# Which actress plays the best on-screen gunslinger? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 6, 2003, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actress-plays-the-best-on-screen-gunslinger/205832 "2003-10-06T07:30:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2003, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actress-plays-the-best-on-screen-gunslinger/205832/1 "2003-10-06T07:30:50Z")
…while watching “Underworld” the other month, I noticed that Kate Beckinsale’s character, a battle-hardened “death dealer,” had a nasty habit of blinking and flinching as she fired her sidearms. Almost like Selene hadn’t had much experience in combat shooting. :rolleyes: 😉 In fact, that’s seems to be a common problem among many “action” stars, and not just the actresses. But, for this discussion, I’m only interested in actresses…the ones who do the _best_ job playing gunfighters onscreen. Not martial artists or swordfighters, gunslingers. Linda Hamilton seemed to do a pretty good job in _T2_. And who could forget Beverly Garland’s lever-action attack on the alien in _It Conquered the World_? So…any other nominees? ---
**Author:** ![RealTronic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9dc877/32.png) [@RealTronic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealTronic)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2003, 8:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actress-plays-the-best-on-screen-gunslinger/205832/2 "2003-10-06T08:27:20Z")
A classic comes to mind. Geena Davis in _The Long Kiss Goodnight_. She kicked som serious ass after getting her memory back! ---
**Author:** ![Robert\_Lehnert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ecb155/32.png) [@Robert\_Lehnert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robert_Lehnert)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2003, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actress-plays-the-best-on-screen-gunslinger/205832/3 "2003-10-06T09:02:49Z")
Sharon Stone, The Quick and the Dead Too bad she’s become a anti-self defense/anti bill of rights patsy ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2003, 2:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actress-plays-the-best-on-screen-gunslinger/205832/4 "2003-10-06T14:20:30Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Robert Lehnert \* > \*\*Sharon Stone, The Quick and the Dead > > Too bad she’s become a anti-self defense/anti bill of rights patsy \*\* Way to inject your irrelevant political agenda into a totally inappropriate thread, Bob. The quintessential female gun slinger, never EVER to be equaled, is Joan Crawford in [Johnny Guitar](http://imdb.com/title/tt0047136/): \*“Down there I sell whiskey and cards. All you can buy up these stairs is a bullet in the head. Now which do you want?”\*Everyone should watch this movie at least once a week. (coding fixed. – Uke) ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2003, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actress-plays-the-best-on-screen-gunslinger/205832/5 "2003-10-06T17:05:49Z")
Ditto Crawford in Nick Ray’s [classic](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0047136/). Jane Russell could fend for herself in the _Paleface_ movies as well (insert gratuitous joke about her “guns” here). ---
**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:** [October 6, 2003, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actress-plays-the-best-on-screen-gunslinger/205832/6 "2003-10-06T17:23:48Z")
**RealTronic** stole my response! “Chefs do that!” ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2003, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actress-plays-the-best-on-screen-gunslinger/205832/7 "2003-10-06T17:51:57Z")
What, no mention of Betty Hutton as Annie Oakley in \*Annie Get Your Gun"? Sigourney Weaver kicks some alien ass in _Aliens_, though she does get instructions on how to shoot from Michael Beihn. ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2003, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actress-plays-the-best-on-screen-gunslinger/205832/8 "2003-10-06T23:46:33Z")
How about Reba McIntyre in the first _Tremors_ movie? I thought she was very good at handling firearms. ---
**Author:** ![HelenGawn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/a88e4f/32.png) [@HelenGawn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HelenGawn)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/which-actress-plays-the-best-on-screen-gunslinger/205832/9 "2003-10-07T00:36:44Z")
Susan Sarandon in _Thelma and Louise_. Quick and to the point.