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5 most impressive movie women who kick butt
By Christy Lemire LOS ANGELES©2025 GPlusMedia Inc.
40 Comments
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Dewaashita
Maggie Cheung as Flying Snow in "Hero".
Klein2
I will make a note that KICK BUTT is perfectly acceptable for JT.
I am not sure that this is really news so much as an excuse to say something about Angelina Jolie. Kate Hepburn was a tough cookie back in the day. There were also the "chick" from Jackie Brown, Jodie Foster in Silence of the Lambs, Jamie Lee Curtis. Sandra Bullock too.
They all kicked butt.
seeker1
I agree with all the choices but where's Carrie-Anne Moss?
ebonyninja
I agree with all except...remove Jane Fonda and replace her with Milla Jovovich for Resident Evil. Milla kicks Butt!!!
PeaceWarrior
Exactly what I was going to say using the Fifth Element as an example but Resident Evil works too.
mokgohan
Kill Bill's Bride was inspired by Meiko Kaji in Shurayukihime (Lady Snowblood) who could pretty much singlehandedly take out all the ladies mentioned above... at the same time... twice.
Well, she might have trouble with Michelle Yeoh if she's in her Police Story 3- Supercop form.
Dewaashita
seeker1, I assume you mean Trinity from "The Matrix"? Why should the writer be the only one to vote. That is why I threw my choice in. :)
DarkKnightNine
How could limit this to only five movies, lest you forget Demi Moore in G.I. Jane and her famous one liner "Suck my.....". Then there's Milla Jovovich in the Resident Evil (Bio Hazard) movies who just rocks! We can also go way back to Cynthia Rothrock who was one of the baddest western females to ever star in a Hong Kong action flick.
whiskeysour
Jane Fonda out Scarlett Johansson from Ironman 2, Rebecca Romijn - Mystique X-Men series, Matrix-Trinity Carrie-Anne Moss Barberella is and was a bad movie. Nothing cool about it !!!!
dolphingirl
I would add Jessica Alba, Halle Berry, Demi Moore and Carrie-Anne Moss to that list.
Sarge
At the top of the list should be Lucy Liu, Cameron Diaz and Drew Barrymore - Charlie's Angels!
And don't forget Demi Moore in G.I. Jane. And Charlie's Angels!
( though she got her butt kicked by the Angels, heh heh )
Carcharodon
what about Chyna? she could genuinely kick butt! My favorite -Michelle Rodriguez for me. Ana Lucia in Lost, chopper pilot in avatar, Swat. Yep she's the one for me.
DarkKnightNine
@whiskeysour: I like your choices. I forgot all about Ironman 2. Scarlett Johansson definitely kicked some serious butt in that movie.
MrDog
I can't believe they left out Estelle Getty from "Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot".
Good to see JT are bringing us the quality news we want to read.
Junnama
The "kick butt" woman is such a common character in action movies nowadays. Sorry, but it's really hard to tell them all apart.,,
DarkKnightNine
To add to the growing list: Geena Davis - Long Kiss Goodnight & Cut Throat Island, Rhona Mitra & Kate Beckinsale - Underworld, Lori Petty - Tank Girl, Pamela Anderson Lee - Barb Wire, Sharon Stone - Quick & the Dead, Charlize Theron - Aeon Flux, Kathleen Turner - Undercover Blues & V.I. Warshawski and yes I do watch a lot of movies.
Junnama
As a side note Barbarella never kicked any butt. She spent the whole movie getting her butt kicked!
Zenny11
Yeah, but Barbarella got her butt kicked in a nice and sexy way.
Wonder who they would for the proposed remake. Can't think of any actress that would fit.
Junnama
Sexy but kinda dopey... Pamela Anderson could have done it, but she's a bit old for it now...
nath
Gena Rowlands as Gloria. Susan Sarandon & Gena Davis in Thelma & Louise... Grace Jones in A View to a Kill...
KaptainKichigai
Take out Uma Thurmond and replace with Jodie Foster, and replace Fonda with Jovavich. Thank goodness no one asked about Moore in G.I. Jane
Soochi
No Princess Leia!!!!!?????!!!!!
KaptainKichigai
Rene Russo was good in Lethal Weapon 3 and I the Line of Fire with Clint.
KaptainKichigai
remember the women have to "kickbutt". Just dropping terrible action movies with terrible actresses doesnt do much good.
herefornow
Hold the phone, what about Grace Jones in that old James Bond movie? She was seriously nasty and still gave James (played by Roger Moore) a roll in the hay.
lrodriguezsosa
Well, she might have trouble with Michelle Yeoh if she's in her Police Story 3- Supercop form.
Totally agree! :)
Yumimoto
Anne Parillaud in Nikita kicked butt and Milla Jovovich did too in Joan of Arc.
Sarge
I always dreamed about Jeannie in I Dream of Jeannie kicking butt...
Sarge
Diana Rigg as Emma Peel kicked some butt.
gamera
Uma Thurman rules!!
shinhiyata
I can't believe this a Japanese culture forum and nobody save one has mentioned the Pinky film girls? Kaji Meiko, Reiko Ike, and Reiko Oshida deserve sincere accolades for their work in defining this genre. However, Miki Sugimoto is undeniably hotter and more vicious than any of the women mentioned above. Her work in the Girl Boss-Sukeban, Terrifying Girls High School, and Hot Springs Geisha flicks set the industry standard for gorgeous Japanese girls who kick butt. Without a doubt, Miki's portrayal in Zero Woman ~ Red Handcuffs is the most over the top, sexy and violent, psychoerotic grindhouse classic ever.
glycol57
Interesting how the image of women has changed, even over just the past 50 years or so. Remember when the "ideal" woman was weak, indecisive, brainless, ignorant, servile and dependent ? That was not a good time for women, it left them open to all manner of abuse and exploitation - "house slaves" if they were lucky.
But now, girls kick butt with the best of them. Good job gals !
Now how to spread this to the Taliban universe ? :-)
techall
Whoa, whoa, whoa, where's Milla Jovovich, kicked some serious but in Fifth Element and all of the Biohazard movies.
morriconelover
not having Pam Grier from her role in COFFY is a big mistake.
genjuro
Michelle Yeoh in Wing Chun. Classic.
Disillusioned
What about Michelle Rodrigez(SP?)? - Biohazard, Avatar and as of yesterday she'll be in the next season of Whale Wars cos she's going on the SS this season.
lostrune2
That 12-yr-old girl in Kick Ass!
papigiulio
@lostrune: Amen! she kicks serious BUTT. Btw lets not forget Xena, even tho it was only a tvshow. aaaand Charlies Angels?
hrd1231
The Long Kiss Goodnight, Geena Davis...end of story.
yasukuni
Grace Jones in Conan?