Men have traditionally been Hollywood's action heroes, but from the early 90s onward a number of women heroines have captivated movie audiences with a blend of good looks and great moves. These are just a few of them.
1. Carrie-Anne Moss in The Matrix
Keanu Reeves’ character Neo may have been the lead character, but Carrie-Anne, who played Trinity stole the show by pulling off a number of nearly impossible stunts.
2. Scarlett Johansson in The Avengers
Her role as the Black Widow was the start of a string of lead roles in action movies for Scarlett.
undefined3. Angelina Jolie in Wanted
Angelina has a string of successful action movies under her belt, including Salt, Mr & Mrs Smith and Tomb Raider. While she became a household name playing Lara Croft in the Tomb Raider movies, it is her role as Fox in Timur Bekmambetov’s Wanted that makes her truly stand out as an action heroine.
4. Uma Thurman in Kill Bill
Taking on a bunch of Yakuza, and digging herself out of a grave in Quentin Tarantino’s two-part Kill Bill, has secured Uma’s place in movie history. Her character, Beatrix Kiddo, probably inspired more Halloween costumes than any other female heroine over the next few years.
5. Lisbeth Salander in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo
You’ll notice that we’ve used the name of the character and not the actress. That’s because Stieg Larsson’s two movies gave us two kickass women stars in the shape of Noomi Rapace and Rooney Mara.
6. Cynthia Rothrock in China O’Brien
A 5-time World Champion and holder of 6 black belts in various disciplines, Cynthia Rothrock became a household name on the Hong Kong movie scene in the 80s - something very few Westerners can boast.
undefined7. Demi Moore in GI Jane
Watching Moore’s character Jordan O’Neill transform from a feminine, cutesy young woman to a tough Navy SEAL in the Ridley Scott movie was magical.
8. Anne Parillaud in La Femme Nikita
No list of kick-ass movie heroines would be complete without Nikita, the assassin in the little black dress who spawned a whole bunch of movies with women as the action heroine.