# Let's talk about action movies in which the big bad is a woman. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 27, 2014, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655 "2014-08-27T17:30:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 8:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/41 "2014-08-27T20:21:04Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > Willow. Fool of a Took! I said NO TV! You leave me no choice but to shoot Legolas in the face! The elf’s suffering is on your head, and– :: pauses to read note, realizes that Dibble is talking about Val Kilmer movie :: Oh, never mind. And I’m going to shoot Legolas anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Skara\_Brae](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Skara\_Brae](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skara_Brae)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/42 "2014-08-27T20:23:25Z")
\*Divergent \* has Kate Winslet as the head of the bad guys. She even gets punched in the face at the end. ---
**Author:** ![xizor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/xizor/32/102_2.png) [@xizor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xizor)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 8:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/43 "2014-08-27T20:29:26Z")
_The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe_ ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/44 "2014-08-27T20:36:50Z")
_The Manchurian Candidate_ - although maybe not enough fisticuffs and 'splosions to satisfy **Skald**. _Total Recall_ - not THE big bad, but one of the villains. _The World Is Not Enough_ - far from the best Bond picture. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/45 "2014-08-27T20:41:33Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > _The Manchurian Candidate_ - although maybe not enough fisticuffs and 'splosions to satisfy **Skald**. I KNEW someone was going to mention MC. Ah well; all threads drift. At least no one’s mentioned that imaginary adaptation of THE LION, THE WITCH, & THE WARDROBE, which, by virtue of not existing, is obviously not an action movie. Oh, and you forgot swordfights, Isildur. ---
**Author:** ![davidw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c4cdca/32.png) [@davidw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidw)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/46 "2014-08-27T20:44:40Z")
X-Men 3: The Last Stand ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/47 "2014-08-27T20:52:32Z")
Maltese Falcon was my thought, too, after I saw that Ursula from that abomination of an adaptation of The Little Mermaid was out. It’s interesting that Disney specializes so heavily in female villains, innit? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 8:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/48 "2014-08-27T20:55:12Z")
> [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](#): > > Maltese Falcon was my thought, too, after I saw that Ursula from that abomination of an adaptation of The Little Mermaid was out. It’s interesting that Disney specializes so heavily in female villains, innit? Calling TLM an abomination is an insult to kaiju. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/49 "2014-08-27T21:02:39Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Calling TLM an abomination is an insult to kaiju. Now that you mention it, if a giant robot had come in and beheaded Ursula with a mega-sword, the movie would be immeasurably improved. Assuming the head fell on Ariel and squashed her like a bug. ---
**Author:** ![DocCathode](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doccathode/32/18773_2.png) [@DocCathode](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DocCathode)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/50 "2014-08-27T21:12:57Z")
Sinbad And The Eye Of The Tiger I am not quite sure if this counts. If it does, the big bad is definitely a woman. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Second\_Stone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/bbe5ce/32.png) [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/51 "2014-08-27T21:40:10Z")
Does nobody here remember Basic Instinct? Maybe not an action movie. Sharon Stone almost always gets to be the villain. ---
**Author:** ![marshmallow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df705f/32.png) [@marshmallow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/marshmallow)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/52 "2014-08-27T22:10:03Z")
Dunno if Serial Mom counts as an action movie, but she kills a lot of people. She beats someone to death with a turkey leg. O-Ren Ishii is the functional big bad villain for Kill Bill part 1. ---
**Author:** ![koeeoaddi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/koeeoaddi/32/408_2.png) [@koeeoaddi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/koeeoaddi)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/53 "2014-08-27T22:37:00Z")
The Ninth Gate ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/54 "2014-08-27T22:37:20Z")
People have been playing kinda fast and loose with the concept of “action movie”, _vis a vis_ what is one and what isn’t one, so I’m going to throw caution to the wind and nominate Mama Fratelli, from _The Goonies_. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 27, 2014, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/55 "2014-08-27T23:07:03Z")
> [@Ethilrist](#): > > Octopussy The title character is not the Big Bad in this film, Kamal (Louis Jordan) is. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_other_waldo_pepper/32/12370_2.png) [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Other_Waldo_Pepper)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/56 "2014-08-28T02:08:37Z")
> [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](#): > > Can anybody think of any action movies in which the moving force behind the villainy is a chick? I’d argue that MISSION IMPOSSIBLE counts: Jon Voight betrays his team – kicking off explosion after explosion, and gun after gun being brandished, and scene after scene of Tom Cruise sprinting for all he’s got – _because Vanessa Redgrave paid him to,_ after which she offers Voight up to Cruise if our hero will pull off the acrobatic heist of the century, after which she decides they’ll make the exchange on a moving train, thus setting up the whole Leap Onto A Moving Train From A Copter That’s About To Explode finale. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/57 "2014-08-28T03:42:07Z")
Also thought of: _The Hidden_ - the body-hopping alien criminal controls a human woman for awhile, and while doing so, basically fucks a guy to death. Great movie, really! _Body Heat_ - still probably not action-oriented enough for **Skald**. _Under the Skin_ - ditto as to ScarJo’s new sf movie. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/58 "2014-08-28T03:48:44Z")
[The Great Tyrant.](http://www.virginmedia.com/images/dictators-barbarella-590x350.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/59 "2014-08-28T04:09:41Z")
> [@The\_Other\_Waldo\_Pepper](#): > > I’d argue that MISSION IMPOSSIBLE counts: Jon Voight betrays his team – kicking off explosion after explosion, and gun after gun being brandished, and scene after scene of Tom Cruise sprinting for all he’s got – _because Vanessa Redgrave paid him to,_ after which she offers Voight up to Cruise if our hero will pull off the acrobatic heist of the century, after which she decides they’ll make the exchange on a moving train, thus setting up the whole Leap Onto A Moving Train From A Copter That’s About To Explode finale. Boy, talk about movies that didn’t actually exist. Jim Phelps is NOT, by DEFINITION, a bad guy! ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [August 28, 2014, 4:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lets-talk-about-action-movies-in-which-the-big-bad-is-a-woman/696655/60 "2014-08-28T04:38:23Z")
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