these).

A Perfect Murder is also pretty good.

[MrBirdman]

11 hours ago, Chibearsv said:

I loved the Coen brothers version of True Grit

This is one of the most underrated movies of the 21st century. 

[Li Bai]

Not much to add, really great movies were mentioned above but I'd say Dune 👍

I'm not a big fan of Denis Villeneuve's use of colors but his Dunes are definitely an improvement, although David Lynch can't be blamed for his version.

[Capn_Jackson]

19 hours ago, MrBirdman said:

This is one of the most underrated movies of the 21st century. 

And takes place near my hometown. It was interesting to see Fort Smith depicted in a modern Western.

[Habanoschris]

On 8/14/2025 at 7:00 AM, Chibearsv said:

I loved the Coen brothers version of True Grit

While not a remake, this made me think of the Cohen brothers film, 'No Country for Old Men' and a 70s movie called Charley Varrick. If you watch Charley Varrick it's hard not to believe that No Country was a bit derivative of it/influenced or inspired by it.  

[Chibearsv]

8 hours ago, Habanoschris said:

While not a remake, this made me think of the Cohen brothers film, 'No Country for Old Men' and a 70s movie called Charley Varrick. If you watch Charley Varrick it's hard not to believe that No Country was a bit derivative of it/influenced or inspired by it. 

I’ll have to check that out. 

[chasy]

On 8/14/2025 at 7:21 AM, BigGuns said:

@JohnS provided a stout list already.  I'll add The Thomas Crown Affair (1999) to it

Came here to say this.

[El Niño]

DUNE

[SigmundChurchill]

Heaven Can Wait  (remake of Here comes Mr Jordan)

The Warren Beatty re-make was great.

 

The Chris Rock re-make of the Warren Beatty re-make sucked though.

[MrBirdman]

5 hours ago, Capn_Jackson said:

And takes place near my hometown. It was interesting to see Fort Smith depicted in a modern Western

The book is an American classic too - absolutely anyone can read and will enjoy it. Both it and the movie are meticulously researched too (Judge Parker for instance is a historical figure). I highly recommend it to everyone (great beach read before summer ends), especially if you have a connection to the setting.

[Ford2112]

King Kong with Jeff Bridges.

Batman with Heath Ledger.

Godzilla.  All of them except that crap in 98.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Bram Stokers Dracula. 

Definitely the Fly.

 

 

 

[Habanoschris]

18 hours ago, Chibearsv said:

I’ll have to check that out. 

Also found in the movie is a line, "go to work on you with a pair of pliers & a blow torch".  - I think Tarantino used that line. 

[Capn_Jackson]

5 hours ago, MrBirdman said:

Judge Parker for instance is a historical figure

I used to visit the courthouse and gallows regularly. A staple in Ft Smith. Judge Parker history all over there

[Chibearsv]

10 hours ago, Ford2112 said:

King Kong with Jeff Bridges.

Don’t you mean Jessica Lange? Kong had moves like Bond. 🤣

[Ford2112]

Hahaha, she was hot.

[rcarlson]

The Postman Always Rings Twice.