20 English-language remakes of foreign films that are actually good

The Danish psychological horror film Speak No Evil was released in 2022 and only two years later received a remake from Blumhouse. In both versions, two couples meet and bond on vacation, and one invites the other to holiday at their house over the weekend. What starts as an idyllic trip quickly turns very uncomfortable and sinister. While Blumhouse’s version is slightly more tame compared to the brutal Danish version, it still succeeds due to a terrifying performance from James McAvoy. 

CODA was released to major critical acclaim in 2021 and even won Best Picture at the Oscars. The film follows Ruby, the only hearing member of her deaf family, as she struggles to balance pursuing music and supporting her parents and brother. Due to the film’s huge success, many are unaware that CODA is a remake of the 2014 French film La Famille Bélier. However, CODA is one of the rare films in which the remake is better, thanks to beautifully authentic performances from actual deaf actors.

2008 Swedish horror Let the Right One In is based on the novel of the same name and is regarded as one of the best international horror movies. It received the remake treatment in 2010 with the U.S. film Let Me In. Both films follow the story of a bullied young boy who befriends a mysterious girl who is a vampire. The Batman director Matt Reeves is able to bring his own flair to the story, with impressive special effects and a uniquely dark tone that separates it from its predecessor. 

Martin Scorsese’s The Departed is often regarded as one of his best and is the film that finally won the legendary director an Oscar. It is a remake of the 2002 Hong Kong film Infernal Affairs, and while Scorsese’s is undoubtedly more popular, both work in their own right. The two films follow a cop who goes undercover in a criminal organization and a mole in the police who is actually a member of the gang. The Departed ’s star-studded cast includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson, Matt Damon, and Mark Wahlberg. 

12 Monkeys is loosely inspired by the 1962 French film La Jetée , which runs for just under half an hour and is told entirely through still images. As a result, the 1995 version is able to do much more with its story. In the highly influential sci-fi film, a dystopian future has been devastated by disease. Bruce Willis plays a prisoner who is promised freedom if he agrees to travel back in time to gather information about the virus which has wiped out most of humanity. The movie co-stars Brad Pitt. 

2007’s Funny Games is a remake of the 1997 German thriller of the same name. However, what is unique about this remake is that it is helmed by Michael Haneke, the same director as the original. It is a shot-for-shot remake, as Haneke was disappointed that the German version didn’t reach international audiences. He also remade it as a way to highlight American ignorance towards foreign films. Both versions are equally disturbing and make for a difficult viewing experience.  

The whimsical romp Some Like It Hot , starring cinematic icon Marilyn Monroe, is technically a remake of a remake. The French film Fanfare d’amour was released in 1935, followed by Germany’s Fanfaren der Liebe in 1951. Some Like It Hot was released eight years later and is hailed as one of the Golden Age of Hollywood’s best films, thanks to the star power of Monroe and her co-stars. The comedic story follows two male musicians who disguise themselves as women to join an all-female band. 

The Ring , starring Naomi Watts, is a remake of the Japanese horror film Ringu. While Ringu is highly influential due to its place in its country of origin’s new horror wave, director Gore Verbinski is able to bring unnerving dread to his own vision. Watts plays a journalist who investigates a mysterious videotape that seemingly causes the viewer to die one week after viewing it. The Ring creates scares purely from its visuals and atmosphere rather than gore.

French-Italian film La Cage aux Folles was released to notable acclaim in 1978, scoring three Oscar nominations. However, most viewers are more familiar with its equally wonderful remake, The Birdcage . Robin Williams and Nathan Lane play a gay couple who pretend to be heterosexual when meeting the conservative parents of their son’s fiancee. The Birdcage’s outlandish plot makes for a hilariously good time, and Williams and Lane are stellar in this beloved ‘90s comedy film.

Stieg Larsson’s popular book series Millennium had already been adapted into a movie trilogy in Sweden in 2009, but that didn’t stop prolific director David Fincher from making his adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo . Daniel Craig plays journalist Mikael Bliomkvist, who hires hacker Lisbeth Salander (Rooney Mara) to help him solve the case of a woman who has been missing for forty years. Fincher’s moody direction and style are pitch-perfect, as is Mara’s Lisbeth.

While the Lindsay Lohan-starring The Parent Trap is a remake of the 1961 version from Disney, it is also a remake of the very first iteration, Das doppelte Lottchen from Germany in 1950. Lohan famously plays the dual roles of twin sisters Annie and Hallie, who meet at camp and switch homes in order to get their divorced parents to reunite. Lohan made a name for herself with this film and showed her talents early on, with many viewers growing up watching it. 

A remake of the 1991 French film La Totale!, James Cameron’s True Lies was one of the biggest action films of the ‘90s and also features one of the biggest action stars of all time. Arnold Schwarzenegger stars alongside Jamie Lee Curtis, with the story following an agent who suspects that his wife is having an affair. Using his specialized skills, he tries to uncover the truth. It’s an adrenaline-fueled ride that is also very funny, perfectly blending genres.

Based on the 1985 French film Trois hommes et un couffin, Three Men and a Baby is a beloved ‘80s comedy directed by none other than Mr. Spock himself, Leonard Nimoy. Tom Selleck, Steve Guttenberg, and Ted Danson play the titular three men who live carefree bachelor lifestyles until a baby arrives on their doorstep. One of them is the father, who is currently absent and doesn’t know he has a child, so the other two must decide what to do. It’s great fun to see the film’s three main stars play makeshift fathers. 

American film A Man Called Otto is based on the novel A Man Called Ove, which was initially adapted into a Swedish film in 2015. Otto stars Tom Hanks as its titular lead, a grumpy widower who hates his existence. He manages to find a new lease on life when a lively family moves in next door. Hanks is perfectly cast as Otto, but it is Mariana Treviño’s supporting performance as warm neighbor Marisol that will steal the hearts of audiences. A beautiful film. 

Brothers is a remake of the 2004 Danish film of the same name and stars three of Hollywood’s biggest actors: Jake Gyllenhaal, Tobey Maguire, and Natalie Portman. Maguire plays Sam Cahill, a soldier serving in Afghanistan who is presumed dead. When he returns home to his brother and sister-in-law, Sam deals with severe PTSD while trying to find his way back into everyday life. The three leads are incredible, as well as a young Bailee Madison, who holds her own against her older co-stars.

Director Christopher Nolan’s second major feature film was the psychological thriller Insomnia , a remake of the 1997 Norwegian film. Al Pacino plays Will Dormer, a police detective who is sent to a small town to investigate a teenage girl’s murder. While on the job, he accidentally shoots his co-detective and suffers from insomnia due to his guilt. Insomnia may be Nolan’s most underrated movie, but is completely riveting and benefits from Robin Williams playing against type as the villain. 

Michael Bay’s 2022 film Ambulance is one of the more positively received of his recent efforts, filled with the signature action and explosions the director is known for. However, Bay didn’t come up with the concept, as it is a remake of a 2005 Danish movie. In the film, two brothers hijack an ambulance truck as a getaway vehicle after a heist goes awry. The film features impressive visuals, delivered at a heart-pounding pace and supported by committed performances. 

Alejandro Amenábar is known for directing the spooky flick The Others and the 1997 Spanish film Open Your Eyes. What you may not know is that Vanilla Sky , starring Tom Cruise, is a remake of that film. Directed by Cameron Crowe, Vanilla Sky follows a vain magazine publisher whose face is disfigured after an accident with a former lover. After getting surgery, he starts to question his reality. The film uses sci-fi and psychology to deliver plenty of twists and commentary.

Andrei Tarkovsky, director of the 1972 Soviet sci-fi epic Solaris , is regarded as one of the greatest directors in cinematic history. Any filmmaker who attempted to recreate his work was faced with filling big shoes, but director Steven Soderbergh proved he was up to the task with his version of Solaris in 2002. Starring George Clooney, the film follows a psychologist sent to investigate a space station orbiting a mysterious planet. Deeply thematic and ambiguous, this is not your typical sci-fi film. 

In his solo directorial debut, Bob Farrelly totally scored with Champions , his remake of the 2018 Spanish film of the same name. The feel-good sports movie stars Woody Harrelson as a former minor-league basketball coach ordered by the court to manage a team with intellectual disabilities. Despite his doubts, he is able to take them further than he could have imagined. Champions features a heartwarming story that deserves to be told twice and positive representation.