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Where to watch CODA and 11 other English-language remakes (that don't suck)

Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, as they say.
By
March 29, 2022
Emilia Jones on a fishing boat in CODA - english-language remakes
Apple TV Plus

CODA made waves at the Oscars on March 27, 2022, becoming Apple TV Plus‘ first best picture winner. What many didn’t know is that CODA is a remake of a 2014 French film called La Famille Bélier. It’s just one of many English-language remakes. Some such remakes can be pretty terrible, but others are terrific, sometimes even surpassing their originals.

See also: Movies like best picture winner CODA

Read on for some of the best English-language remakes of films from around the world. And if you haven’t seen it already, you can check out CODA on Apple TV Plus by hitting the link below.

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Apple TV Plus
Apple TV Plus has quickly become a major player in the streaming game since its launch in 2019. Its slate of original programming includes shows like Ted Lasso, The Morning Show, Foundation, and For All Mankind as well as movies like The Banker, Greyhound, and Palmer.

The best English-language remakes

The Departed (2006)

Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson sit together at a bar in The Departed - best english-language remakes
Warner Bros.

Another Oscar best picture winner, Martin Scorsese’s The Departed is a western adaptation of the fabulous Hong Kong action film Infernal Affairs. With terrific performances by Leonardo DiCaprio, Matt Damon, and Jack Nicholson, among many others, it’s a perfect example of how to remake a film and cross cultural borders. In the Departed, a Boston cop goes deep undercover in the Irish mob, while the mob simultaneously sends one of its own to infiltrate the police department. It’s a gripping game of cat-and-mouse or, er, rat, that runs in two directions at once.

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Max
Max, formerly HBO Max, is your home for HBO titles, Warner Bros-made movies and TV shows, the DC Comics superheroes, and more. It's also the home for new and original movies and shows available nowhere else.

Solaris (2002)

George Clooney in astronaut gear in Solaris - best english-language remakes
20th Century Fox

Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney had already remade Ocean’s Eleven before tackling Solaris. This remake of the Soviet classic sees a doctor sent on a mission to a space station orbiting a mysterious planet that appears to be having dramatic psychological effects on the crew. Once aboard, the doctor must deal with visions of his long-dead wife to understand how the planet Solaris is manipulating him and the others aboard the station.

A Fistful of Dollars (1964)

Clint Eastwood approaches, primed for a standoff, in A Fistful of Dollars - best new streaming movies
Unidis

Westerns and Samurai films have had a tendency to borrow from each other since their early days. Sergio Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars, a Clint Eastwood-starring classic, took those thematic connections to their extremes, unofficially remaking Akira Kurosawa’s Yojimbo. In it, a nameless drifter comes to town and plays two rival families against each other, pocketing hefty fees from both along the way.

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Amazon Prime Video
Amazon Prime Video offers access to thousands of movies and TV shows to stream. That includes great original shows and movies like The Boys and The Tomorrow War. You can also sign up for other premium services within Amazon Prime Video.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo best new streaming movies
Sony

David Fincher sadly didn’t get to complete his Millennium trilogy after the first film underperformed. But still, his The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a stellar remake of the Swedish original, both based on the novel by Stieg Larsson. The film sees a disgraced journalist and hacker team up to solve a disturbing cold case, the disappearance of a teen girl whose rich family may hold the key to what happened to her.

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Netflix
Netflix is still the leading premium streaming service, with over 200 million worldwide subscribers. It offers thousands of movies and TV shows to binge watch, including its always growing list of original films and series, including Stranger Things, The Witcher, Bridgerton, and many more.

Some Like It Hot (1959)

 Marilyn Monroe, Tony Curtis, and Jack Lemmon perform with a band in Some Like It Hot - best english-language remakes
United Artists

In Some Like It Hot, two musicians who witnessed a mob killing go on the run disguised as women to avoid reprisals. Along the way, the two befriend a beautiful ukelele player and singer, played by Marilyn Monroe, while in disguise — making it harder to woo her without revealing themselves. This comedy is among Billy Wilder’s most celebrated titles, and it’s based on the 1935 French film Fanfare of Love.

The Guilty (2021)

The Guilty review Netflix
Netflix

Directed by Antoine Fuqua, The Guilty is a gripping thriller about a 911 operator with a troubled past as he scrambles to help a woman who seems to have been abducted. As the night goes on, he slowly realizes that he’s dealing with a horrific situation that’s beyond his comprehension and leads to a shocking end. The Guilty is an English-language remake of the 2018 Danish film of the same name and stars Jake Gyllenhall.

See also: The Guilty review

The Birdcage (1996)

Robin Williams and Nathan Lane sit on the beach in The Birdcage - best english language remakes
MGM/UA

This madcap comedy sees a gay Miami drag club owner pretending to be straight when meeting his son’s future parents-in-law. Much of the film’s comedy comes from the clash between Robin Williams’s flamboyant Armand and Gene Hackman’s Republican Senator Kevin Keeley. The Birdcage is an English-language remake of the 1978 Franco-Italian film La Cage aux Folles.

12 Monkeys (1995)

Bruce Willis in a dystopian future in 12 Monkeys - best english language remakes
Universal Pictures

Director Terry Gilliam’s 12 Monkeys isn’t exactly a remake, but it was inspired by the French short film La Jetée. It follows a man living in a dystopian future played by Bruce Willis. He’s sent back in time to stop a terrorist group from unleashing the virus that will reshape society and kill off most of humanity. As he finds his way through the past, it becomes clear that there’s no easy fix, and that the causes of humanity’s downfall are far more complicated than imagined.

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Peacock
NBCUniversal's Peacock streaming service offers a lot of great movies and TV shows to stream on demand, along with live news and sports. Best of all, you can watch lots of its content for free, or watch all of it with a paid subscription starting at just $5.99 a month.

Insomnia (2002)

Al Pacino pins Robin Williams to a wall in Insomnia - best english language remakes
Warner Bros.

One of The Dark Knight director Christopher Nolan’s earliest features, Insomnia is a remake of the 1997 Norwegian film of the same name. In it, Al Pacino plays a detective sent to a small Alaskan town to investigate a murder. His mental state deteriorates as he’s lured into a game of cat-and-mouse with his primary suspect, played by Robin Williams cast completely against type. Making matters worse, he’s struggling to adjust to the perpetual daylight of the northern town.

Funny Games (2008)

Michael Pitt and Brady Corbet sit on a couch in Funny Games - best english language remakes
Warner Independent Pictures

Michael Haneke remade his own 1997 Austrian film just over 10 years later with Funny Games. The original film offered a critique of America’s fascination with violence, so it was only fitting to reframe it within America. In Funny Games, a family on vacation is terrorized by two disturbed young men, who pause to address the camera directly and question the audience’s enjoyment of what we’re watching.

Check out: What is Kanopy?

Wrath of Man (2021)

Jason Statham holding a gun in The Wrath of Man - new on Hulu in
United Artists

Guy Ritchie’s Wrath of Man is a tight little thriller starring Jason Statham as a mysterious new employee at a security truck company. After displaying some truly advanced skills with a gun during a stick-up, his true intentions slowly reveal themselves in this dark and brutal English-language remake of the 2004 French film Cash Truck.

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Paramount Plus
Paramount Plus includes thousands of movies and TV shows from CBS, Showtime, and Paramount Pictures. It also includes new and original movies like The Good Fight, Infinite, and more.

Those are some of our favourite English-language remakes of movies from around the globe. Did you know they were remakes?