The Departed
Fast-paced crime drama The Departed has topped a poll to be named the best ever movie remake.
To mark the release of Total Recall, a remake of the 1990 original starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, LOVEFiLM polled over 4,500 film fans to uncover the best ever movie remakes, with Martin Scorsese’s The Departed claiming the top spot with 20 per cent of the vote.
Ocean’s Eleven, a remake of the 1960 Rat Pack film of the same name, tricked, hustled and charmed its way into second place with 13 per cent of the vote. The 2001 version featured some of the biggest names in film and sparked two further sequels, Ocean’s Twelve and Ocean’s Thirteen.
12 per cent of film fans showed their mettle, putting the Coen brothers’ take on the modern cowboy and Indian flick True Grit into third place in the poll.
Daniel Craig’s brooding performance as reporter Blomkvist in David Fincher’s English version of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, an adaptation of the bestselling Swedish novel and remake of the original Swedish film, helped secure ten per cent of the vote, landing the film a respectable fourth place in the list.
Nine per cent of film fans decided Tim Burton’s version of Roald Dahl classic Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, featuring Johnny Depp as the eccentric Willy Wonka, was sweet enough to get a golden ticket straight into fifth place in the poll.
Gruesome horror Dawn of the Dead, a remake of George A. Romero’s 1978 movie, infected eight per cent of film fans with zombie fever placing it sixth in the list, closely followed by the 1999 version of The Thomas Crown Affair starring Pierce Brosnan, with seven per cent of the vote.
Russell Crowe and Christian Bale claimed six per cent of the vote and eighth place in the poll thanks to their gun slinging performance in 3:10 to Yuma, the 2007 version of the 1957 western film.
The inspiring tale of the The Karate Kid, starring martial arts master Jackie Chan, fought (with finesse) into ninth place in the poll with five per cent of film fans bowing to its appeal.
Last but not least, iconic British heist film The Italian Job, re-made with a Hollywood spin, drove into tenth place (concealed in a white van) in the poll, with four per cent of the vote.
The best movie remakes of all time according to LOVEFiLM members are:
1. The Departed - 20%
2. Ocean’s Eleven - 13%
3. True Grit - 12%
4. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - 10%
5. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - 9%
6. Dawn of the Dead - 8%
7. The Thomas Crown Affair - 7%
8. 3.10 to Yuma - 6%
9. Karate Kid - 5%
10. The Italian Job - 4%
Other - 6%
Fliss White, Head of Brand Marketing at LOVEFiLM, commented: "From horrors that still get the heart racing a second time around, to comedy remakes that make us laugh as much as the original, there’s something to be said for the same tale being spun a second time in a fresh light."
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