Best American Remake of a Non-English Movie
An American remake of a great foreign language film into an English version makes a lot of sense. Sharing a great story with as wide an audience as possible is always a good idea. These remakes are often done with the full resources of Hollywood with bigger stars and larger budgets. Despite this, these adaptations face the same issues that most sequels and remakes have when compared to the original.
Which of these select American remakes* is by comparison the most worthy of the foreign non-English language original? * IMDb rated 6.0+ (as of July 2017)
Take the companion poll: Worst American Remake Non-English Movie
Discuss the topic here.
Which of these select American remakes* is by comparison the most worthy of the foreign non-English language original? * IMDb rated 6.0+ (as of July 2017)
Take the companion poll: Worst American Remake Non-English Movie
Discuss the topic here.
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- DirectorTerry GilliamStarsBruce WillisMadeleine StoweBrad PittIn a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet.La Jettée (1962) from France in French
- DirectorMartin ScorseseStarsLeonardo DiCaprioMatt DamonJack NicholsonAn undercover cop and a mole in the police attempt to identify each other while infiltrating an Irish gang in South Boston.Infernal Affairs (2002) from Hong Kong in Catonese
- DirectorBilly WilderStarsMarilyn MonroeTony CurtisJack LemmonAfter two male musicians witness a mob hit, they flee the state in an all-female band disguised as women, but further complications set in.Fanfare d'Amour (1935) from France in French
- DirectorDavid FincherStarsDaniel CraigRooney MaraChristopher PlummerJournalist Mikael Blomkvist is aided in his search for a woman who has been missing for 40 years by young computer hacker Lisbeth Salander.Män som Hatar Kvinnor (2009) from Sweden in Swedish
- DirectorMartin BrestStarsAl PacinoChris O'DonnellJames RebhornA prep school student needing money agrees to "babysit" a blind man, but the job is not at all what he anticipated.Porfumo di donna (1974) from Italy in Italian
- DirectorGore VerbinskiStarsNaomi WattsMartin HendersonBrian CoxA journalist must investigate a mysterious videotape which seems to cause the death of anyone one week to the day after they view it.Ringu (1998) from Japan in Japanese
- DirectorRobert WiseStarsJulie AndrewsChristopher PlummerEleanor ParkerA young novice is sent by her convent in 1930s Austria to become a governess to the seven children of a widowed naval officer.Die Trapp-Famile (1956) from West Germany in German
- DirectorGareth EdwardsStarsAaron Taylor-JohnsonElizabeth OlsenBryan CranstonThe world is beset by the appearance of monstrous creatures, but one of them may be the only one who can save humanity.Gojira (1954) from Japan in Japanese
- DirectorJames CameronStarsArnold SchwarzeneggerJamie Lee CurtisTom ArnoldA fearless, globe-trotting, terrorist-battling secret agent has his life turned upside down when he discovers his wife might be having an affair with a used-car salesman while terrorists smuggle nuclear war heads into the United States.Le Totale (1991) from France in French
- DirectorChristopher NolanStarsAl PacinoRobin WilliamsHilary SwankTwo Los Angeles homicide detectives are dispatched to a northern town where the sun doesn't set to investigate the methodical murder of a local teen.Insomnia (1997) from Norway in Nowegian
- DirectorJohn SturgesStarsYul BrynnerSteve McQueenCharles BronsonSeven gunfighters are hired by Mexican peasants to liberate their village from oppressive bandits.Shichinin no Saurai (1954) from Japan in Japanese
- DirectorMatt ReevesStarsKodi Smit-McPheeChloë Grace MoretzRichard JenkinsA bullied young boy befriends a young female vampire who lives in secrecy with her guardian.Lât den RätteKomma in (2008) from Sweden in Swedish
- DirectorJim SheridanStarsJake GyllenhaalNatalie PortmanTobey MaguireWhile on tour in Afghanistan, Sam's helicopter is shot down and he is presumed dead. Back home, it is his screw-up brother who looks after the family. Sam does return, but with a lot of excess baggage.Brødre (2004) from Denmark in Danish
- DirectorNancy MeyersStarsLindsay LohanDennis QuaidNatasha RichardsonIdentical twins Annie and Hallie, separated at birth and each raised by one of their biological parents, discover each other for the first time at summer camp and make a plan to bring their wayward parents back together.Das doppelte Lottchen (1950) from West Germany in German
* Parent Trap (1961) 1st American remake - DirectorPaul HaggisStarsRussell CroweElizabeth BanksLiam NeesonA married couple's life is turned upside down when the wife is accused of a murder.Pour Elle (2008) from France in French
- DirectorJohn MaddenStarsHelen MirrenSam WorthingtonTom WilkinsonIn 1965, three Mossad Agents cross into East Berlin to apprehend a notorious Nazi war criminal. Thirty years later, the secrets the Agents share come back to haunt them.The Debt (2007) from Israel in Hebrew
- DirectorAnthony MinghellaStarsMatt DamonGwyneth PaltrowJude LawIn late 1950s New York, a young underachiever named Tom Ripley is sent to Italy to retrieve Dickie Greenleaf, a rich and spoiled millionaire playboy. But when the errand fails, Ripley takes extreme measures.Plein Soleil (1960) from France in French
- DirectorSteven SoderberghStarsGeorge ClooneyNatascha McElhoneUlrich TukurA troubled psychologist is sent to investigate the crew of an isolated research station orbiting a bizarre planet.Solyaris (1972) from the Soviet Union in Russian
- DirectorAndrew DavisStarsKevin CostnerAshton KutcherSela WardA high school swim champion with a troubled past enrolls in the U.S. Coast Guard's "A" School, where legendary rescue swimmer Ben Randall teaches him some hard lessons about loss, love, and self-sacrifice.Umizaro (2004) from Japan in Japanese
- DirectorCameron CroweStarsTom CruisePenélope CruzCameron DiazA self-indulgent and vain publishing magnate finds his privileged life upended after a vehicular accident with a resentful lover.Abre los ojos (1997) from Spain in Spanish
- DirectorMike NicholsStarsRobin WilliamsNathan LaneGene HackmanA gay cabaret owner and his drag queen companion agree to put up a false straight front so that their son can introduce them to his fiancée's right-wing moralistic parents.Le Cage aux Follies (1978) from France in French
- DirectorBaltasar KormákurStarsMark WahlbergGiovanni RibisiKate BeckinsaleTo protect his brother-in-law from a drug lord, a former smuggler heads to Panama to score millions of dollars in counterfeit bills.Reykjavik-Rotterdam (2008) from Iceland in Icelandic
- DirectorMichael HanekeStarsNaomi WattsTim RothMichael PittTwo psychopathic young men take a family hostage in their cabin.Haneke: Funny Games (1997) from Austria in German
- DirectorBrad SilberlingStarsNicolas CageMeg RyanAndre BraugherAn angel on Earth, a doctor unable to believe, a patient with a secret, a love story made in Heaven.Der Himmel über Berlin (1987) from West Germany in German
- DirectorDennis IliadisStarsGarret DillahuntMonica PotterTony GoldwynAfter kidnapping and brutally assaulting two young women, a gang unknowingly finds refuge at a vacation home belonging to the parents of one of the victims: a mother and father who devise an increasingly gruesome series of revenge tactics.Jungfrukällan (1960) from Sweden in Swedish
* Last House on Left (1972) 1st American remake - DirectorAlejandro AgrestiStarsKeanu ReevesSandra BullockChristopher PlummerA lonely doctor who once occupied an unusual lakeside house begins to exchange love letters with its former resident, a frustrated architect. They must try to unravel the mystery behind their extraordinary romance before it's too late.Siworae (2000) from South Korea in Korean
- DirectorJohn BadhamStarsBridget FondaGabriel ByrneDermot MulroneyA government fakes the death of a criminal to turn this young woman into a killer on its service.Nikita (1990) from France in French
- DirectorScott HicksStarsCatherine Zeta-JonesAaron EckhartAbigail BreslinThe life of a top chef changes when she becomes the guardian of her young niece.Bella Martha (2001) from Germany in German
- DirectorJay RoachStarsSteve CarellPaul RuddStephanie SzostakAfter he finds out that his work superiors host a dinner celebrating the idiocy of their special guests, a rising executive questions the merits of his invitation just as he befriends a man who would be the perfect guest.Le Diner de Cons (1998) from France in French
- DirectorJosef RusnakStarsCraig BierkoGretchen MolArmin Mueller-StahlA computer scientist running a virtual reality simulation of 1937 becomes the primary suspect when his colleague and mentor is murdered.Welt am Draht (1973) from West Germany in German
- DirectorRupert SandersStarsScarlett JohanssonPilou AsbækTakeshi KitanoIn the near future, Major Mira Killian is the first of her kind: A human saved from a terrible crash, who is cyber-enhanced to be a perfect soldier devoted to stopping the world's most dangerous criminals.Kôkaku Kidôtai (1995) from Japan in Japanese
Added 11 February 2018 - DirectorGuy RitchieStarsJason StathamHolt McCallanyJosh HartnettA mysteriously stoic character is hired as a security guard by a cash truck company responsible for transporting a lot of money around Los Angeles each week.Le convoyeur (2004) from France in French
Added 10 February 2023 - DirectorMarc ForsterStarsTom HanksMariana TreviñoRachel KellerOtto is a grump who's given up on life following the loss of his wife and wants to end it all. When a young family moves in nearby, he meets his match in quick-witted Marisol, leading to a friendship that will turn his world around.En man som heter Ove (2015) from Sweden in Swedish, Persian and Spanish.
Added 10 February 2023 - DirectorTay GarnettStarsLana TurnerJohn GarfieldCecil KellawayA married woman and a drifter fall in love and then plot to murder her husband.Le Dernier Tournant (1939) from France in French
Added 10 February 2023 - DirectorBlake EdwardsStarsJulie AndrewsJames GarnerRobert PrestonA struggling female soprano in 1934 Paris finally finds work after posing as a female impersonator, but it complicates her personal life when a visiting Chicago gangster finds himself inexplicably attracted to the seemingly male performer.Another American Remake of a Non-English Film Not Listed
(Victor/Victoria (1982) USA and Victor and Victoria (1933) GER as the pictured paired example)
Added 10 February 2023