You Talkin' To Me?
As Kick Ass' Hit-Girl is set to return to the big screen this month, we chart the greatest badass movie heroines to have ever high-kicked their way out of the cinemas and into our hearts.
Rex FeaturesThe Bride
Kill Bill: Vols 1 + 2
Played by: Uma Thurman
Umm, where to start on how awesome The Bride aka Beatrix Kiddo is? For starters, she is crazy-accomplished in the martial arts and lest we forget, she also digs herself out of a buried coffin – oh and takes revenge on, well, everyone. One of Tarantino’s best – and she’s a girl.
Starts singing Independent Woman by Destiny's Child.
Rex FeaturesTrinty
The Matrix (all of them)
Played by: Carrie-Anne Moss
Let’s face it; who looked as good in black PVC before or since Trinity. Ever since that first scene in the original (and best) Matrix where Agent Smith is all like, “ooh, your police officers are already dead” and then it cuts to her doing lots of martial arts and escaping a room full of policemen, we’ve been big, big fans of Trinity; while her and Neo’s romance is amongst our favourite on-screen hook ups.
Rex FeaturesRipley
Alien (and all the many, many sequels)
Played by: Sigourney Weaver
There are many, many things that make Ripley great – among them are her perm (very chic for outer space), she was an early purveyor of the jumpsuit trend (just check out that boiler) and when it came down on their spaceship Nostromo, she was the only one to make it out alive – and she even managed to save the crew’s cat Jones.
Princess Leia
Star Wars
Played by: Carrie Fisher
Even though she’s royalty, Princess Leia isn’t frightened to get stuck in acting as a spy for the Rebel Alliance. Despite several brushes with death and confronted with the fact that her father is her arch-enemy as well as the biggest threat to the free worlds, she keeps her cool throughout. Leia's mouth is perhaps her best weapon, although we've often wondered what she keeps in those side buns...
Rex FeaturesShu & Jen
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
Played by: Michelle Yeoh & Zhang Ziyi
We thought both these two deserved a mention as although they’re very different with Shu being the calmer more thoughtful warrior, warriors they both are and they’re fight scenes are pure magic. They can fly which adds extreme awesomeness to their special skill set, and their sword play is phenomenal.
Rex FeaturesMathilda Lando
Léon: The Professional
Played by: Natalie Portman
Wise beyond her tender twelve years, Mathilda’s story is a sad one. After narrowly avoiding being killed by a bent agent, little Natalie Portman (in her debut movie role, we might add) is orphaned and taken in by hitman Jean Reno who teaches her the business. She’s a bold and brave badass heroine who root for the entire movie and also gives the introverted Leon “a taste for life” in the process.
Rex FeaturesNatalie, Dylan & Alex
Charlie’s Angels
Played by: Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore & Lucy Liu
There was a time when we probably could have quoted this movie back to you line-by-line. Why? Because it’s awesome (we’ve still got the soundtrack). That aside, it also has three of Noughties cinema’s most high-kicking, cool movie heroines: We loved Natalie’s dancing, Dylan’s wardrobe and Alex’s spy cover - professional bikini waxer, if you remember.
Rex FeaturesHanna
Hanna
Played by: Saoirse Ronan
This film is weird but it’s also pretty great and we reckon Hanna’s going to become a cult heroine in the years to come. Having had limited contact with any other human being apart from Eric Bana (we can think of worse things), Hanna’s super-human strength and lack of fear soon find her hunted by a bewigged Cate Blanchett. Other highlights in this movie, are also a tracksuit-wearing Tom Hollander; one of the most original baddies we’ve seen on film for a long time.
Rex FeaturesMay Day
A View To A Kill
Played by: Grace Jones
Need you even ask why May Day is so great? For one, she’s played by the inimitable Grace Jones and second of all, she picked up Roger Moore’s Bond like it was no thang. Plus, like any good Bond girl, she’s initially with the baddy before ditching him when she discovers he’s a massive bellend.
Rex FeaturesMulan
Mulan
ERM… Mulan won the respect of the whole of the Chinese army, including the Emperor (casual) when she saved the entire empire that one time from The Huns. So I think she deserves a little respect in this feature, too.
Rex FeaturesThe Black Widow
Iron Man 2/The Avengers
Played by: Scarlett Johansson
This lady is pretty awesome because she can more than hold her own alongside the rest of the agents in S.H.I.EL.D. and is also one of the only ones to not have super powers; she’s just that skilled a warrior you might think she had. We reckon she could definitely crack nuts between her thighs.
Rex FeaturesJackie Brown
Jackie Brown
Played by: Pam Grier
Jackie Brown is a badass movie heroine not only because she is a Tarantino creation but also because she double-crosses EVERYONE.
Rex FeaturesEvelyn Salt
Salt
Played by: Angelina Jolie
Even though this movie got a bit of a slating from the critics, we absolutely loved it at GLAMOUR.com – and Evelyn was a pretty cool anti-heroine. Whilst we were never sure on which side her allegiance lay, the backstory about being trained from childhood to be a sleeper agent was pretty cool and we’re fairly certain the ever-resourceful spy could strangle someone with a cordless phone.
Rex FeaturesSelene
Underworld(s)
Played by: Kate Beckinsale
We love a good vampire flick and they don’t get much better than the first instalment of the Underworld legacy. Played by British thesp Kate Beckinsale, Selene is a no-nonsense warrioress who along with her services to all-leather outfits, deserves a mention here for taking on not one breed of baddy but two: vampire and Lycan. What a woman.
Rex FeaturesHit-Girl
Kick-Ass
Played by: Chloe Grace Moretz
Hit-Girl. Let’s face it; you’d want her on side. A potty-mouthed teenager she may be indeed, but she doesn’t pull any punches (perhaps that wasn’t the best phrase to use) where the enemy are concerned. She also has a super-classic outfit to go with her superhero alter-ego and we’re mega excited about Kick Ass 2.
Katniss Everdeen
The Hunger Games
Played by: Jennifer Lawrence
Oscar winner, joker with Jack Nicholson… Sorry. Katniss. Katniss not Jennifer. We love Katniss because she’s a good egg in a bad, bad world who still manages to act selflessly and fiercely despite being the face of (constant) adversity and crazy teenagers trying to kill her. Oh and did we mention she’s played by Jennifer Lawrence?
Rex FeaturesCatwoman
The Dark Knight Rises
Played by: Anne Hathaway
A breath of fresh air in the third instalment of the Dark Knight Trilogy, Anne Hathaway’s Catwoman was, frankly, a bit of a revelation. From being a small-time jewel thief who pops in and out of windows to really turning on the charm (and the leather - naturally) to help Batman save Gotham; Catwoman really does have it all.
Rex FeaturesSarah Connor
The Terminator
Played by: Linda Hamilton
Happy-go-lucky waitress Sarah Connor goes through one of the biggest badass changes in movie history. Hardly surprising when you have a not one, but two psychotic, indestructible ‘terminators’ on your heals. From swinging trays across the diner floor to locking and loading sub-machine guns, Sarah has to toughen up in a BIG way when faced with surviving a post-apocalyptic America. Aviators? Check. Rippling muscles? Check. Bad attitude. Cheeeeeck.
