Ass-Kicking Heroines: An Addendum

A while back, I’m not sure how long ago, I found the movie review site Pajiba. I immediately bookmarked them because I loved their their snarky and erudite take on movie reviews. While I have disagreed with their reviews in the past, I’ve never felt the need say anything here about one of their opinion pieces. But there is one that I feel a need to respond to.

One of their more recent writers, Agent Bedhead, wrote a guide titled Ass-Kicking Heroines as part of what they call Pajiba’s Guide to What’s Good for You. The guides generally get their detractors. Obviously, the writers can’t please everyone since they are working from a personal bias. But this particular guide seemed to be really reaching hard for women to write about. And that made me sad. So, this is just a little addendum to her post. Obviously, I can’t please everyone either, so feel free to let me know who you think should be on the list.

CAVEAT: I am going to do my best to follow her guidelines (Horror/SciFi/Fantasy/Comics) so that will leave out a few that I really like (Geena Davis as Charlie Baltimore in The Long Kiss Goodnight, Pam Greer in various roles, Gena Rowlands in Gloria, Meryl Streep in the The River Wild, and Bette Davis in almost everything- just to name a few personal favorites). Also, for the sake of brevity I am only focusing on movie characters. It sucks I know, TV and the printed word are rife with kick ass heroines (luckily for you fellow Buffy fans out there, Agent Bedhead included television and print). So, feel free to list your favorites from any genre in the comments. One more thing, this addendum makes no sense without reading the the original post

OK. Enough stalling. In no particular order, I present:

Ass-Kicking Heroines: An Addendum

Princess Leia – The Star Wars Trilogy

Really, the only reason I decided to write an addendum was because Princess Leia was nowhere on the original list. That really struck me as odd when I consider the site’s demographic -fan girls and fan boys united by a common cause. Honestly, can there be a list of kick-ass heroines that doesn’t include Leia? It’s almost impossible to briefly sum up what makes Leia such a bad ass. But, I’m game. Lets start with this: while Luke was out playing in the sand and Han was running scams to keep his ship in the air, Leia was fighting the empire. It’s Leia who draws Luke into the fight and his ultimate destiny. Leia rescues both Luke and Han at different points. And just when it looks like she in need of a rescue, it turns out she only needed a distraction. She saves herself, by strangling her captor while wearing that infamous bikini costume. Leia isn’t one to sit passively by and wait for someone to save her. Instead, she fights for herself and those she loves. Her fight against the Empire is what eventually draws the two male leads into the thread of the story. What I love most about Leia is that we see just how much she can kick ass without ever touching on her true potential. As Anakin’s daughter, she is obviously an heir to his great power. Luke even tells her of the powers lurking inside of her. It’s made clear that if Luke fails, Leia will be the one to succeed in stopping Vader. Just think if Leia can lead a rebellion against Vader and the empire as a princess; imagine what she can do once she accepts and learns to use the force.

Zoe Bell AKA “Zoe the Cat” – Death Proof

Zoe Bell has true badass credentials. As a stuntwoman, she has doubled some female bad asses in her time, most notably Xena and The Bride from the Kill Bill movies. The reason she makes this particular list is for her turn in Quentin Tarrentino’s Death Proof. In the movie Zoe stars as herself, a New Zealand stuntwoman visiting her movie industry friends in America. Unbeknownst to Zoe and her friends, they are being stalked by a killer named Stuntman Mike (the perfectly cast Kurt Russel), who uses his “death proof” car to kill women. When Zoe convinces her friend Kim (Tracie Thoms) to play a game called Ship’s Mast all hell breaks loose. The game is basically Zoe climbing on to the hood of a 1970 Dodge Challenger while Kim drives at top speed as their friend Abernathy (Rosario Dawson) rides along. As the women are enjoying themselves, Stuntman Mike shows up to put a dent in the fun (pun intended) and kill them if he can. After a very intense scene with Zoe hanging on to the hood of the car for dear life as Mike continually rear ends and sideswipes them, the women seek revenge. And revenge is what they get. The moment when Zoe attacks Stuntman Mike and his car is just absolute perfection. This movie is almost an ode to the female bad ass. Don’t get me wrong. The movie definitely has its faults-I don’t think Tarrantino is all that great at writing dialog for women- but its hard to deny a bad ass when you see one (or three). If you want to see ass-kicking heroines who aren’t afraid to kill if necessary (or, you know, for straight up revenge) this is your movie.

Trinity – The Matrix

I know the sequels were crap, but I was one of those people who was blown away by the first installment of The Matrix. It wasn’t the special effects, it was Trinity (Carrie-Anne Moss). The image of her taking on all those cops at the beginning of the film has stayed with me and (in my mind) helped alleviate some of the more unfortunate issues that plagued the later installments. Also, I love when she is outrunning the agents in that first chase sequence. When she goes through that window and tells herself to “get up” I get chills. As afraid as she is, she knows what she needs to do to succeed and survive and she makes herself do it. Trinity, the genius hacker, the controlled leader, the true believer, is the real bad ass of this film regardless of gender. While Neo and Morpheous dance around between their philosophical beliefs, it is Trinity who keeps things grounded. Neo’s big rescue of Morpheous couldn’t happen without Trinity there to kick ass. And even though I had a problem with the seemingly tacked on love story, it still made sense in terms of Trinity being the one to help Neo finally realize his potential. The movie may have been about Neo accepting his role as The One, but he could never had done so without the strength Trinity willingly gave him by admitting her love for him. It was cheesy, but I guess that’s how love is sometimes. Love story aside, Trinity is the core of strength for this movie. Her belief in both Morpheous and Neo is what drives the movie to its inevitable final showdowns. For an extra tidbit on how much of a bad ass Trinity is, check out the Animatrix. There is an episode involving Trinity that happens long before Neo ever learns of the Matrix’s existence.

Yu Shu Lien – Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon

Many people will disagree with my choice of Yu Shu Lien (Michelle Yeoh) versus Jen Yu (Ziyi Zhang). And they would probably be right if Yu Shu Lien had been played by anyone but Michelle Yeoh. What I love about Yu Shu in this movie is that we get to see just how much of a master Michelle Yeoh is in one simple scene. Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon is a feast for the lover of Martial Arts and Asian cinema. And while the feats of all of its characters are memorable and badass, only Michelle Yeoh’s character seems a true master of any weapon at her disposal. In her showdown against Jen Yu (which I personally think can be ranked among the best fight scenes ever committed to film), Yu Shu shows mastery of more weapons than any other character in the entire movie with just one scene. That showdown is why I would argue with anyone else about whether it was Yu Shu or Jen Yu. There is no need for Yu Shu Lien to point out that Jen Yu only has the advantage because of the the Green Destiny. Even with that advantage, Yu Shu Lien emerges as the bad ass. The nerd in me has to point out that Michelle Yeoh has no formal Martial Arts training. She relies on her extensive dance training and the instruction of her coaches. And maybe to purists, that should mean something with regard to her badass status. I say, screw that. Michelle Yeoh is a bad ass no matter what character she plays. And the character of Yu Shu Lien is a perfect showcase for the kick-ass talents Michelle Yeoh possesses.

The Bride, AKA Black Mamba, AKA Beatrix Kiddo Kill Bill Vol. I and II

Having already written about Death Proof, I can’t leave out Tarrantino’s revenge opus, Kill Bill. As a motivating factor, I think that revenge is a perfect plot device to drive an action film. Like many of my favorite martial arts and western films, revenge is what drives the lead character. That the lead character is a woman is only incidental- unless you are looking for an ass-kicking heroine. These movies have badass women in spades. But, it’s Beatrix that controls the focus. After having her entire wedding party murdered and being left for dead while heavily pregnant, Beatrix wakes up from a 4-year coma. Everything comes back to her and she goes after the people responsible. What I love about this saga is how obvious it is that she still loves Bill even knowing that she has to kill him. Beatrix isn’t really a heroine per se. She just wants justice. That is something that I think makes her a little more likable than her enemies. Awesomely enough, her enemies actually needed killing – which is something that only ever really shows up in western or martial arts epics. There are several things that make Beatrix a bad ass. Her skill, her drive, and her sense of honor all work toward the badass end. But, in the end, for me, it’s her fight for her child and what she goes through to win that fight that really makes her one of the best kick-ass heroines in film. I mean come on, she gets buried alive and claws her way out- how kick-ass is that?

Zoe Washburne – Serenity

I debated about whether to include Zoe and Scully. Mainly because my sense of them as kick-ass heroines tends to come from what I knew of their characters before they made their appearances in movies. However, I have been thinking about the movie Serenity, and as much as I love River Tam, Zoe pretty much kicks ass throughout the movie (and the show if we were including the show-which we aren’t). She is stronger than Mal, because Mal depends on her in much the same way he depends upon what he has built with his ship and crew. Yes, River has THE kick-ass moment. But so many people had to die before River would own what she could do. Zoe consistently works to keep the crew alive and morally on track. It is obvious that she would rather not kill, but she has no qualms about doing so if she has to. More importantly, her loyalty is unquestioned. She knows that Mal will get the word out. In a movie where Mal and the unnamed agent waltz around each other with dueling beliefs, it’s nice to have a character that just knows. Zoe has no time for philosophy or discussion. She is there to protect and defend. She is there to be the reasonable one. And even in the moment when she loses her shit over the death of Wash, she manages to keep a level enough head to get them all to safety. She knows when to fall back even in the midst of her own pain. There is one quote that I always think of when I think of Zoe; “She’s torn up plenty, but she’ll fly true.” And you just know she will.

Laurie Strode – Halloween

Since Agent Bedhead started the post as a Halloween offering, how could I not include Jaime Lee Curtis’s turn as Laurie Strode? The movie Halloween asks one simple question “does the boogeyman exist?” The answer is yes. He is in this case, Michael Myers, a silent killer who for no reason murders his older sister when he is just 6 years old. Laurie Strode is a shy and intelligent teenager who earns her money by babysitting. On Halloween night, as she watches over 2 young children, she comes face to face with Michael Myers. Michael has been silently waiting in a mental institution for this one night. Since we don’t learn until the sequel that Laurie is Michael’s sister, the figure of Michael is much more terrifying in that there is no explanation for his stalking of Laurie and her friends. What makes Laurie a bad ass in this film is her willingness to fight back even though she is terrified. She never forgets that she is responsible for two small children and keeps their safety foremost in her mind. After hiding the children and locking herself in a closet, she must wait for the inevitable. The moment when she picks up a coat hanger to stab her knife-weilding foe in the eye and disarm him stands as a pivotal moment in horror movie history. We’ve seen women fight back in horror movies since (Sydney Prescott comes to mind), but it was the character of Laurie Strode that started the trend.

Lornette “Mace” Mason – Strange Days

Strange Days was off my radar for a very long time. As a matter of fact, I didn’t actually see it for the first time until last year, and with good reason. The movie isn’t very good. The plot isn’t all that engaging; the lead (played by Ralph Fiennes) is annoying and unlikable; and Juliette Lewis does her best to work my last nerve with her poor characterization. The only real saving grace is Mace, played by the always-awesome Angela Bassett. Even though they explain why Mace cares so much about Lenny, I still don’t buy it. What I do buy is how much ass Mace kicks. As a matter of fact, she is on this list because she literally kicks people’s asses throughout the movie. She is a true kick ass hereoine.

Marion Ravenwood – Raiders of the Lost Ark

Ahh, Marion. Unlike many of my peers, I didn’t see any of the Indiana Jones movies until after I graduated college. The only explanation I can come up with for this is that I simply assumed they were guy movies. I know it was very closed minded of me to assume that, but I was working on my knowledge of the movies from the trailers, clips, and interviews I’d seen. So imagine my delight at finding Marion Ravenwood (played by Karen Allen) in Raiders of the Lost Ark. In a movie dominated by testosterone, here was a woman who was just as smart and brave as Indiana Jones. Or, maybe I just really liked her drinking men under the table and punching Indiana Jones for having the nerve to show up in her bar after all these years.

Carolyn Fry – Pitch Black

Fry didn’t ask to be a bad ass. She didn’t ask to be sole surviving crewmember on a passenger ship going down on a seemingly deserted planet. As a matter of fact, she was willing to sacrifice every passenger on that ship, just to get her crew safely to the ground. She wasn’t concerned about the people she was being paid to get to their destination safely. Fry was concerned with the people she cared about. It seems that many of the bad asses on this list are stuck between the philosophies of their male costars. Fry wasn’t stuck between philosophies, or even trying to keep the balance between them. Fry just suddenly wanted to keep the people entrusted to her alive. And maybe there is something about monsters that feast on blood who live in the dark that can make you want to keep the people around you alive. But, if you are the kind of hesitant heroine who just wants to live through it and only found a cause along the way, maybe you can identify with with Fry.

Dana Scully – The X-Files

This is a total cheat. I just couldn’t leave Scully out. Yes, she is much more kick-ass in the television show. But, she does have a couple of moments in the movie that hint at what a bad ass she is. That “don’t fuck with me” tone of voice she uses to clear the federal building when they discover the bomb did give me goose bumps. Her intelligence throughout the movie more than makes up for the fact that she has to be saved by Mulder at the end. But, its my list and I say she stays.

So, that’s it. I can’t tell you how difficult this was. I think I am beginning to see why Agent Bedhead’s list was so short. Maybe it’s just easier to make the list short and take the heat for it. But, I still feel that its somewhat of an injustice to leave off the women I’ve named here. Hopefully, my little addendum will inspire you to create your own. Or, maybe you will just tell me how much I suck for leaving off some of your favorites. Either way, have
at it.