The action film market is generally dominated by men, while female characters are limited to a damsel in a distressed role or minor supporting roles. Well, that scenario has changed little by little over the years. More and more women are taking the lead in action films and are proving that female audiences also deserve to be represented in the genre.
Action with female protagonists
From the iconic Ellen Ripley played by Sigourney Weaver in Alien: The 8th Passenger, in 1979, many actresses have been inspired by playing extraordinary roles on the big screen over the years. Check below the top 10 action movies with female leads to watch.
10. Atomic
Undercover MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton is tasked with investigating the murder of an officer and recovering a lost list of double agents in Berlin during the Cold War. The head of the locality, David Percival, will help her in the search for her, where she will have to use all her assassin skills to win this clash of spies.
Released in August 2017, the film stars Charlize Theron and James McAvoy. It is currently available on Amazon Prime Video and Globoplay, and for rent on YouTube, Google Play and Apple TV.
9. Kate
Meticulous assassin Kate is on a mission to kill a member of the Yakuza, but something goes wrong and she ends up poisoned. She now has 24 hours to take revenge on her enemies as her body rapidly deteriorates.
The 2021 film stars Mary Elizabeth Winstead as Kate, Miku Patricia Martineau as Ani, and Woody Harrelson as Varrick. It is currently available on Netflix.
8. Birds of Prey: Harley Quinn and her fantastic emancipation
In Birds of Prey, Harley Quinn teams up with Black Canary, Huntress and Renee Montoya to form a bizarre rescue group of women to save Gotham City from the hands of the dangerous Black Mask who is wreaking havoc in the city.
Premiering in February 2020 in Brazilian theaters, the film stars our dear Margot Robbie as Alerquina and contains Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Jurnee Smollett-Bell and Ewan McGregor. The film is available on Amazon Prime Video and HBO Max and for rent on YouTube, Google Play Movies and Apple TV.
7. Where is Monday?
The year is 2073 and the world is plagued by shortage of natural resources and overpopulation. Only one child is admitted to each couple, but to a father’s desperation seven twin sisters are born. Lest they are forced to be confined to a cryogenic environment until the world stabilizes again, the way is for all the sisters to have the same identity.
Each is named after a day of the week and can be released on the day that matches its name. The women live in secret until one of them, the Second, mysteriously disappears. The 2020 film stars Noomi Rapace, Willem Dafoe, Glenn Close and Clara Read. It is currently available on Netflix.
6. Tomb Raider: Beginning
Lara Croft’s father, an eccentric adventurer, mysteriously disappeared years ago. To find it, Lara embarks on what should have been her father’s last destination, which was in search of a legendary tomb on a mystical island that lies somewhere off the coast of Japan.
Now the protagonist needs all the skill and dexterity she has for a journey full of mysteries and dangers.
Premiering in 2018, the action-adventure film stars Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins and Hannah John Kamen. It is currently available on Amazon Prime Video and for rent on YouTube, Google Play and Apple TV.
5. The professional
Anna is a hit man raised and trained by legendary assassin Moody. When he is brutally murdered by his enemies, Anna vows revenge. She joins forces with Rembrandt and goes after those who killed the one person she considered family.
The film was released in 2021 and stars big names in the cast as Samuel L. Jackson and Michael Keaton and stars Maggie Q. Currently the film is available on Telecine, and for rent on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play and on Apple TV .
4. Tomorrow’s Vigilante: Ghost in the Shell
In a post-2029 world it is already possible to enhance the human body with technology, thus creating cyborgs. In this world, Major Mira Killian’s brain has been transplanted into a fully cybernetic body.
She is then placed in the Section 9 Police Department, to fight crime. But in the midst of an important investigation, she begins to have glitches in her system that allow her to recall bits of her memory when she was still human.
The film is based on the manga of the same name, due out in 2017. It stars none other than Scarlett Johansson, and stars Michael Pitt and Johan Philip Asbæk. It is available on Globo Play and for rent on Google Play, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video and Apple TV.
3. The king woman
Based on a true story, the plot takes place around 1800 and accompanies Nanisca, general of the group of female warriors called Agojie, trained to protect the kingdom of Dahomey, in Africa. Together they fight to protect their land and people from enemies, colonists and slave traders.
Released in 2022, it stars Viola Davis as the unbeatable Nanisca and features performances by Thuso Mbedu and Lashana Lynch. It is currently available on HBO Max and for rent on Amazon Prime Video, YouTube, Google Play and Apple TV.
2. Kill Bill
After waking up from a four-year coma, the former assassin known only as the Bride seeks revenge on Bill, her former lover and boss, and his Killing Squad of Deadly Vipers, for trying to kill her on her wedding day while pregnant in bed. She won’t stop until she’s done with everyone involved.
Kill Bill has two volumes, the first released in 2003 and the second in 2004. Directed by Quentin Tarantino, it stars Uma Thurman, as well as David Carradine, Lucy Liu, Michael Madsen, Daryl Hannah, Vivica A. Fox, and Chiaki Kuriyama . The films are currently available on Amazon Prime Video Premium.
1. The predator: the hunt
In 1719, Naru, a young Comanche warrior, fights to protect her people from colonists and an alien creature that possesses a highly advanced technological arsenal and hunts humans for sport. Armed with her primitive weapons, she puts all her skills to the test in this brutal and terrifying combat.
The film was released in 2022 and features performances by Amber Midthunder, Dane DiLiegro and Michelle Thrush. It is currently available on Star+.
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Rose James is a Gossipify movie and series reviewer known for her in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the latest releases. With a background in film studies, she provides engaging and informative reviews, and keeps readers up to date with industry trends and emerging talents.
