For a very long time, action movies have been dominated by Bonds and Bournes. Female characters were still key players in movies, but were mostly given the supporting roles beside the testosterone-filled macho men. However, the tides are changing. Although the first female-led action movies started way back in the late 1970s, the last two decades have seen a plethora of remarkable heroine-centric action films.
From superhero movies to cold-blooded killers, female-led action movies have evolved to give us amazing action set pieces. Oozing style, violence, and a fresh dose of action hero tropes, this list consists of the 10 best female-led action movies that’ll blow your mind.
10 Greatest Female-Led Action Movies
1. Birds of Prey (2020)
Birds of Prey’s story follows Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), who after breaking up with the Joker (Jared Leto), is on the run and reluctantly pairs up with superheroine Black Canary (Jurnee Smallett), vigilante Huntress (Marie Elizabeth Winstead), and detective Renée Montoya (Rosie Perez) to face the wrath of crime boss, Black Mask (Ewan McGregor).
The DC Extended Universe finally gave a team of female vigilantes led by none other than the candy-colored and chaotic Harley Quinn. Margot Robbie produced and starred in the film, which she herself pitched to Warner Bros., and wanted a female director on the team. This exciting superhero flick was praised for its fast-paced action sequences and Robbie’s outstanding performance in the lead. The central human emotion of the movie is that Harley finds her independence not through some romantic redemption, but by belonging to a family of misfits.
2. Prey (2022)
Directed by Dan Trachtenberg, Prey follows Comanche warrior Naru (Amber Midthunder) in 1719, who, like her brother, wants to become a hunter for her clan and is forced to protect her it from the apex predator from an alien world, the Yautja.
The Predator franchise introduced its first female protagonist in 2022’s Prey, which is one of the most exciting, modern female-led action movies in recent times. The movie refueled the Predator series by bringing the most vicious hunter among the Feral Predators. Amber Midthunder carries the entire movie as a capable warrior.
3. Kill Bill: Vol. 1 (2003)
From the renowned master of stylized violence, Quentin Tarantino’s martial arts classic, Kill Bill: Vol. 1, Uma Thurman plays The Bride, who swears revenge on her ex-lover Bill (David Carradine), who attempted to kill her and her unborn child.
Quentin Tarantino had written the role specifically for Uma Thurman and cited her as his muse for the writing process. The movie was both a critical and a commercial success, with its sequel released after six months. Uma took inspiration from 1973’s Coffy and the 1980s neo-noir crime thriller Gloria, stating that, “two of the only women I’ve ever seen be truly women while holding a weapon.”
4. Aliens (1986)
In James Cameron’s 1986 sci-fi action classic, Aliens, Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) awakens from her hypersleep after floating in space for 57 years and is found by a marine team, who become the target of space creatures as Ripley faces aliens in an epic battle to save the only survivor, Newt (Carrie Henn).
James Cameron believed that Aliens needed a strong female heroine to distinguish it from the rest, as Sigourney Weaver reprised her role in this sensational action movie. She won a Saturn Award for Best Actress and was nominated at both the Oscars and Golden Globes. Ultimately, Ripley would go on to become the face of the Aliens franchise, starring in its subsequent movies.
5. Wonder Woman (2017)
Gal Gadot has to be one of the perfect castings of all time as she donned the role of the epic Wonder Woman in the 2017 superhero flick, directed by Patty Jenkins. In the movie, Wonder Woman stops World War I with the help of American pilot Steve Trevor (Chris Pine), believing the war was started by Amazon’s longtime enemy, Ares (David Thewlis).
Wonder Woman truly encompasses the spirit of a strong female character and was hailed by critics and audiences. Gal Gadot’s performance embodied the appearance of the iconic DC hero, but also the character’s emotional depth. It collected a whopping $824 million at the box office. Gal Gadot went on to reprise her role in the sequel, Wonder Woman 1984, which was not as lovable as the original.
6. Charlie’s Angels (2000)
Charlie’s Angels is a fantastic adaptation of the ‘70s cult classic show, which starred Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz, and Lucy Liu at the height of their stardoms. The movie follows three private investigators who work for a mysterious, faceless millionaire, Charlie, to rescue a software engineer and stop a devious mastermind from executing an assassination conspiracy.
Before the movie, Drew Barrymore herself had bought the rights to the hit show on which it is based. She insisted that, unlike typical action films, the Angels’ fight sequences would be without the use of guns and still be entertaining. She was right—the execution of this tongue-in-cheek flick was spot-on. Charlie’s Angels was a blockbuster, which also prompted its sequel, Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle, in 2003, with the same cast.
7. Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
This movie swept numerous Academy Awards at the 2023 Oscars. A stressed-out and panicky laundromat owner, Evelyn (Michelle Yeoh), finds herself getting pulled into a mission to literally save the fate of the multiverse by one of her husband Waymond’s (Key Huy Quan) alternate selves from an alternate reality.
Michelle Yeoh has long been a martial arts movie legend in both Hong Kong and Hollywood, and the success of Everything Everywhere All at Once really put her in the spotlight. This movie is a mix of martial arts, sci-fi, goofy comedy, and heartfelt family drama above all. Michelle Yeoh’s electrifying performance makes it an outstanding female-led action movie.
8. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga focuses on the origins of the Imperator Furiosa (Anya Taylor-Joy) as a post-apocalyptic wasteland warrior, who seeks revenge from the vicious leader of the Biker Horde, Dementus (Chris Hemsworth), for her mother’s death.
Unlike its predecessor, Mad Max: Fury Road, 2024’s Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga didn’t find much success at the box office, but was praised by critics and viewers. The stunts are every bit exhilarating and death-defying as those of Fury Road. Moreover, Anya Taylor-Joy is magnificent as a lone, vengeful warrior.
9. From the World of John Wick: Ballerina (2025)
The story of John Wick: Ballerina takes place between the events of John Wick’s third and fourth installments. It follows a Ruska Roma warrior, Eve Macarro (Ana de Armas), who goes out for revenge for her father’s murder by a mysterious cult, threatening the peace treaty between the cult and the Ruska Roma community.
From the World of John Wick: Ballerina is the first big spin-off of the John Wick universe, and proves that the franchise has plenty of gunpowder and extraordinary ways of killing left in the gas. Ana de Armas brings both ruthless aggression and innocence to her portrayal. With incredible stunt work, gunfights, exciting hand-to-hand combat, and the first entry of a flamethrower to the franchise, Ballerina proves to be the equal of its predecessors.
Summing It Up
Credit to all the female-centric action movies to carry the torch for a narrative change in the industry, but one can’t simply ignore the fire lit by Allen Ripley’s character in Aliens. She was one of the early examples of how badass a woman-led film can be and still become a crowd puller.
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