# Ass-kicking women in film **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 3, 2005, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ass-kicking-women-in-film/315483 "2005-08-03T22:09:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 11:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ass-kicking-women-in-film/315483/41 "2005-08-04T11:57:15Z")
Dina Meyer in Starship Troopers ---
**Author:** ![Selkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/bbce88/32.png) [@Selkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Selkie)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ass-kicking-women-in-film/315483/42 "2005-08-04T12:43:39Z")
**San** , from [Princess Mononoke](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119698/) ---
**Author:** ![bouv](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bc8723/32.png) [@bouv](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bouv)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 1:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ass-kicking-women-in-film/315483/43 "2005-08-04T13:16:11Z")
> [@andrewdt85](#): > > And let’s not forget the **X-Men and X-Men 2** women- Storm, Famke Jansenn, the girl who burns stuff, the Asian Wolverine-like woman, Rebecca-Romjin Stamos, and all the other hottie fighters. Ummm…there was no girl who burned stuff…that was a dude. Oh, and “the element woman” is Milla Jovavich, possibly the hottest, ass-kickiest woman alive. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Biggirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biggirl/32/3294_2.png) [@Biggirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biggirl)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ass-kicking-women-in-film/315483/44 "2005-08-04T13:29:33Z")
Hey [I started a thread exactly like this one!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=58877) Geena Davis in **Long Kiss Goodnight** and Sigourney Weaver in **Aliens** are still my favorites. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ass-kicking-women-in-film/315483/45 "2005-08-04T13:58:26Z")
Jeniffer Garner in Alias and as Elektra (you didn’t say she had to kick ass it the box office) Pamala Anderson in Barb Wire > [@](#): > > Liv Tyler’s character in the Lord of the Rings films, possibly, and possibly also the woman at the end who stabs the monster thing in the face with her sword. The queen? Seriously, I’m about to resee the films… No…Liv Tyler mostly rode a horse for 30 seconds and looked “mystical”. She did not stab, punch, poke or drop-kick anyone. The other woman - Miranda Otto - did fight in the battle at the end, but really did look and fight like a small woman in oversized armor (which makes sense), not some larger than life ass-whuping Xena clone which is what I think you are going for here. > [@](#): > > The Next Karate Kid has that girl You mean Hillary Swank? ---
**Author:** ![Scuba\_Ben](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Scuba\_Ben](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scuba_Ben)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ass-kicking-women-in-film/315483/46 "2005-08-04T13:59:07Z")
> [@Sage Rat](#): > > Catherine Zeta-Jones in **The Mask of Zorro** And in the upcoming _The Legend of Zorro_. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Sam\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ass-kicking-women-in-film/315483/47 "2005-08-04T17:51:40Z")
**Kathleen Turner** in _Undercover Blues_ “Oh for God’s sake, Morty!” “No no! Muerte! My name is Muerte!” “Whatever you say, Morty. \” I guess **Kathleen Turner** also counts for _V.I. Warchowski_ I think my favorite is **Geena Davis** from _The Long Kiss Goodnight_. An under-rated movie. ---
**Author:** ![WavyRabbit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ea666f/32.png) [@WavyRabbit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WavyRabbit)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ass-kicking-women-in-film/315483/48 "2005-08-04T18:17:11Z")
\*\*Michelle Rodriguez \*\* is pretty tough in **The Fast and the Furious, SWAT and Resident Evil.** I Haven’t seen **Girlfight** , but I assume she does some ass-kicking, (or face-punching!) ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ass-kicking-women-in-film/315483/49 "2005-08-04T18:56:20Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > The other woman - Miranda Otto - did fight in the battle at the end, but really did look and fight like a small woman in oversized armor (which makes sense), not some larger than life ass-whuping Xena clone which is what I think you are going for here. Hey, she stabbed the Witch King in the _face_, it doesn’t tend to GET a lot more bad-ass than that. 😃 Eowyn (the character that Miranda Otto played) was established back in The Two Towers as being a capable fighter, though she didn’t get a chance to do any fighting until the battle towards the end of Return of the King. The fact that she only fought in one battles doesn’t do much to diminish her feats of ass-kickery in that battle (Didn’t she also help take down an Oliphant or two?) ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 7:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ass-kicking-women-in-film/315483/50 "2005-08-04T19:13:15Z")
Michelle Phifer in **Tequila Sunrise**. Kurt Russell: “She’s tough.” J.T. Walsh: “She’s not so tough.” Kurt Russell: “She just kicked your ass.” ---
**Author:** ![bryanmaguire](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/d07c76/32.png) [@bryanmaguire](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bryanmaguire)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ass-kicking-women-in-film/315483/51 "2005-08-04T21:22:52Z")
Grace Jones in Conan The Destroyer and one of the Bond films. ---
**Author:** ![Sengkelat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@Sengkelat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sengkelat)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ass-kicking-women-in-film/315483/52 "2005-08-04T22:41:01Z")
I second (or third, I guess) Pvt. Vasquez from Aliens. She was awesome. There’s also Lena Olin’s character from Romeo is Bleeding, but she borders on the femme fatale. Fantastic film noir. The female lead from Formula 51 kicked ass. She was an assassin who pretty much never missed. Crummy movie, but I loved the character. There was Angela Basset’s character from Strange Days, she was pretty kickass. ---
**Author:** ![Baldwin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baldwin/32/7264_2.png) [@Baldwin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baldwin)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ass-kicking-women-in-film/315483/53 "2005-08-04T23:06:44Z")
Let us not forget the late [Cat Sassoon](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0765900/). ---
**Author:** ![lhovis73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecd19e/32.png) [@lhovis73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lhovis73)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2005, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ass-kicking-women-in-film/315483/54 "2005-08-04T23:21:17Z")
> [@Sengkelat](#): > > I second (or third, I guess) Pvt. Vasquez from Aliens. Private Vasquez was a woman?! 😕 ---
**Author:** ![E-Sabbath](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19adc/32.png) [@E-Sabbath](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-Sabbath)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ass-kicking-women-in-film/315483/55 "2005-08-05T01:54:19Z")
Before most of them, there was Princess Leia. “Oh, give me that!” \ I always liked that scene. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 4:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ass-kicking-women-in-film/315483/56 "2005-08-05T04:02:36Z")
> [@Raguleader](#): > > Hey, she stabbed the Witch King in the _face_, it doesn’t tend to GET a lot more bad-ass than that. 😃 Eowyn (the character that Miranda Otto played) was established back in The Two Towers as being a capable fighter, though she didn’t get a chance to do any fighting until the battle towards the end of Return of the King. The fact that she only fought in one battles doesn’t do much to diminish her feats of ass-kickery in that battle (Didn’t she also help take down an Oliphant or two?) No she does kick ass. But it’s not all over the top like Millia Jovovivh just beating the crap out of everyone. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 5:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ass-kicking-women-in-film/315483/57 "2005-08-05T05:44:48Z")
> [@lhovis73](#): > > Private Vasquez was a woman?! 😕 Did you think that ample bosom was just extra ammunition? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ass-kicking-women-in-film/315483/58 "2005-08-05T18:06:44Z")
Lucy Lawless of Xena always looked convincing kicking ass, unlike many mentioned on this thread. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ass-kicking-women-in-film/315483/59 "2005-08-05T18:20:13Z")
Babylon 5: Susan Ivanova is worth mentioning. Delenn probably also. Brian \<\*\> ---
**Author:** ![Raguleader](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/258eb7/32.png) [@Raguleader](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Raguleader)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ass-kicking-women-in-film/315483/60 "2005-08-05T20:31:17Z")
> [@N9IWP](#): > > Babylon 5: > Susan Ivanova is worth mentioning. > Delenn probably also. > > Brian > \<\*\> Oh my, how did I forget Captain Susan Ivonova, the originator of the Babylon 5 Mantra? :eek: Ivonova was not only badass (capable apparantly of all manner of fighting, be it fleet-scale space battles, space fighter dogfights, or even bar room brawls) but she was also delightfully spazzy and funny. Delenn is an entirely different kind of badass. She didn’t so much kick butt in a fight as she made it abundantly crystal clear to a potential opponent that it was a bad idea to try fighting her to begin with. Showing up with a sizable fleet of warships behind her helped too. And while we’re talking Babylon 5 women, let’s talk Lyta Alexander, our favorite telepathic Redhead. Especially in the later seasons when she started to test the limits of what she could actually do with her powers. Oh, and how can anyone forget Number One? The leader of the Mars Resistance, no less! 🙂 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ass-kicking-women-in-film/315483.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ass-kicking-women-in-film/315483.md?page=4)