Film The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked  

Ranker Film
2k votes 376 voters 10.4k views 41 items

List Rules Vote up your favorite action movies that have female characters in the lead.

This list contains information on the best female action movies, ranked from best to worst by user votes. The best female action films come in many forms. Some feature tough women trained in combat while other good female action films find everyday women fighting for their lives. A few of the best feminist action films even generated sequels.

What films will you find on this top female action movies list? Alien has to be at the top. Sigourney Weaver stars as Officer Ripley who comes face to face with a deadly extraterrestrial while traveling in space in this 1979 movie directed by Ridley Scott. Terminator 2: Judgment Day – featuring Linda Hamilton as Sarah Conner – is another good female driven action film.

Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez released two of the all-time best female action films for their Grindhouse features Death Proof and Planet Terror. Other great feminist action movies include Hanna, Aeon Flux, and Wonder Woman.

Which female action film do you think deserves the top spot on this list? Give your favorites a thumbs up and please add any good movies we may have missed.

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Wonder Woman is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Wonder Woman Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Robin Wright Wonder Woman is a 2017 American superhero film directed by Patty Jenkins, based on the DC Comics character. When a pilot (Chris Pine) crashes and tells of conflict in the outside world, Diana ...more

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Kill Bill Volume 1 is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Kill Bill Volume 1 Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Quentin Tarantino Kill Bill: Vol. 1 is a 2003 action film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino.

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Aliens is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Aliens Sigourney Weaver, Bill Paxton, Michael Biehn Aliens is a 1986 American science-fiction action horror film written and directed by James Cameron, produced by his then-wife Gale Anne Hurd, and starring Sigourney Weaver, Carrie Henn, Michael ...more

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Resident Evil is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Resident Evil Milla Jovovich, Michelle Rodriguez, Jason Isaacs Resident Evil is a 2002 German-British-French science fiction horror film written and directed by Paul W. S. Anderson. The film stars Milla Jovovich and Michelle Rodriguez. It is the first ...more

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Alien is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Alien Sigourney Weaver, John Hurt, Ian Holm Alien is a 1979 science-fiction horror film directed by Ridley Scott, and starring Tom Skerritt, Sigourney Weaver, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton, John Hurt, Ian Holm and Yaphet Kotto. ...more

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Terminator 2: Judgment Day is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Terminator 2: Judgment Day Arnold Schwarzenegger, Edward Furlong, Linda Hamilton Terminator 2: Judgment Day is a 1991 American science fiction action thriller film written, produced and directed by James Cameron. The film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger, Linda Hamilton, Robert ...more

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Kill Bill Volume 2 is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Kill Bill Volume 2 Uma Thurman, Lucy Liu, Samuel L. Jackson Kill Bill Volume 2 is a 2004 martial arts action film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It is the second of two volumes that were released several months apart. It was originally ...more

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Underworld is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
John Johns added Underworld Kate Beckinsale, Michael Sheen, Wentworth Miller Underworld is a 2003 action horror film directed by Len Wiseman about the secret history of Vampires and Lycans. It is the first installment in the Underworld series. The main plot revolves ...more

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Salt is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Salt Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Chiwetel Ejiofor Salt is a 2010 American action thriller spy film directed by Phillip Noyce, written by Kurt Wimmer, and starring Angelina Jolie, Liev Schreiber, Daniel Olbrychski, August Diehl and Chiwetel ...more

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Star Wars: Episode VII - The F... is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Mark Hamill Star Wars: The Force Awakens is a 2015 American epic space opera film directed by J. J. Abrams. Three decades after the Empire's defeat, a new threat arises in the militant First Order. ...more

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The Long Kiss Goodnight is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
TimXeriland added The Long Kiss Goodnight Samuel L. Jackson, Geena Davis, Brian Cox The Long Kiss Goodnight is a 1996 action film directed and produced by Renny Harlin, written and produced by Shane Black and starring Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson.

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Atomic Blonde is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Atomic Blonde Charlize Theron, James McAvoy, John Goodman Atomic Blonde is a 2017 American action spy thriller film directed by David Leitch and written by Kurt Johnstad. It is based on Antony Johnston's 2012 graphic novel The Coldest City, which ...more

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Serenity is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Serenity Summer Glau, Morena Baccarin, Nathan Fillion Serenity is a 2005 American space western film written and directed by Joss Whedon. It is a continuation of Whedon's short-lived 2002 Fox science fiction television series Firefly and stars the ...more

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Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Lara Croft: Tomb Raider Angelina Jolie, Daniel Craig, Jon Voight Lara Croft: Tomb Raider is a 2001 action film based on the popular Tomb Raider video game series featuring the character Lara Croft portrayed by Angelina Jolie. The film was directed by Simon ...more

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Tomb Raider is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Tomb Raider Alicia Vikander, Dominic West, Walton Goggins Tomb Raider is a 2018 American action adventure film directed by Roar Uthaug. Lara Croft (Alicia Vikander), the fiercely independent daughter of a missing adventurer, must push herself beyond ...more

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Colombiana is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Alvin O Vinz added Colombiana Zoe Saldana, Michael Vartan, Graham McTavish Colombiana is a 2011 American action film, co-written and produced by Luc Besson and directed by Olivier Megaton. The film stars Zoe Saldana in the lead role with supporting roles performed by ...more

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Hanna is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Hanna Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana, Saoirse Ronan Hanna is a 2011 action thriller film that contains prominent fairy tale elements, directed by Joe Wright. The film stars Saoirse Ronan as the title character, a girl raised in the wilderness of ...more

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Charlie's Angels is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Charlie's Angels Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, Lucy Liu Charlie's Angels is a 2000 American action comedy film directed by McG, starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore and Lucy Liu as three women working for a private investigation agency. The film is ...more

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The Hunger Games Franchise is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
The Hunger Games Franchise The Hunger Games film series consists of four science fiction dystopian adventure films based on The Hunger Games trilogy of novels, by the American author Suzanne Collins. Distributed by ...more

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G.I. Jane is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
G.I. Jane Demi Moore, Viggo Mortensen, Jim Caviezel G.I. Jane is a 1997 American action film directed by Ridley Scott, produced by Largo Entertainment, Scott Free Productions and Caravan Pictures, distributed by Hollywood Pictures and starring ...more

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Kick-Ass is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
John Johns added Kick-Ass Nicolas Cage, Chloë Grace Moretz, Lyndsy Fonseca Kick-Ass is a 2010 British-American superhero action comedy film based on the comic book of the same name by Mark Millar and John Romita, Jr. The film was directed by Matthew Vaughn, who ...more

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Spy is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
carlybobarly added Spy Melissa McCarthy, Jason Statham, Rose Byrne Spy is a 2015 American action comedy spy film directed by Paul Feig. A desk-bound CIA analyst (Melissa McCarthy) is assigned her mission as a field agent to foil the black market sale of a ...more

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Lucy is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Lucy Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Analeigh Tipton Lucy is a 2014 English-language French science fiction action film written and directed by Luc Besson and produced by his wife Virginie Silla for his company Europacorp. The film was shot in ...more

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Azumi is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
ანგელოზისალესია added Azumi Aya Ueto, Shun Oguri, Joe Odagiri

Azumi (Japanese: あずみ) is a manga series created by Yū Koyama in 1994. Its story concerns the title character, a young woman brought up as part of a team of assassins, charged with killing the warlords that threaten the uneasy peace in Feudal Japan in the aftermath of its long Sengoku civil war period.

Azumi was originally published by Shogakukan and serialized in Big Comic Superior, and received an Excellence Prize at the 1997 Japan Media Arts Festival and the Shogakukan Manga Award in 1998.[1] The manga was later adapted to two feature films starring Aya Ueto (2003's Azumi and 2005's Azumi 2: Death or Love), and a video game and a stage play in 2005.

Azumi is a manga series created by Yū Koyama in 1994. Its story concerns the title character, a young woman brought up as part of a team of assassins, charged with killing the warlords that ...more

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Æon Flux is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Æon Flux Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand, Jonny Lee Miller Æon Flux is a 2005 American science fiction spy action film directed by Karyn Kusama. The film is a loose adaptation of the animated science fiction television series of the same name, ...more

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Young Adult is listed (or ranked) 26 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Bulbul Sarwar added Young Adult Charlize Theron, Patton Oswalt, J.K. Simmons Young Adult is a 2011 American comedy-drama film directed by Jason Reitman, from a screenplay written by Diablo Cody, and starring Charlize Theron. Reitman and Cody worked together previously on ...more

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Adult World is listed (or ranked) 27 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Bulbul Sarwar added Adult World Emma Roberts, John Cusack, Cloris Leachman Adult World is a 2013 American comedy film directed by Scott Coffey and written by Andy Cochran. The film premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival in April 2013 and stars Emma Roberts, Evan ...more

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Planet Terror is listed (or ranked) 28 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Planet Terror Bruce Willis, Rose McGowan, Fergie Planet Terror is a 2007 American action horror science-fiction film directed by Robert Rodriguez, about a group of people attempting to survive an onslaught of zombie-like creatures as they feud ...more

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Death Proof is listed (or ranked) 29 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Death Proof Rose McGowan, Rosario Dawson, Kurt Russell Death Proof is a 2007 American action-exploitation film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. The film centers on a psychopathic stunt man, Stuntman Mike played by Kurt Russell, who stalks ...more

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La Femme Nikita is listed (or ranked) 30 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
La Femme Nikita La Femme Nikita is a Canadian action/drama television series based on the French film Nikita by Luc Besson. The series was co-produced by Jay Firestone of Fireworks Entertainment and Warner ...more

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Elektra is listed (or ranked) 31 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Elektra Jennifer Garner, Jason Isaacs, Terence Stamp Elektra is a 2005 Canadian-American superhero film directed by Rob Bowman. It is a spin-off from the 2003 film Daredevil, starring the Marvel Comics character Elektra Natchios. The story follows ...more

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The Heat is listed (or ranked) 32 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
The Heat Sandra Bullock, Melissa McCarthy, Marlon Wayans The Heat is a 2013 American buddy cop comedy film written by Katie Dippold and directed by Paul Feig. The plot centers on Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy as FBI Special Agent Sarah Ashburn ...more

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Snow White and the Huntsman is listed (or ranked) 33 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Snow White and the Huntsman Charlize Theron, Kristen Stewart, Chris Hemsworth Snow White and the Huntsman is a 2012 American dark fantasy action film based on the German fairy tale "Snow White" compiled by the Brothers Grimm. In the film's retelling of the tale, ...more

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The Brave One is listed (or ranked) 34 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
The Brave One Jodie Foster, Zoë Kravitz, Terrence Howard The Brave One is a 2007 American psychological thriller film directed by Neil Jordan, produced by Joel Silver, and starring Jodie Foster. It was released in the United States on September 14, ...more

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The River Wild is listed (or ranked) 35 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
The River Wild Meryl Streep, Kevin Bacon, John C. Reilly The River Wild is a 1994 adventure crime-thriller film directed by Curtis Hanson and starring Meryl Streep, Kevin Bacon, David Strathairn, John C. Reilly, Benjamin Bratt and Joseph Mazzello as ...more

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Momentum is listed (or ranked) 36 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
AnkitBishnoi added Momentum Teri Hatcher, Louis Gossett, Jr. Momentum is a July 26, 2003 television movie that premiered on the U.S. Sci Fi Channel. The movie was directed by James Seale.

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Lady Snowblood is listed (or ranked) 37 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Lady Snowblood Meiko Kaji, Kō Nishimura, Miyoko Akaza Lady Snowblood is a 1973 Japanese film directed by Toshiya Fujita and starring Meiko Kaji. It is based on a manga called Shurayukihime. It is the story of Yuki, a woman who seeks vengeance upon ...more

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Bandidas is listed (or ranked) 38 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Bandidas Salma Hayek, Penélope Cruz, Sam Shepard Bandidas is a 2006 French/Mexican/American Western action comedy starring Salma Hayek and Penélope Cruz directed by Norwegian directors Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg and ...more

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Foxy Brown is listed (or ranked) 39 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Foxy Brown Pam Grier, Sid Haig, Peter Brown Foxy Brown is a 1974 American blaxploitation film written and directed by Jack Hill. It stars Pam Grier as the title character, described by one character as "a whole lot of woman" who ...more

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Divergent Franchise is listed (or ranked) 40 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Divergent Franchise The Divergent Series is a feature film series based on the Divergent novels by the American author Veronica Roth. Distributed by Summit Entertainment and Lionsgate Films, the series consists of ...more

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Catwoman is listed (or ranked) 41 on the list The Best Female Action Movies, Ranked
Catwoman Halle Berry, Sharon Stone, Missy Peregrym Catwoman is a 2004 American superhero film directed by Pitof Comar and stars Halle Berry, Sharon Stone, Benjamin Bratt, Lambert Wilson, Frances Conroy and Alex Borstein. The film is loosely ...more