There’s a good chance some of your favorite movies are actually remakes and you might not even know it. Sometimes they might be remakes of older Hollywood films, sometimes they might be remakes of foreign films, but some of the best movies of all time are based on previous works in one way or another. Here is our list of 32 great films are actually remakes.
Father of the Bride
The 1991 Steve Martin flick Father of the Bride is loved by millions who grew up with it as one of their go-to comedies. What might surprise you is that it’s a remake. The original, starring Spencer Tracy and Elizabeth Taylor marked a moment in Taylor’s career when she moved to playing adult roles. It’s also really good, having been nominated for multiple Oscars after its release in 1950.
Ben-Hur
Usually, you’d expect a movie released in the 1950s to be the one being remade, rather than being a remake itself, but one of the greatest movies in Hollywood history, 1959’s Ben-Hur, is actually a remake itself. The original, a silent movie released in 1925, was also a blockbuster, but it’s almost completely in the shadow of the Charlton Heston-led hit.
Cape Fear
Nick Nolte and Robert De Niro are fantastic in Martin Scorsese‘s Cape Fear from 1991. De Niro got jacked for the role and his performance is legendary. The movie itself is actually a remake of a 1962 movie that Gregory Peck in the Nolte role and Robert Mitchem as the psychopath Max Cady, played by De Niro in the remake. A fun bit of trivia is that both Peck and Mitchem appeared as different characters in the remake.
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels is one of the most quotable and timeless comedies of the 1980s. Michael Caine, Steve Martin, and Glenne Headly star in the movie about scheming con artists on the French Riviera. It’s also a remake of a movie starring David Niven, Marlon Brando, and Shirley Jones called Bedtime Story, released in 1964.
True Lies
1994’s True Lies was Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Cameron at the height of their collective powers. Tom Arnold is surprisingly great too. The original version of the story was released just three years earlier, a French comedy called La Totale! It doesn’t have the huge action sequences that True Lies has, but it is really funny.
Heat
Michael Mann‘s 1995 film Heat is one of the best heist movies ever made and marked the first time Robert De Niro and Al Pacino acted opposite each other in a movie (they were both in The Godfather II, but not together).
The Fly
If you grew up in the ’80s, there’s a good chance the 1986 film The Fly is one of the craziest movies you remember watching. The combo of Jeff Goldblum as the star and David Cronenberg as director makes for one wild ride of a horror movie. The visuals stick with you forever. Of course, the original, released in 1958, is also a classic of the sci-fi horror genre and should not be missed.
The Birdcage
The Birdcage was a massive hit upon its release in 1991. The Robin Williams and Nathan Lane-led film is considered a landmark movie in LQBTQ+ representation in film and was a remake of a wonderful French movie called La Cage aux Folles. La Cage aux Folles won a Golden Globe and was nominated for three Oscars after its release in 1978.
The Ring
The Ring was one of the scariest movies of the early 21st Century that benefited from a unique marketing campaign that in and of itself freaked people out. The Gore Verbinski-directed horror movie was a fantastic remake of a 1998 Japanese movie simply called Ring. Both are excellent.
Three Men And A Baby
Did you know that Three Men and a Baby was a remake? Like a lot of movies, it was based on an earlier French film. Trois hommes et un couffin, which translates to “Three Men and a Cradle,” was in 1985, two years before its American cousin. The French version was a hit in France and earned an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film.
The Thomas Crown Affair
It’s rare that remakes are actually better than the original, but one clear case is 1999’s The Thomas Crown Affair starring Pierce Brosnan and Renee Russo. That’s not to say the original 1968 version with Faye Dunaway and Steve McQueen is bad, because it’s also great. That’s just how good the later version is. Both are worth watching, if you’ve never seen them.
3:10 To Yuma
Despite being one of the best Westerns of the 21st Century, 3:10 To Yuma was a box office disappointment. Both the 2007 version and the 1957 version of the movie were based on a short story by the great Elmore Leonard.
The Departed
For many, the most surprising entry on this list will be Martin Scorsese’s masterpiece The Departed. That’s right, the Best Picture winner released in 2006 was actually a remake of a 2002 Hong Kong movie called Infernal Affairs. Obviously the setting and the characters are different, as Scorsese set his movie in Boston, but the plot points, dueling “rats” in the police department and mafia, remains the core of both stories.
Little Shop Of Horrors
This one is a little different than most of the others on this list. 1986’s Little Shop of Horrors was actually a film adaptation of a 1983 Broadway musical, but the musical was based on a 1960 B horror movie directed by Roger Corman. Frankly, all three are worth your time, but the ’88 off-beat version of the musical is the best.
Gone In 60 Seconds
The original Gone In 60 Seconds, released in 1974, is a fantastic low-budget flick that was basically the vision of man, H. B. Halicki. The remake, which basically just lifts the plot with very little else in common, is a big-budget blockbuster that is also a really fun watch. It’s filled with some of the coolest cars in Hollywood history, so if that’s your thing, you should check out both.
Fatal Attraction
There are few movies in history as disturbing as 1987’s Fatal Attraction. Glenn Close’s performance as the jilted lover/psychopath is remarkable and it’s a shame she didn’t win an Oscar for it. The movie itself was based on a short filmed from 1980 short film called Diversion. Both were written by James Dearden, who was also involved in the 2023 TV show, also called Fatal Attraction.
The Ladykillers
The Ladykillers, directed by the Coen Brothers, is generally thought of as a bad movie by iconic directors, That might be because it’s a remake. Sure, they did a great job with True Grit, but the original Ladykillers, released in 1955 and starring Alec Guinness, is a much better movie than the Coens’ version, and that isn’t easy to admit.
Angels In The Outfield
Angels in the Outfield is another movie on this list that might surprise you. The family baseball movie released in 1994 was a hit and is still beloved by people today who are nostalgic for their childhood. It also happens to be a remake of a movie few of those same people have seen. The original Angels in the Outfield was released in 1951 and faired poorly at the box office but is generally thought more highly of today.
The Maltese Falcon
1941’s The Maltese Falcon starring Humphrey Bogart is a stone-cold classic. It’s also, surprisingly, a remake! That’s right, one of the best movies ever was based on a movie from ten years earlier, of the same name. The original is mostly forgotten these days, and understandably so.
Living
One of the most overlooked movies in recent years has to be 2022’s Living starring Bill Nighy. The movie, based on a 1952 Akira Kurosawa film called Ikiru, is about what it’s like to be freed by a terminal cancer diagnosis and really start… living. It’s always a bold decision to remake a movie by a master like Kurosawa, but the crew behind Living knocked it out of the park.
The Taking Of Pelham 123
The Tony Scott-directed 2009 movie The Taking Of Pelham 123 is actually the third film adaptation of a novel by Morton Freedgood. The first movie, directed by Joseph Sargent and starring Walter Matthau, is still the best of the three, but the ’09 version is also worth a watch.
Dinner for Schmucks
Dinner for Schmucks, from 2010, isn’t the greatest movie Steve Carrell has ever made, but his performance is still fantastic. It’s a real bright spot in the film. If you want the same story, but better, and you don’t mind French subtitles, check out the movie Schmucks was based on, the 1998 French film Le Dîner de Cons (The Dinner Game).
The Man Who Knew To Much
This is a unique one. Alfred Hitchcock’s The Man Who Knew Too Much from 1956 is, in fact, a remake of his own movie of the same name from 1934. The ’50s version, starring James Stewart and Doris Day, actually altered quite a bit from the original, but we simply have to include it for its uniqueness.
Scarface
1983’s legendary Scarface is very different from the movie it was based on, a 1932 movie loosely inspired by Al Capone. The ’80s movie is about a Cuban immigrant who rises to power in the Miami underground, as opposed to the Capone-inspired character in the original rising to power in Chicago.
Scent Of A Woman
Al Pacino finally won his first Oscar for his performance in 1992’s Scent Of A Woman. While it’s debatable if it’s one of Pacino’s best performances, there’s no question he needed to win an Academy Award at some point. The movie was based on an Italian film of the same name (Profumo di donna in Italian), and that movie was nominated for two Oscars, so it’s well worth checking out.
The Magnificent Seven
Yes, there was a remake of the 1960 John Sturges-directed The Magnificent Seven in 2016, but we’re talking about the original here. The 1960 movie is technically a remake of Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai from 1954, which is often listed as among the Japanese director’s best. Sturges’ movie is great too.
Victor/Victoria
Victor/Victoria, starring Julie Andrews in one of her best roles and directed by the great Blake Edwards, is kind of a forgotten hit these days. It was nominated for seven Oscars in its day and features some wonderful performances. The movie was a remake of a German movie from 1933 called Viktor und Viktoria.
Man On Fire
2004’s Man on Fire isn’t one of Denzel Washington’s best movies. The movie it was a remake of (or, at least, another movie based on the same book) wasn’t very good either. The original was released in 1987 and starred Scott Glenn in the lead role. It’s a great story, so at some point maybe someone will remake it again and make it work.
Heaven Can Wait
Warren Beaty was nominated for four Academy Awards for 1978’s Heaven Can Wait, picking up nominations for Best Picture (he produced it), Best Director, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Best Actor. Sadly he didn’t win one, but it’s still a great movie. It’s a remake of a movie from 1941 called Here Comes Mr. Jordan, though both are based on a play, originally.
An Affair To Remember
An Affair to Remember (1957) starring Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr is one of the most beloved movies of its day. It was not, however, totally original. It was, in fact, a remake of a 1939 movie called Love Affair, itself far less revered. Just remember that the next time someone says “Hollywood doesn’t have original ideas anymore” – Hollywood has been remaking movies forever.
CODA
2021’s CODA was a bit of a surprise hit, winning Best Picture at the 2022 Oscars. It tells the story of a woman who is the only hearing member of a deaf family. It’s a powerful movie, reflected in the praise it earned from critics. It is a remake of another wonderful movie, a Belgium film called La Famille Bélier (The Family Belier) released in 2014.
The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty
While The Secret Life Of Walter Mitty was a modest hit with generally middling reviews, it really should be seen by any movie fan. Ben Stiller puts forth one of the best performances of his stellar career in the movie, which is the second adaption of a short story by author James Thurber. The first came way back in 1947, starring Danny Kaye in the lead role.