For many years, the general American exposure to foreign films has been limited. If you were lucky, there was an art-house cinema in your town, and you kept a list of everything nominated for a Best Foreign Film Oscar. But Hollywood’s solution to that was to just remake the film in English, sure that Americans weren’t going to read subtitles.
With the advent of streaming services that have made international film and TV readily available, and the realization that, yes, we are perfectly capable of enjoying media with subtitles (hello, Parasite, Money Heist, Squid Game, etc.), a whole new world has opened up to American audiences. But there are quite a few American films you might not have even known were remakes of foreign films. So if you liked the American version (or even if you didn’t), the originals are definitely worth seeking out!
The Ladykillers (1955)
This 1955 black comedy has a superstar cast headlined by Alec Guinness, Herbert Lom, and Peter Sellers as a band of criminals who rent a flat from an unsuspecting landlady with the goal of pulling off a security van heist. The thieves pose as a string quartet and tell themselves that they’re embarking upon a victimless crime, but pretty soon the victims begin to pile up. The 2004 Coen Brothers-directed remake starred Tom Hanks, Marlon Wayans, and J.K. Simmons, but it couldn't pull off the dark charm of the original, and is largely considered to be one of the Coens’ weaker efforts.
Goodnight Mommy (2014)
The Austrian original, from 2014, is an ice-cold psychological thriller about slightly creepy twin boys who start to suspect that their mother, heavily bandaged while recovering from facial surgery, might not actually be their mother. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg in this dread-infused shocker, which does not shy away from body horror. The 2022 remake starring Naomi Watts gained plaudits for her acting, but overall was deemed an unnecessary and weaker version of the Austrian film.
Dark Water (2002)
The short story that the 2002 Japanese film was based on was written by Koji Suzuki, who also wrote the novel Ringu, so a wild ride is already promised. The plot hinges on a single mother and her young daughter moving into an unsavory apartment with a mysterious leak in the ceiling that just might have a sinister supernatural explanation, and it makes for a sinister ghost story ramped up by the fear of losing a child. The 2005 remake starred Jennifer Connelly and John C. Reilly, but the final verdict? Not as scary as its inspiration.
L’appartement/Wicker Park (1996)
Flashbacks, missed connections, and a Single White Female vibe will keep you guessing in this romantic French thriller from 1996 starring Vincent Cassel, Monica Bellucci, and Romane Bohringer. A Midsummer Night’s Dream is heavily referenced as Vincent Cassel’s Max struggles with his love for three women, dipping in between fantasy and reality with disastrous consequences, or maybe not? The 2004 remake, Wicker Park, starred Josh Hartnett, Diane Kruger, and Rose Byrne, but big names couldn’t save a film that went through years of production and cast changes, and the translation of the complex plot was garbled and unbelievable.
La Jetêe/12 Monkeys (1962)
Let’s talk now about a remake that really worked! French short La Jetée clocks in at 28 minutes, but it packs a hell of a punch. It’s a time travel film mostly made of still black-and-white photos, and what starts off in the confusion of a post-nuclear Paris ends with a devastating clarity as the plot threads come together. Terry Gilliam’s 1996 12 Monkeys expanded the idea to feature length, and brilliantly. Instead of nuclear war, the apocalyptic catalyst is a virus, and Bruce Willis portrays the main character struggling to make sense of dreams that increasingly seem like memories. Brad Pitt has a standout role as a mental patient who might hold the key to the mystery. Short or feature length, both of these films are well worth your time.
Brothers (2004)
The emotional Danish drama of 2004 centers on the family of an army officer who goes missing in Afghanistan and is presumed dead. A moment of grief-tinged romance occurs between the officer’s wife and younger brother, but it turns out that the officer is still alive, and has been through a hellish experience as a captive, making his return to the family less than joyous. Jim Sheridan’s 2009 remake starred Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire, and Natalie Portman and got solid reviews for the performances of the cast, but perhaps focused too much on the melodrama of the possible romance than the impact of post-traumatic stress and the ethics of war than the original.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2009)
The 2005 novel, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, by Stieg Larsson, was a global bestseller for the Swedish writer (who sadly did not live to see the success of his posthumously published trilogy). The Swedish film came out first, in 2009, starring the excellent Noomi Rapace and Michael Nyqvist (who has also since passed away). In 2011, the American version of the first novel was released, directed by David Fincher and starring Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig. The remake, and Mara’s interpretation in particular, are self-consciously darker and more emotionally removed than the Swedish version, but both films were well-received by critics. But if you are a Noomi Rapace fan, you’re in luck, because she appears as Lisbeth Salander in the entire trilogy of films (rounded out by The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest).
Open Your Eyes (Abre los ojos)/Vanilla Sky (1997)
Eduardo Noriega and Penélope Cruz co-starred in this complex, genre-crossing Spanish film from 1997 that blended science fiction with psychological thriller. Dreams, reality, and cryonics merge and overlap for a movie that was really unlike anything else being released at the time. The Cameron Crowe-directed remake of 2001 was renamed Vanilla Sky and starred Tom Cruise, with Penélope Cruz reprising the role she played in the original. Unfortunately, a lot was lost in the translation, and left viewers with too much to analyze and interpret on their own. Check out the original!
Spoorloos/The Vanishing (1988)
This 1988 Dutch thriller is based on a novella called The Golden Egg, and tells the story of a man whose girlfriend vanishes without a trace during a road trip. He never gets over the loss, but after years of fruitless searching, he meets a man who confesses to his role in her kidnapping, and says he will reveal what happened to the woman, with a few caveats. The film’s final scene is one of the most chilling endings you will ever see, and it was released to critical acclaim. The director, George Sluizer, did the 1993 American remake with Jeff Bridges and Keifer Sutherland, changing not only the ending but the feel of the entire film. Salon, in fact, named it the worst remake of all time. Definitely stick to the Dutch version; you won’t be sorry.
El secreto de sus ojos/Secret in Their Eyes (2009)
The always-excellent Ricardo Darín starred in the 2009 Argetinian crime film El secreto de sus ojos, playing Espósito, a judiciary agent investigating a rape and murder in the 1970s. A series of twists and turns result in the identification but also eventual escape and disappearance of the killer. Espósito’s life is derailed, and 20 years later he is still trying to find out the truth, leading to a shocking dénouement. The 2015 remake starred Chiwetel Ejiofor (and extra star-power from Julia Roberts and Nicole Kidman), but ultimately fell far short. Writer Manuel Betancour called it "a textbook example of what often gets lost in translation when foreign films are translated for American audiences."
Nine Queens/Criminal (2000)
Like the last entry, Nine Queens is an Argentinian film starring Ricardo Darín. Made in 2000, it’s a twisty thriller packed with puzzles about two conmen out to dupe a wealthy stamp collector with a set of counterfeits. The debut director Fabían Bielinsky swept that years Silver Condor awards (the Argentinian equivalent of the Oscars), but refused a number of offers from Hollywood to direct an American remake himself, preferring to start fresh with a new story. Tragically, Bielinsky died after directing only one more film. The 2004 American adaptation starred John C. Reilly, Diego Luna, and Maggie Gyllenhaal, and definitely holds up as a decent remake, but there is something indefinably sassy, smart, and stylish about the original that is not to be missed.
Shall We Dance? (1996)
Charming is the perfect word for this 1996 romantic comedy from Japan about a depressed salaryman whose outwardly successful life (nice home, lovely wife and daughter) leaves him unfulfilled. He develops a crush on a woman he sees in a dance studio on his way home from work, and finding that she is a renowned ballroom dancer, he resolves to take lessons from her while hiding it from his family, friends, and colleagues. Before long, though, it is ballroom dancing that he’s in love with, which causes complications of its own. It’s a subtle, sweet movie about learning to express yourself. The 2004 remake boasts a cast that includes Richard Gere, Jennifer Lopez, and Susan Sarandon, which could easily have sent it into an entirely different direction, but despite its obvious big budget gloss, it does maintain the spirit of the original. If you enjoyed the remake, you’ll probably feel the same about the first one.
Suspiria (1977)
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Chances are, if you saw Luca Guadagnino’s 2018 Suspiria, you were aware of the 1977 Italian original directed by horror legend Dario Argento. But in case you weren’t, it’s wild and garish, stylish and shocking, set in a prestigious European ballet school that just happens to have been established by a coven of witches. With its roots in fairytales and the occult, splashed with technicolor gore, it’s the cult classic of cult classics, and arguably one of the most influential horror films of all time. So even though the remake starred Tilda Swinton as the school’s artistic director, it had a steep hill to climb, one it never quite reached the top of. Instead of a straight remake, Guadagnino made some distinct changes, like a muted color palette and a historical-political setting that doesn’t really add anything in the context of the film. As a stand-alone film, the remake is not without its merits, but for a film buff, the original is where it’s at.
Les Diaboliques/Diabolique (1955)
It might be a little surprising that a 1955 French film still has the ability to send chills down a viewer’s spine, but Les Diaboliques is just as shocking today as it was then. Legend has it that director Henri-Ģeorges Clouzot snagged the screenplay rights to the novel its based on before Hitchcock could get his hands on them, and you can see why he wanted them. The cruel headmaster of a boarding school psychologically tortures his frail wife, and physically abuses his mistress, both women teachers at the school. They decide to join forces against him and concoct a plan to rid themselves of him forever, but nothing goes according to plan, with a number of clever jump scares along the way to the surprising ending. The Sharon Stone/Isabel Adjani remake? It’s best to just skip it.
Bangkok Dangerous (1999)
Add another entry to the curious list of directors remaking their own films: the Pang Brothers helmed both the 1999 Thai original and the 2008 remake with Nicolas Cage. The sleek and violent Thai version follows a deaf-mute assassin, Kong, who carries out his hits with the help of a stripper who rides on his back. Kong’s world is bleak and nihilistic, but a chance meeting with a kindly pharmacist changes his outlook. The American remake makes the deaf-mute not the hitman, but the sweet pharmacist, thus drastically changing the whole thrust of the film. Result? It was a bad idea, and you’re advised to skip the remake altogether.
Ringu/The Ring (1998)
The 1998 film Ringu spawned not only a Japanese film franchise, but started a global interest in J-horror. Based on Koji Suzuki’s novel, the plot follows the spread of an urban legend regarding a mysterious VHS tape with some creepy, disconnected scenes on it. The legend, stipulating viewers will receive a warning phone call with a curse that they’ll die in seven days, seems to be true. The combination of technology, a little bit of moral panic, and a terrifying folk tale was utterly unlike the film’s contemporaries, and it’s easy to see why an American remake followed close on its heels. Naomi Watts’ performance and an atmospheric Pacific Northwest setting can’t quite recreate the magic of the original, but it was probably the best of the American J-horror remakes.
The Wicker Man (1973)
Without subtitles to overcome, it’s a puzzle why Hollywood felt the need to remake this venerable 1973 British horror film in 2006. The original had it all: a missing child, a mysterious island, dancing pagans, human sacrifice, and Christopher Lee. It’s definitely campy, but also genuinely terrifying, while the remake with Nicolas Cage never makes it out of camp territory. Definitely seek out the '70s version.
Insomnia (1997)
Stellan Skarsgård’s detective in this atmospheric 1997 Norwegian thriller is in the worst possible place for an insomniac to be investigating a murder: the Arctic Circle. Things go from bad to worse when he accidentally shoots his partner. Was it his lack of sleep? The fog? Did the murderer see him? Christopher Nolan set his 2002 version starring Al Pacino in Alaska, so the crucial element of the midnight sun is still there. It’s a highly regarded remake, co-starring a villainous Robin Williams, that even received kudos from the Norwegian director, Erik Skoldbærg.
Let the RIght One In/Let Me In (2008)
This 2008 Swedish horror film took every vampire convention there was and turned it on its head, resulting in a film that managed to be incredibly dark yet refreshing at the same time. Based on a novel of the same name, it’s about the relationship between a lonely bullied boy and the young girl next door who turns out not to be such a young girl. It’s grim and unsettling and gory, but also tender and romantic, with standout performances from the young stars. Chloë Grace Moretz and Kodi Smit-McPhee took over the roles for the 2010 American remake, Let Me In. It was a huge hit, praised for staying true to the spirit of the original but still managing to be a great horror film in its own right. Both are definitely worth a watch.
Oldboy (2003)
What can you say about Park Chan-wook’s 2003 neo-noir thriller that hasn’t been said before? It’s a violent, brutal affair about the perils of revenge (part of Park’s excellent Vengeance Trilogy), combining mystery, stylish action scenes, and an ending that doesn’t make anything easy for the audience. Choi Min-sik is sensational as the confused and tortured Oh Dae-su, inexplicably held captive for fifteen years with no idea why or at whose behest. The 2013 American version saw Spike Lee directing Josh Brolin in a watered-down melodrama that can’t match the raw vitality of the original. The South Korean thriller is the way to go, and while you’re at it, add Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance and Sympathy for Lady Vengeance to complete the viewing experience.
Infernal Affairs/The Departed (2002)
Starring Andy Lau and Tony Leung Chiu-wai, this 2002 Hong Kong thriller is a cat and mouse game for the ages. Lau and Leung play a police inspector and a gangster, respectively, but unbeknownst to each other initially, Lau’s inspector is a spy from the triad, and Leung’s gangster is an undercover cop. The two pace around each other in ever-tightening circles, an action mimicked by the police and triads as violence explodes around them. It’s a breathless action film with surprising emotional complexity, and star-making turns from Lau and Leung. You’d be forgiven for not knowing that The Departed is a remake of Infernal Affairs, because even though Martin Scorcese won his one and only Best Director Oscar for the 2006 film, this fact kind of fell by the wayside. To be fair, Scorcese put a different spin on his version, setting the scene with the Irish-American mafia, with Jack Nicholson as a Whitey Bulger-inspired mob boss. The Departed is considered one of Scorcese’s best films, but you won’t be sorry for giving Infernal Affairs a watch if you haven’t already.