What I meant when I used the word "western" was that the original embraced the tone, aesthetic and basic attitude of an international film while the remake limited itself to the cliches and tropes of more westernized pop culture.

Oh god man, so true. I watched both versions back to back, and while the original was disturbing for lack of a better word to describe such an experience, it was a very solid and well rounded story that forces you to ponder what you just saw for a long time after watching. The western remake however, completely missed…