10 Best Action Movies for Women
Action films are traditionally thought of as a male-dominated genre. Most action film stars are men, and some would argue a majority of viewers are also men. Many action movies are certainly made to appeal to a male audience. These action films, however, feature strong female leads that women can identify with.
Ridley Scott’s “Alien”
Few action heroines have been more formidable than Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver), star of the 1979 action-horror-sci-fi flick “Alien.” The crew of the space ship Nostromo answers a distress call, only to be boarded by a murderous alien creature. Along with the ship’s cat, Jones, Ripley is the sole humansurvivor, having bravely battled her way through the whole film.
Quentin Tarantino’s “Kill Bill Volumes 1 & 2”
“Kill Bill” and “Kill Bill 2,” released in 2003 and 2004 respectively, tell the story of The Bride (Uma Thurman), a former member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad and former lover of the eponymous Bill (David Carradine). Upon waking from a four-year coma, The Bride sets out to avenge her former lover and colleagues for gunning her and her wedding party down and, she assumes, killing her unborn child.
Luc Besson’s “Nikita”
Also called “La Femme Nikita,” this French-Italian film tells the story of a young criminal (Anne Parillaud) plucked from prison and recruited to a secret government squad of assassins. She’s trained, given a new identity and set up in Paris as a sleeper agent – but when she falls in love, will she be able to keep her professional and personal lives separate?
Gary Ross’s “The Hunger Games”
“The Hunger Games” is one of the highest-grossing female-led action films of all time, having raked in more than $408 million in the U.S. and more than $686 million worldwide. This sci-fi action flick shows a dystopian future in which children are forced to fight to the death for a national audience. Only KatnissEverdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) has the courage to fight the real enemy.
James Cameron’s “The Terminator”
This 1984 sci-fi classic sees a robot assassin travels back in time from a future in which mankind is fighting a deadly battle against self-aware machines. The robot’s mission? To take out Sarah Connor (Linda Hamilton) whose future son will grow up to lead the human resistance.
The Coen Brothers’ “True Grit”
A remake of the classic 1969 film starring John Wayne, the Coen Brothers’ “True Grit” tells the story of Mattie Ross (HaileeSteinfeld), a 14-year-old girl growing up on the American frontier. Mattie uses her incredible resolve, quick wits and immense courage to bring her father to justice in a world dominated by men who fail to take her seriously at their peril.
Jonathan Demme’s “The Silence of the Lambs”
FBI trainee Clarice Starling (Jodie Foster) must leave her training program to interview convicted serial killer and cannibal Hannibal Lecter (Anthony Hopkins) in this psychological thriller action flick. This Academy Award-winning film was added to the U.S. Library of Congress’s National Film Registry in 2011 for its cultural, historical and aesthetic significance.
Sam Raimi’s “The Quick and the Dead”
Sharon Stone stars as The Lady, a female gunfighter who rides into the Old West town of Redemption to settle a score against Herod (Gene Hackman), the town’s implacable outlaw-turned-leader. The Lady conspires with the town reverend, Cort (Russell Crowe), to avenge her father’s murder through frontier justice.
Luc Besson’s “The Fifth Element”
The second-most successful French film of all time, “The Fifth Element” stars Milla Jovovich as Leeloo, a woman cloned for a single purpose: to save the world. With the help of Korben Dallas (Bruce Willis), Leeloo will unleash a power capable of stopping the greatest evil in the universe in its tracks.
Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon”
This Oscar-winning film also raked in dozens of other awards, including four British Academy Film Awards and two Golden Globes. “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” grossed more than $128 million in the U.S., making it the highest-grossing foreign film of all time. Set in 18th-century China, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” is the story of two warriors, a stolen sword and an infamous fugitive. Michelle Yeoh takes the starring role of Yu Shu Lien, a female warrior and friend of Master Li Mu Bai (Chow Yun-Fat).
The Bride photo credit: luvi / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND
“The Fifth Element” photo credit: jdxyw / Foter / CC BY-SA
About the Author:
Contributing blogger Katie Pickney holds a Masters in Film Studies and has worked as a film reviewer for over ten years. She lives in San Francisco.
