The Old Guard and Top 10 Action Film Female Bad Asses

Photo Credit: Netflix

I watched the hot new Netflix offering The Old Guard last night. Based on a comic book of the same name, it tells the story of a group of immortal soldiers led by millennia-old Andromache of Scythia (now known as “Andy”) and their battle against an evil pharmaceutical executive who wants to harvest their DNA to cure disease and drive his company’s stock price through the roof of the fancy downtown tower where the film’s action-packed finale takes place. Charlize Theron plays the lead and like just about everything else she does, she nails it as the guilt-ridden bad ass heroine with a tragic backstory. It got me thinking, who are the best female bad asses in action movie history? Here are my picks in a countdown from 10 to 1.

10. Lucy in Lucy (2014)

Scarlett Johansson has starred in several action movies over the course of her career, but this one is my favorite. Writer/Director Luc Besson has a knack for the genre and this story of an unwitting woman who taps into the full power of the human brain via an overdose of a new synthetic drug and uses it against the cartel who created it is a fun ride.

9. Sofia in John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum (2019)

Like Johansson, Halle Berry has played tough before, but never has she been more of a bad ass than she was in the third installment of the John Wick franchise. Watching her character Sofia fight side-by-side with Keanu Reeves’ John Wick was a blast even if the movie’s script doesn’t hold up to the original.

8. Ilsa Faust in Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015)

Every one of the films in this long franchise is entertaining, but Rebecca Ferguson brought a welcome shot of female adrenaline to this fifth installment as British agent Ilsa Faust. She holds her own against Tom Cruise’s series lead Ethan Hunt and wound up making other series newcomer Jeremy Renner feel like an afterthought.

7. Miho in Sin City (2005)

There are several murderous women in this stylish hard-boiled thriller from Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller, but my favorite is the mute, deadly sword-wielding assassin Miho. Played by Devon Aoki, she does a number on dirty cop Jackie Boy that’s one of the highlights of the movie.

6. Alice in Resident Evil (2002)

Sure, like just about every film based on a video game, the writing in this one is pretty sub-par, but there's no denying Milla Jovovich’s appeal as zombie-killing heroine Alice. From the iconic slinky red dress to the inventive scene in the laser hallway, Alice definitely makes an impression.

5. Jane Smith in Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

Angelina Jolie could have filled half this list, but I limited myself to just one of her roles and picked Jane Smith. This film is a blast and the chemistry between her and costar Brad Pitt was so palpable no one was surprised when they wound up getting married in real life. That marriage didn’t have quite the same happy ending the film did, but that doesn’t take away from our fun as an audience.

4. Sarah Connor in Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991)

One of the earliest cinematic examples of the modern female bad ass, Linda Hamilton nailed the part of Sarah Connor in both the original film and this sequel. Going against Arnold Schwarzenegger in his muscle-bound prime, you’d better bring your action A-game and she did.

3. Lorraine Broughton in Atomic Blonde (2017)

Starring in another film based on a graphic novel, Charlize Theron is both brutal and sexy as MI6 agent Lorraine Broughton. Sent to solve a murder in Berlin in the midst of the Cold War, Broughton’s mission includes a series of fantastic fight scenes, a great car chase, and one of the best film soundtracks ever.

2. Beatrix Kiddo in Kill Bill (2003)

Yes, technically this movie was broken into two chapters, but I’m counting both because there is simply no choosing between Uma Thurmond’s performances as The Bride. Writer/director Quentin Tarantino has written some of film’s best characters ever, but vengeful mama assassin Beatrix Kiddo might take the cake.

1. Ellen Ripley in Aliens (1986)

For me, Sigourney Weaver’s four turns as alien-fighting Ellen Ripley represent the matriarch of the film female action hero. No one before her took what was traditionally a male role and made it something truly female and yet still completely bad ass. She was great in all four of the movies she did in this franchise, but this 1986 sequel was the cream of the crop.

Andromache didn’t quite make my list and I’ll bet plenty of you would argue for some other characters and films I left out, but if you’ve already seen these 10, I highly recommend you add The Old Guard to your Netflix queue.