During the 1940s, the film noir genre reigned superior and gave audiences memorable classics such as The Maltese Falcon, Gaslight, and Out of the Past. By the 1960s, the genre had been revitalized with a few modern touches and coined neo-noir. Through the years, many filmmakers have depicted their own visions of the iconic genre, providing audiences with new cinematic stories. Still, others have opted to remake several noteworthy titles that have either been a hit or miss with film fans.
It’s not an easy task to remake a film that many cinephiles might categorize as perfect, and it is a bold risk for any director or screenwriter to take. While some fail and others succeed, there are some remakes, like The 1964 remake of The Killers starring John Cassavetes and Angie Dickinson, The Glass Key, and The Manchurian Candidate starring Denzel Washington, that effectively hold up well against the originals.
10 ‘D.O.A.’ (1988)
Directed by Rocky Morton and Annabel Jankel
The 1988 remake of D.O.A. tries to define its own identity and separate itself from the original 1949 version with several changes that are also more appealing to a modern audience. Dennis Quaid stars as a college professor, Dexter Cornell, who, after a long night of drinking, wakes up and discovers that he has been poisoned with a slow-acting toxin. In a deadly race against the clock, Cornell tries to retrace his steps with the help of a student (Meg Ryan) to try and find his murderer before it’s too late.
D.O.A. is a thrilling remake of the 1949 film of the same name starring Edmund O’Brien and it essentially follows the same plot while also matching the original’s raw intensity and chilling suspense. While Quaid and Ryan give stellar performances in this well-made remake, D.O.A. was met with mixed reviews from critics, but it did earn praise from Roger Ebert, who gave the film three out of four stars, calling it a witty, well-written thriller. The 1988 remake does its best to give justice to the original without stepping on any toes and, despite the mixed reviews, it still reigns as a satisfying remake that deserves more credit than it gets from movie fans.
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9 ‘The Killers’ (1964)
Directed by Don Siegel
It’s hard to top the original 1946 noir, The Killers, starring Burt Lancaster and Ava Gardner, who both deliver captivating performances, but the 1964 remake successfully holds its own and features an A-list cast of stars including Lee Marvin, Angie Dickinson, and Ronald Reagan. John Cassavetes stars in the remake as a former champion race car driver, Johnny North, who is gunned down by two hitmen (Marvin, Cul Culager) who, out of curiosity, begin to dig into North’s past, revealing a torrid tale of greed, deception, and murder.
The remake has a few adjustments to the characters and plot, but overall, it still pans out to be an excellent remake of one of the best film noirs. Compared to the original film, the remake also depicts a more vivid and callous adaptation of Hemingway’s work and is flawlessly carried by an exceptional cast of stars, solidifying the 1964 version of The Killers as a solid noir remake.
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8 ‘No Way Out’ (1987)
Directed by Roger Donaldson
The 1987 neo-noir thriller No Way Out is not an exact remake, but it borrows the same source material as the 1948 noir, The Big Clock, which is based on the novel by the same name written by Kenneth Fearing. The remake adds a political twist to the plot and stars Kevin Costner as Navy Lieutenant Tom Farrell, who has a fling with a young woman, Susan Atwell (Sean Young), and discovers his superior (Gene Hackman) is also romantically involved with her. When Atwell ends up being murdered, Farrell is put in charge of her case, but as details emerge, Farrell becomes the prime suspect.
While The Big Clock is a top-notch noir, the choice to use a political backdrop in No Way Out adds a unique level of intensity that the 1948 film only grasps a portion of, mainly because it’s set on a smaller scale. The film is a suitable homage to the noir and suspense films of the 1940s and features outstanding performances by Hackman and Young, but Costner shines in what some have credited as the performance that established him as a major box office draw.
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7 ‘The Glass Key’ (1942)
Directed by Stuart Heisler
The 1942 classic noir, The Glass Key, is a remake of the 1935 film by the same name starring George Raft, which are both adaptations of the 1931 novel by Dashiell Hammett. Alan Ladd takes on Raft’s role as Ed Beaumont, who is a friend of a reformed criminal, Paul Madvig (Brian Donlevy), who decides to help a politician, Ralph Henry, get elected after falling for his daughter, Janet (Veronica Lake). When Madvig’s criminal past catches up with him, and he becomes a suspect in the murder of Janet’s brother, it’s up to Beaumont to clear his friend’s name and find the real killer.
While the original was a success, the remake of The Glass Key slightly surpasses the 1935 version, mainly because of Ladd, who brings a charming charisma to the role and is more appealing than Raft’s emotionless performance. Raft gave his own depiction of the character, which shouldn’t be tossed aside, but considering the dark, ominous tone of the film, Ladd brought a bit of light to his portrayal that seemed to fit well with the rest of the film’s atmosphere.
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6 ‘The Manchurian Candidate’ (2004)
Directed by Jonathan Demme
In one of the best movies about American politics, Denzel Washington stars in the remake of the 1962 neo-noir psychological thriller, The Manchurian Candidate, which stays true to the original but with a few modern changes. Washington, who plays Frank Sinatra‘s role, Ben Marco, fought in the Gulf War, where he and his unit were ambushed but returned home safely. While Marco is tormented by nightmares, his memories of what really happened during the war start coming back to him, and he is soon suspicious of his former comrade, who is now a vice-presidential candidate.
The 2004 remake of The Manchurian Candidate is one of the finest noir remakes that, without a doubt, holds a candle to the original. Washington delivers a showstopping performance and easily holds his own in the shadow of Sinatra’s performance, which is considered to be one of the crooner’s best. Aside from a few technological details and switching to the Gulf War, the remake remains true to the original without trying to overshadow its unique style and plot.
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5 ‘The Postman Always Rings Twice’ (1981)
Directed by Bob Rafelson
The 1981 remake of The Postman Always Rings Twice sticks to the original 1946 version and stars Jack Nicholson in John Garfield‘s role as Frank Chambers, who, after stopping at a roadside restaurant, meets a young woman, Cora (Jessica Lange), who is married to the owner of the restaurant. When the owner offers Chambers a job, he accepts, and soon after, he and Cora develop a torrid affair and begin to plan a way to get Cora’s husband out of the picture.
The 1946 noir film The Postman Always Rings Twice is a notable classic, but the 1981 remake outshines it for several reasons. The main one is that Lange is a much more believable femme fatale than Lana Turner, who was clearly cast for her appearance as a femme fatale, but other than that element, she fails to convey any depth or substance to the role. While Lange is undoubtedly beautiful like Turner, she effectively portrays the innocent, unassuming persona of the ideal femme fatale and only reveals her true, sultry nature behind closed doors, deeming her performance superior.
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4 ‘Body Heat’ (1981)
Directed by Lawrence Kasdan
One of the most rewatchable neo-noir films, Body Heat, has been credited as an unofficial remake of Billy Wilder‘s 1944 film noir, Double Indemnity, and considering both films are based on the 1943 novel by James M. Cain, it makes the cut for the list. Kathleen Turner stars as the desirable but married Matty Walker, who engages in a steamy affair with a handsome lawyer, Ned Racine (William Hurt). As the two begin to plot how to murder Walker’s husband, their plan takes an unexpected turn that puts Racine’s career and life in serious jeopardy.
Aside from several changes to the story, both films surround similar circumstances, but the endings are vastly different, which is what ultimately sets them apart. Unlike in Double Indemnity, Body Heat ends with a highly unexpected twist and is easily one of the best that leaves audiences stunned. Body Heat undoubtedly takes Walker’s character a sinister (and surprising) step further, making Phyllis Dietrichson look like an amateur femme fatale.
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3 ‘Cape Fear’ (1991)
Directed by Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese‘s remake of the 1962 neo-noir, Cape Fear, borrows the original concept, but the 1991 version features much more graphic violence and content that qualifies it as a crime thriller more than a noir. Robert De Niro stars as one of his most evil movie villains, a convicted rapist, Max Cady, who, after serving a fourteen-year sentence, tracks down his defense attorney, Sam Bowden (Nick Nolte), and terrorizes him and his family.
Despite the genre change, Scorsese’s Cape Fear still deserves a spot on the list because it still embodies the core story of the original. The movie also strives to pay tribute to the original, mainly by casting the stars of the 1962 version, Robert Mitchum, Gregory Peck, and Martin Balsam. Both De Niro and Nolte do an excellent job at portraying their own unique take on their characters and successfully steer clear of appearing to duplicate Mitchum’s and Peck’s performances. Even though the remake has more obvious changes, it still stacks up against the 1962 version and individually gives its own signature depiction of a chilling tale of vengeance and justice.
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2 ‘Gaslight’ (1944)
Directed by George Cukor
Ingrid Bergman stars as a young woman, Paula, who, after the murder of her famous opera-singing aunt, decides to follow in her footsteps and moves to Italy. When she arrives, she meets a dashing gentleman, Gregory Anton (Charles Boyer), and the two are quickly married, but when Paula begins to experience strange occurrences that she can’t explain. As she tries to maintain her sanity, her new husband’s intentions are soon brought into question.
Some people are surprised to learn that the 1944 classic noir, Gaslight, is a remake of the 1940 British film by the same name, and while the original is good, the remake surpasses it by a landslide. The remake captures an unbearable level of suspense and unyielding intensity that effortlessly draws audiences into the game of psychological warfare and relentless gaslighting that eventually takes a surprising toll on them. Gaslight has been credited as one of the greatest film noirs of all time and received seven Academy Award nominations, going on to win two for Best Picture and Best Actress for Bergman.
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1 ‘The Maltese Falcon’ (1941)
Directed by John Huston
People often forget that John Huston‘s directorial debut, The Maltese Falcon, is a remake of the 1931 version starring Ricardo Cortez and Bebe Daniels. In fairness, the original didn’t have the brilliant mind and vision of Huston or the Hollywood icon Humphrey Bogart, as the infamous private eye Sam Spade. Like the original, the remake is also an adaptation of the 1930 novel by Dashiell Hammett and follows Spade who, after being hired by a mysterious woman (Mary Astor) to find her sister, he finds himself entangled in a web with several seedy characters who are all in search of the priceless jewel-encrusted statue known as the Maltese Falcon.
While Bogart and the supporting cast, which also includes Sydney Greenstreet and Peter Lorre, all give exceptional performances, the real success of The Maltese Falcon lies in Huston. Huston mapped out every second of the film down to the finest detail with sketches and short-handed notes for him and the cast to use while filming, which was financially sufficient for the production (Pretty sure Jack L. Warner appreciated that). The Maltese Falcon earned three Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture, Best Supporting Actor for Greenstreet, and Best Adapted Screenplay for Huston. While most remakes rarely surpass the original, Huston’s remake of The Maltese Falcon is one that, without question, tops the original in more ways than one.
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