Polite Society (2023)
This coming-of-age action comedy about a teenage girl who wants to become a stunt performer and sees conspiracies behind every corner when her older sister gives up her dreams in order to get married is so fun! You’ll love Ria, promise. Polite Society has the energy of, like, an action movie and a classic sleepover flick.
The Marvels (2023)
So what if this MCU “entry” didn’t make a smash at the box office? If its fate is to be a cult hit within a massive franchise, sign me up to drink the Kool-Aid. I loved the chemistry between Carol, Monica, and Kamala (three complex female leads for the price of one) and thought the action was genuinely creative. It set what is, to me, the perfect tone for a comic book action movie.
Wingwomen (2023)
You have to check out this hidden gem on Netflix. It has a classic action movie premise: two thieves must pull off one last job to get out of their life of crime. It’s French. It stars Mélanie Laurent (Inglorious Basterds), who also directed and co-wrote the film, and Adèle Exarchopoulos (Passages). Get into it! Allons-y!
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Cat Ballou (1965)
It’s Jane Fonda as a Western outlaw. I’m not sure why you’re asking follow-up questions. What more could you possibly need to know? Actually, I should probably warn against some cultural insensitivity. Keep that in mind, but other than that get to it!
Edge of Tomorrow: Live Die Repeat (2014)
Okay, so this science fiction/action take on Groundhog Day is a Tom Cruise movie first and foremost. Emily Blunt is more of a co-lead. But her arms in this movie alone should earn her a place on this list. (I kid…. Rita is a complex and layered character, too.) Show some respect to the Full Metal Bitch!
Pacific Rim (2013)
Here’s another film with a strong female co-lead. Mako Mori and Raleigh Becket have an equal amount of backstory and motivation in the high-stakes and action-packed conflict. The two cannot save the day without each other. And for those with strong thoughts about how the dynamics between men and women play out on screen, you can read as much or as little romance into their relationship as you wish.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Prey (2022)
There’s no reason why Amber Midthunder shouldn’t be a major action star. You don’t need to have seen any other Predator movies to understand this sort-of prequel (full disclosure: I have not). It’s just a movie about a girl who wants to become a hunter instead of a healer and ends up hunting a killer alien. It’s. so kickass I was on the edge of my seat!!
D.E.B.S. (2004)
Is this action comedy about teenage female spies kind of the most progressive movie ever made? Maybe! If you loved Bottoms and Barely Lethal you will love this!
Annihilation (2018)
There’s a little more creepy science fiction action than action action in this one but I’d like to count it. You wouldn’t mess with a team like Natalie Portman, Tessa Thompson, Gina Rodriguez and Jennifer Jason Leigh, would you?
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
La Femme Nikita (1990)
French director Luc Besson might be better known for The Fifth Element but we can’t leave out Miss Nikita!
The Woman King (2022)
The Agojie, a real brigade of all-women warriors of the Dahomey kingdom in Western Africa between the 1600s and 1900s, have partially inspired fictional female squadrons in pop culture including the Dora Milaje in Black Panther and the Amazons in Wonder Woman. Now we have a (fictionalized) version of the real thing directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood, and it rocks.
Aliens (1986)
The first Alien is more of a horror movie, and Sigourney Weaver’s Ripley is more of a final girl than an action star, but the sequel goes full action with Ripley as the lead.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Run Lola Run (1998)
This trippy German movie literally hits the ground running and doesn’t stop. Also… I studied this movie in a philosophy class, y’all. It’s deep! Take notes!
Miss Congeniality (2000)
Sure, people remember the funny quotable lines and romantic comedy of it all… but remember the whole point of the story? She kicks major ass!
Raya and the Last Dragon (2022)
How about an animated action movie? This Disney movie is extremely exciting, so check it out! It’s a gorgeous adventure about a girl who saves her kingdom and gets in some impressive fights along the way.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Widows (2018)
This movie, in which Viola Davis recruits the ordinary wives of her husband’s criminal associates to do one job to get them out of trouble, is criminally underrated.
Jupiter Ascending (2015)
This is a weird movie. Mila Kunis plays a cleaner who finds out she’s a space princess. Eddie Redmayne, Douglas Booth, and Tuppence Middleton play immortal (ish) space siblings. Channing Tatum plays… a dog? But if you can roll with the oddness, this wild space fairy tale is genuinely fun and full of action!
Rogue One (2016)
Speaking of space operas, I know we loved Andor—but Cassian Andor was introduced to Star Wars in a film with a lady lead. Jyn Erso, played by Felicity Jones, may not have a lightsaber but she can 100 percent handle herself in a space fight.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Star Wars: The Last Jedi (2017)
You can have an action hero with a lightsaber too, as a treat.
Foxy Brown (1974)
Pam Grier was it in the ‘70s. When Foxy Brown’s boyfriend is murdered by drug dealers, she’s the one who takes them down.
Watch Next
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
