What's the same, what's different, and what's more likely?

The original Cady is more frightening to me, because he can-not- be bargained with. He was tried fairly, without doubt on even his part. No background explanations are given for his asocial personality. This leaves only pure evil as an explanation. While by modern standards this may be seen as laziness in character development, it works. Cady doesn't feel he owes explanations. He wants to be feared, not pitied. (Common wisdom nowadays is that bullies are scared themselves, but anyone who's been on the wrong end of their behavior knows that this will not be the topic of conversation.) The original puts you right where the victims are, no special knowledge or understanding.... The remake has no good guy. Since Bowden is re-done to be guilty of not properly defending his client, the battle is what, between bad and worse? The new Cady -could- have been bargained with, but Bowden doesn't want to get the punishment he deserves: Disbarment + jail time + restitution would not be out of line for his crimes. So, rather than take adavantage of one last chance to do right, Bowden makes it a fight to the death. Ok, Cady is a menace, and needs to die, but why couldn't they dig up some evidence at the end to put Bowden away? Let the family be the hero without him. As much as I never want to run into either version of Cady, I believe that justice would've ended the latter-day villain's vendetta, and his explanatons for his behavior are openings to cut a deal. Not nearly as fearsome.