Well, hello again.
Here are my top films and the roles that showcase badass women kicking ass.
Please note:
1. I chose film roles and not TV ones, because these are two different way of story telling.
2. Badass here means kicking ass in action films. Julia Roberts kicked ass as the badass Ellen Brokovitch, and that is another kind of badass. And what makes an action movie an action movie? I know it when I see it…😉
3. I’m talking believable actions (given the aesthetics and physics of the movie) that serves the plot and the character development.
Which is all very objective, to be sure. But I suppose any old straight to DVD Stevan Seagal film makes my point of how not to make either a good badass character or a good film.
4. Only one role per actor.
5. Only one movie per role.
So, without further ado.
The List
15. Eowyn. LOTR. Not enough screen time, but, boy howdy, what a scene and what a line. That puts it on the list.
14. Ahn Ok-yun/Mitsuko. Assassination. The always phenomenal Jun Ji-hyun shines in this engrossing 1930s period piece, with a (arguably over) complex plot that doesn’t lean into the typical anti-Japanese tripe too much.
13. Katness. The Hunger Games. A strong YA film (remember when those were made for young adults?), but no one can really kick too much ass with a bow and arrow, no matter how skilled they are. My apologies to all the archery fans out there, but I like to see smack down!
12.Nikita. La Femme Nikita, (the French original) “Convicted felon Nikita is given a new identity and trained, stylishly, as a top secret spy/assassin.” If you haven’t seen it, do. A great character in a great film.
11. Hit Girl, Kick Ass. I know, not a woman, but hey. What a role, and what a movie. My daughter wanted to be Hit Girl.
10. Sergeant Rita Vrataski. Edge of Tomorrow. Emily Blunt is blunt, confident, smart, charismatic and human under her tough-as-nails exterior — an all-around complete badass.
9. Ming-Na Wen. Mulan, (1998). It’s hard to pick only one from the many Disney badasses, but something about her journey and not being op’d seals the deal for me.
8. Sarah Conner. Terminator 2. Well, of course. She’d be much higher on this list if she were’t so broken, which is what makes her such a compelling character with a fantastic arc. Ironic, that.
7. Yim Wing-chun. Wing Chun. While most people may chose Crouching Tiger for a Michelle Yeoh flick, I chose this film and this role. I prefer the mid-90s Hong Kong goofy vibe more than the epic feel of Crouching Tiger, more importantly Yeoh plays the protagonist, gets all the screen time, and the front and center feminist coming of age theme is deftly handled.
6. Lady Kaeda, Ran. I know, not really an action role, but it is an action movie in many ways, she does have some action which is central to the plot, and holy crap she the most terrifying human character of all time. Seriously.
5. The Bride, Kill Bill Vol. 1. You either like Tarantino and his hallmark comic-realistic violence (and in this film, straight up comic, in one of the best anime bits ever), or you don’t. I do.
4. Princess Leia. A New Hope.. Star Wars. Smart, sassy and knows how to get shit done. I was nine years old when I first saw Leia go face to face with Vader, and then later take command while quipping “Someone’s got to get us out of this mess!” Blam! Blam! I jumped to my feat along with the rest of the theater cheering wildly. A seminal role for kick ass women.
3. Nurse Flower Child "Coffy" Coffin. Coffy. Again, you either like those old blaxploitation films or you don’t. I do. Anyways, it’s really a toss-up between Coffy and Foxy Brown, but I gotta chose one, so there it is.
2. Furiosa, Mad Max: Fury Road. This would be number one on my list, but for the number 1, and for nearly the same reasons. And this character’s role and arc command in this deeply feminist tale.
1. Ripley, Aliens. Was there ever any doubt? The archetypal Strong Female Character in an action movie. Hell, there’s a reason why she makes to the top of any badass action hero list, male, female, or otherwise. As badass as she is, and no matter how much ass she kicks, the thing that makes her one of the greatest action stars is she is a vulnerable human being, with frailties and fears that she faces, overcomes and then gets the job done. As much as I like me my Snake Plisskens and my Charlies Angels (2000), or the Big Dumb Action Movie hero, for me, it’s all about a good story and rooting for the character the movie made me care about, just like I did when I was nine years old. What a role, what a performance, and what a film.
So, there it is. I went by the above guidelines in coming up with my list, but, hey, they are just my guidelines and the floor is yours:
Who are your favorite badass women who kick ass in action films?