12 Great Directors Who Helmed Terrible Movie Remakes

On paper, Joel and Ethan Coen remaking an Ealing comedy looks like a match made in heaven. The Ladykillers? Why, even better!

How was it that this inspired notion turned out to be arguably the most ill-judged venture of their filmic co-career, then? Because The Ladykillers now stands as the one film in their canon that sticks out like a sore thumb, prompting cries of: "What? The Coens directed that film? But it was terrible!"

And yet the premise driving The Ladykillers is Coenesque to a tee; a group of hapless criminals take up lodgings with an unsuspecting elderly woman as they plan to rob a bank. The original film is a minor comedy classic, of course, featuring memorable turns from English icons like Alec Guinness and Peter Sellers.

The Coen version isn't funny, though, and it's incredibly slow. The weirdest thing, however, is that it doesn't feel like it was written or directed by them. These two have made a few underwhelming movies over the years, but - despite their failings - they've all still felt like Coen Brothers films. This is just odd, tone deaf stuff, and even Tom Hanks - who is admittedly entertaining in the lead role - can't save it.

That said, we can't be against the Coens helming remakes in general, because their recent take on True Grit turned out to be absolutely brilliant - better than the original John Wayne movie, even. You win some, you lose some.