Source link : https://las-vegas-news.com/original-vs-remake-face-off-7-films-which-one-actually-wins/
Hollywood loves a good redo. Sometimes a remake sharpens what the original got right, and sometimes it just proves that lightning rarely strikes twice in the same spot. The interesting part is not always predictable, either. A few of these pairings have critics and audiences split for decades, while others settled the argument almost immediately.
Below are seven famous original versus remake matchups, looked at side by side with the facts that actually back up the verdicts. Box office numbers, critical scores, and awards history all play a part, and in a couple of cases the “winner” might surprise you.
1. Infernal Affairs (2002) vs The Departed (2006)
Martin Scorsese’s Boston crime saga is a direct remake of the Hong Kong thriller Infernal Affairs, and the swap paid off in ways few remakes ever manage. Based on the Hong Kong film “Infernal Affairs,” it is the first remake to win the top prize since 1959 when “Ben-Hur” won. That alone tells you how rare this kind of success is in Oscar history.
Even so, plenty of longtime fans of the source material push back on the idea that the remake improved on the original. Scorsese has made better films than “Infernal Affairs,” and few fans of the “Infernal” trilogy would consider the Oscar winner more than a respectable, simplified remake. The win for The Departed is undeniable, but calling it a clean victory over the original…
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Author : Matthias Binder
Publish date : 2026-09-07 07:12:00
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