Top 20 Action Movies With a Female Action Hero

Four years after a massacre at her wedding rehearsal, 'The Bride' wakes from a coma and swears revenge on her former assassination squad. Tarantino mixes kung fu cinema, spaghetti western and comic-book aesthetics into one furious katana ballet. Uma Thurman turned a yellow tracksuit and a sword into pure pop culture.

Ripley returns to LV-426 with a squad of Colonial Marines to wipe out the nightmare once and for all. Sigourney Weaver transforms from survivor into a power-loader-wielding war heroine, earning an Oscar nomination, while James Cameron cranks the tension up to war sci-fi on steroids.

Diana leaves paradise island Themyscira to end World War I. Her idealism merges with godlike strength, resulting in a 'No Man's Land' trench scene that rewrote superhero action.

Sarah Connor transforms from waitress into a muscled prophet of doom, determined to save her son and humanity. Her fierce determination forms the emotional heart between two unstoppable cyborgs.

Max may be in the title, but Imperator Furiosa drives the film. With one arm, a war rig and five escaped 'wives', she defies tyrant Immortan Joe straight through an apocalyptic sandstorm. Charlize Theron delivers steely intensity.

MI6 spy Lorraine Broughton infiltrates Berlin in 1989 in search of a list of undercover agents. The stairwell fight, staged to look like a single long take, is a masterclass in brutal elegance and breathless choreography.

Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi fight across rooftops and through bamboo forests. Ang Lee combines wuxia flying combat with tragic love and honor, so that every leap soars above reality.

'Full Metal Bitch' Rita Vrataski relives the same alien invasion day together with Major Cage. Emily Blunt lifts the time-loop concept to blockbuster heights with warrior grace, a metal exosuit and those famous yoga push-ups.

CIA officer Evelyn Salt is accused of being a Russian sleeper agent. Was she ever loyal? Angelina Jolie sprints from highways to elevator shafts, uses unconventional disguises and mixes psychological games with breakneck stunts.

Katniss Everdeen, the Mockingjay, unwillingly becomes the spark of a revolution. In the deadly Quarter Quell she hones her archery skills and political awareness while the arena's dangers are more merciless than ever.

Alice wakes up with no memory in the Umbrella mansion and has to survive zombies, laser corridors and bioweapons. Milla Jovovich's martial arts moves launched a long-running zombie franchise.

Natasha Romanoff returns to her Russian 'family' to shut down the Red Room program. Freefall fights, weapon ballets and sisterly chemistry with Florence Pugh show why she's first-class Avenger material.

High-tech mansion, twin pistols and a posh English accent: Angelina Jolie battles ancient traps and the Illuminati. Pure comic-book fun with a dash of archaeological fantasy.

Andromache, 'Andy', leads a group of immortal mercenaries. When their secret gets out, the team fights for survival against pharmaceutical greed. Charlize Theron slashes with a labrys axe and existential doubt.

Vers, aka Carol Danvers, discovers her cosmic powers and memory gaps during a war between the Kree and the Skrulls. From '90s nostalgia to space battles, her photon blasts make her one of the most powerful Avengers.

Selene, a vampire Death Dealer in latex and leather, cuts through werewolf politics with silver bullets. Gothic styling, gun-fu and midnight-blue rain made Kate Beckinsale an action icon.

Cyborg Alita discovers her past and her fighting skills, looking at bleak Iron City through her giant eyes. Motorball arenas, sword-armed cyborgs and an emotional heart make this manga adaptation a visual feast.

A prima ballerina whose career is ended by injury, Dominika is recruited as a seductive spy. Poison, ice baths and double-dealing make for a cold war where trust is lethal. Jennifer Lawrence delivers chilly melancholy.

Three private detectives combine kung fu, high-tech gadgets and glamorous undercover work to stop a tech mogul's scheme. Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu prove that teamwork and humor make for explosive chemistry.

Suburban mom and teacher Samantha discovers she's actually CIA assassin Charly, complete with sniper skills in the snow. Geena Davis serves up Christmas-coated bullets, while Shane Black's dialogue makes the bullets sing.