Counting Down the Top 25 KICK-ASS Women in Film (Pt 2)

By Rachel J. Cushing

Hello Schmoeville!

Welcome back to my list of the: TOP 25 KICK ASS WOMEN IN FILM!

If you are just tuning in, this is part two of a five part series running this week on the site, so if you’re intrigued, please check out part 1, and then come on back to continue reading!

As I mentioned in part 1, this is a list of 25 female roles in film that I think embody what it means to be a kick-ass woman – not just in the physical sense, but in every sense. So be prepared for an eclectic, but hopefully fun, list that applauds these women (and the writers and directors who brought them to the silver screen) for standing up for what’s right and giving us all role models to look up to.

So, without further ado, here are #s 20-16!

Amanda Bonner (Adam’s Rib): Katharine Hepburn (1949)

Directed George Cukor.

Written by Ruth Gordon and Garson Kanin

There is no way I was leaving Katharine Hepburn off this list and, after only a minute or two of consideration, I knew I had to include her snappy and ballsy lawyer, Amanda Bonner, from Adam’s Rib. In one of her many roles opposite the amazing Spencer Tracy, Hepburn plays a lawyer, defending a woman who shot her husband in the shoulder because he was cheating on her. Said husband happens to be represented by none other than Amanda’s own husband, Adam (Tracy). The movie encapsulates the battle of the sexes, though in a smart and funny way, and Hepburn is as magnetic as ever, proving that feminists are humans too.

Elizabeth I (Elizabeth, Elizabeth: The Golden Age): Cate Blanchett (1998, 2007)

Directed by Shekhar Kapur.

Written by Michael Hirst

Cate Blanchett burst onto the scene in the first of two films where she played the legendary British monarch, and she hasn’t looked back since. Though the queen has been portrayed in film and television many times, Blanchett captured her transformation in the most honest and effervescent way. Elizabeth did not become the formidable ruler we know from history books overnight, and it was in her journey to become that legend, that we see the humanity and strength that make her the perfect candidate for this list.

Black Widow/Natasha Romanov (The Avengers/Captain America: Winter Soldier/Age of Ultron): Scarlett Johansson (2012, 2014, 2015)

Directed by Joss Whedon, The Russo Brothers.

Written by Joss Whedon, Christopher Markus, Stephen McFeely

This character did not start out particularly strong in her debut; 2010’s Ironman 2. Though Johansson acquitted herself well in the action scenes, she didn’t capture the spark that gave Natasha more depth until 2012’s The Avengers. Since then she has grown into a fully realized, kick-ass character, with layers, quirks, some serious fighting skills, and a thing for a certain geeky scientist (and who can blame her?)! She has become a staple in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, giving female geeks everywhere hope that more Super Heroines are coming.

Vera Drake (Vera Drake): Imelda Staunton (2004)

Directed and written by Mike Leigh

Imelda Staunton gives us one of the oldest and quietest, though no less formidable, kick ass women on this list. Vera Drake, a loving and charitable person, defied everyone and everything to help young women get abortions in 1950s London. It is a very real, and thus rather dark, look at a different time when trying to do the humane thing was not always rewarded, but Staunton brings a beautiful dignity to the role that is almost heartbreaking to watch. Even though not all of the women on this list overcome all odds, it is in their struggles that they show their strength, and so Vera’s story is worthy of being honored.

Ilsa Faust (Mission: Impossible Rogue Nation): Rebecca Ferguson (2015)

Directed and written by Christopher McQuarrie

When the character arc of the new girl on the cinematic block overshadows that of the established leading man, you know you’re in for something interesting. In this, the fifth outing of the Mission: Impossible franchise, Tom Cruise, as Ethan Hunt, is arguably at his best, but it’s his co-star Rebecca Ferguson who absolutely steals the movie. I have to give massive props to Christopher McQuarrie for writing such a complex heroine and letting her fight her own battles throughout the movie, and thank you to Ferguson for picking up his gauntlet and delivering a performance that kicks ass in every possible way. Fingers crossed her Ilsa returns in a future film, because we all know the IMF will be back!

There you go, Schmoeville: five more characters to look up to! Do you agree? Disagree? Are you still waiting to see some of your favorites pop up (they may be coming…)? Most of the women on my list are lead roles, or at least strong secondary ones, so how about listing some of your favorite strong, scene-stealing, supporting female roles? One that springs to mind for me is Melissa McCarthy’s Megan in Bridesmaids. Sound off below!

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