10 Great Action Heroines Of Cinema

The figure of the action heroine in film has always been present to some extent, even looking back to some of the adventure shorts of silent cinema or the femme fatales of post-war film noir it could be argued that there were early incarnations of the action heroine that we recognise today. However, despite her presence as a figure across all genres and time periods, it has only been in the last few decades that we have really seen women taking centre stage in their own stories and action set pieces.

Female led action films have rarely avoided criticism, such is the weight of expectation when women feature prominently in a genre in which they have more often than not been excluded or marginalised. Often these characters have been accused in turn of being either too masculinised or too sexualised, but with a more diverse representation of action heroines being seen in contemporary cinema, there is hopefully more room for various types of femaleness to be accepted.

It is an exciting time for women in action cinema, with entire film festivals and initiatives devoted to these tough characters, the stunt women who are vital to the production of these stories and the filmmakers who strive to tell more and more women’s stories. Take a look at our editor’s recent interview with Melanie Wise of Artemis Film Festival for more on these encouraging developments.

What follows is a list (by no means an exhaustive one) of some of the most popular and influential action heroines of cinema, from super spies to sci-fi warriors via dystopian futures and back again.

10. Mallory Kane in Haywire (2011)

Former MMA fighter Gina Carano proves a force to be reckoned with in her portrayal of black ops agent, Mallory Kane. Betrayed by her employers, Mallory is forced to go on the run to avoid capture and make it back to the US alive. Haywire puts a female perspective at the centre of the ‘rogue agent on the run’ narrative typified by male action franchises such as the Bourne series (check out Angelina Jolie in Salt too if you are a fan of this sub-genre of action-thriller).

With experienced fighter Carano in the lead role, the fight scenes are brutally realistic and physically impressive. A hotel room confrontation between Mallory and Paul (Michael Fassbender) is particularly memorable, not least because of its twist on the male/female dynamics of the glamorous parties featured in spy thrillers.

9. Zoe Washburne in Serenity (2005)

The incredibly fun Serenity is as yet the only big screen follow up to any of Joss Whedon’s female-centric TV shows but proved a worthy cinematic incarnation of the much-loved crew of Firefly. While Summer Glau’s River might be the showiest action woman in the film, with her impressive balletic fighting style, it’s Gina Torres’s Zoe who really packs a punch. A tough ex-soldier and rebellion fighter, she is strong and level headed as well as acting as something of a moral compass for Captain Malcolm Reynolds (Nathan Fillion) to whom she is fiercely loyal.

One of the things that make Zoe such a fan favourite and a great action woman is the way in which she is never overly sexualised for the audience, but also not denied a sexuality. She is practical and tough, yet also compassionate, making one of Whedon’s stand out cinematic female characters.

8. Yu Shu Lien in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

Ang Lee’s multi-award winning martial arts epic Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon brought Chinese wuxia to a larger Western audience and increased the profile of one its stand-out stars, Michelle Yeoh, who was previously best known for her role in Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) . Although very much created for crossover appeal, and fans of wuxia will no doubt have their own list of the best movies within the genre, there is no denying the power of audiences being exposed to the surreal and beautiful style of action featured in this film, whose influence can be seen in many contemporary fight scenes made in Hollywood since.

Yu Shu Lien is a wonderful example of the type of female characters found in the genre and it is worth acknowledging that while many of the women featured in this list are the sole action heroine in the featured film, Michelle Yeoh’s character is countered by the equally impressive Jen Yu (Ziyi Zhang). The face-off fight scene between these two female characters is really something to behold as it is one of the most beautifully choreographed fights cinema audiences can experience. However, it is Yu Shu Lien who gets special mention here, in part due to Michelle Yeoh’s amazing history of decades of work in martial arts cinema and delivering such an impressive performance despite agonising physical injuries suffered during filming.

7. Susan Cooper in Spy (2015)

The only action comedy to make it on to the list, perhaps because Hollywood has been frustratingly slow at realising that women can be hilarious and kick-ass, Spy features CIA agent Susan Cooper moving out from behind her Langley-based desk job and venturing out into the field as an undercover agent. Spy manages to affectionately parody the genre of the spy thriller and its machismo while simultaneously conveying an empowering message of what women can achieve when they stop listening to those who try and clip their wings.

Melissa McCarthy is hilarious in the lead role, but also brings a warmth and genuine sense of pathos to the character while providing a refreshing take on the female spy. The fight scene which takes place between Susan and an enemy agent in a restaurant kitchen, with only weapons of a pan and a kitchen knife to hand, is funny and nail-biting in equal measure and is so well choreographed that it rivals most contemporary action fight scenes despite its comic tone.

6. Beatrix Kiddo a.k.a. The Bride in Kill Bill (2003)

As with most of Tarantino’s back catalogue, Kill Bill borrows from many genres to form a bricolage made from exploitation film, rape-revenge horror, and Chinese martial arts film. It is particularly worth noting that this film owes a huge debt to the excellent Lady Snowblood (1973), which I would strongly encourage you to seek out. Kill Bill, in contrast to some of Tarantino’s other work, still provides an end result which is fresh and compelling, much to the credit of Uma Thurman in her portrayal of the avenging figure of The Bride.

With fight sequences so extreme as to occasionally move into pastiche, The Bride nevertheless proves an engaging character and impressive combatant. One aspect of The Bride’s representation as an action heroine which is particularly rare is the way in which the film does not shy away from showing the bloody effects of violence, in contrast to some of the other films on this list which protect their protagonists from becoming bloodied and beaten.

Whether you read this as a sadistic will on the part of the filmmaker or a more believable representation of a female fighter is down to subjective interpretation, there is no denying that the Bride and indeed all the female members of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad bear the brunt of their violence as much as any male action star would.

5. Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games (2012)

Katniss (Jennifer Lawrence) is unique in the company of the other characters on this list as she is a completely reluctant action heroine. Although she is set up as being physically capable from the first film’s opening scenes, as it is established that she is an adept tracker and hunter, she only does this in order to provide for her impoverished family. When the real action of The Hunger Games begins, she eschews any violence or killing until it is absolutely necessary, conveying to us as an audience that she is moral and just in her actions.

These films seem to have resonated with a disenfranchised youth culture and it is easy to draw parallels between the dystopian setting of a controlling and oppressive government and the current political climate for many audiences worldwide. Outside of its social commentary, the films have proved hugely successful and influential, spawning a large number of similar cinematic adaptations of dystopian young adult fiction. The Hunger Games, and the figure of Katniss as its leading action heroine, are arguably the best and most well-conceived examples of this genre.

4. Trinity in The Matrix (1999)

“I think we can handle one little girl” boasts the cop whose team have just entered an abandoned building to apprehend Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss). The ensuing fight and chase sequence constitutes what is arguably one of the best introductions to any of the action heroines featured on this list. Trinity deftly sees off her would-be assailants and evades capture by the ominous ‘agents’ who are complicit in the imprisonment of humankind in the virtual reality world of The Matrix. She soars over rooftops, kicking and punching her way out of trouble as the viewer can appreciate every angle of the action thanks to the influential and now infamous ‘bullet time’ camera work of the Wachowski Sisters.

Trinity’s cyberpunk aesthetic places her in stark opposition to the suits and uniform of the dominant order, which is arguably a social position where the action heroine is in her element, as she is so often a symbolic threat to the status quo. Although Trinity’s role slips into a somewhat tired love interest trope as the franchise progresses, the first film in The Matrix trilogy features her as one of the most exhilarating and inspirational female characters in contemporary action.

3. Imperator Furiosa in Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)

One of the most recent additions to the ranks of action heroine in cinema, Furiosa was as celebrated as she was controversial. While the majority of audiences sang Mad Max: Fury Road‘s praises, particularly in relation to its representation of gender, there were others who felt there was no place for such a prominent female character in a film that should have focused on the established character of Max. Thankfully these detractors had no impact on the film’s success and it went on to be a box-office hit and win multiple awards for technical achievement, but these grumblings hint at a wider anxiety and discomfort in some quarters around women in this traditionally ‘male’ genre.

Furiosa is not only physically strong (Charlize Theron spoke of how she felt the need to strengthen her upper body after being frustrated by representations of very slight action heroines in other films) but mentally powerful, showing dogged determination in her quest to find a sanctuary and better world for the women she has rescued from the control of patriarchal warlord Immortan Joe.

Mad Max: Fury Road‘s critical and commercial success suggests that films featuring a leading action woman are now more popular than ever with a diverse audience, which can only be a good thing.

2. Sarah Connor in Terminator 2: Judgement Day (1991)

One of the most iconic action women of science fiction, Sarah Connor, returns in this sequel having been transformed from a terrified woman fleeing a pursuing cyborg hell-bent on killing her to one of the toughest women to have graced our cinema screens. One of the more muscular and physically strong of the action women on this list, Linda Hamilton’s physical transformation between the first instalment of the franchise and Terminator 2 is remarkable, hence why the shot of her toting a gun while showing off her toned physique is one of the most enduring action movie images of the early 90s.

Connor is willing to do anything to protect her son, and this film is one of the many examples of a female character finding huge resources of strength and determination in order to protect family or loved ones. While some critics have argued that this limits her power and agency, there is no denying Sarah Connor is one of the most impressive and influential figures of late 80s and early 90s action cinema.

1. Ellen Ripley in Aliens (1986)

There is only one figure who could compete with Sarah Connor to be considered the most iconic action heroine of all time and that is Lt. Ellen Ripley of the ever popular Alien franchise. While the first, Ridley Scott-directed instalment is arguably the better film, it is in the sequel Aliens that Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) really becomes a true action heroine. Wielding a flame thrower, fighting off an alien queen in a huge robotic suit and surviving an elite squad of marines are just some of the feats she achieves and all as a result of her own determination and strength.

After three decades the character of Ripley is still considered to be one of the most influential female figures in cinema and it looks as if, despite all the worthy contemporary contenders listed, this reputation will endure for many years to come.

It was extremely difficult to choose just 10 great action heroines, which just goes to prove how many fantastic female characters have emerged in action cinema in recent years. Who would you have included that I haven’t? Are there any characters you feel shouldn’t have made the cut? Share your thoughts below!