Kiss Kiss, Kill Kill

The thrill of the kill on the big screen has historically belonged to men. But as the roles of women have evolved in the world, so, too, in the movies. Slowly but surely, and for better or worse, gun-toting leading ladies are now a real deal. Here’s our take on ten of the best.

Charlize Theron

This drop dead gorgeous Academy Award-winner goes nuclear in Atomic Blonde (2017) a spy thriller set in Berlin in 1989, as the cold war is ending and alliances among the world’s superpowers are shifting. As a high-ranking undercover agent for M16, Theron is sent to Germany to find an espionage ring responsible for killing a key undercover agent and to retrieve a list of double agents who will, no doubt, threaten world peace. James McAvoy is the oddball Berlin Station Chief with whom Theron is teamed and Sofia Boutella is a French operative who provides plenty of action “under the covers.” Directed by David Leitch who, as a former stuntman, really knows how to stage a thrilling action scene.

Taraji P. Henson

Last seen on the big screen in Hidden Figures as the quietly majestic Katherine Johnson, Golden Globe-winner Henson turns badass assassin in Proud Mary (2017), as a hired hit woman for the Boston mob. This sexy gunslinger is so dangerous, instead of a shoe closet she has gun closet! But her life takes a turn in an unexpected direction when she meets a young boy after a kill goes bad. Rounding out the cast are Neal McDonough, Xander Berkeley, Margaret Avery, Danny Glover (who knows a thing or two about lethal weapons), and, of course, those magnificent Tina Turner vocals. Directed by Babak Najafi (London Has Fallen).

Helen Mirren

In the Golden Globe-nominated Red (2010), Oscar-winner and eternally sexy Dame Helen is damn fantastic as a retired CIA agent who is recruited by her former boss (Bruce Willis) after he has been assaulted by a squad of hit men. Rounding out the R.E.D. (Retired but Extremely Dangerous) team are Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich. Inspired by the comic book series of the same name and directed by Robert Schwentke, this is that rare action thriller that features smart, witty dialogue and a cast that can deliver it deftly while dodging bullets and bad guys.

Sharon Stone

Sharon Stone is front and center in The Quick and the Dead (1995) and that’s sayin’ something considering that the cast includes Oscar-winners Gene Hackman, Leonardo DiCaprio, and Russell Crowe (in his American film debut).  Known only as The Lady, Stone portrays a gunfighter who tangles with Hackman when she enters a dueling contest in the Wild West town of Redemption, where he is a ruthless and unforgiving mayor. During the course of the story, which includes a whole lot of graphic killing, Stone’s true motives are revealed. No spoilers, just beware of a beautiful blonde with a gun in her hand and revenge on her mind.  Directed by the one and only Sam Raimi.

Uma Thurman

Leave it to writer-director Quentin Tarantino to get away with naming an assassination squad the Deadly Vipers. Also leave it to him to create one of the most memorable female killer characters ever in Kill Bill: Volume I (2003). Uma Thurman, often referred to as Tarantino’s muse, is The Bride, a former assassin who is seeking revenge on her ex-colleagues (indeed those Deadly Vipers) who killed her entire wedding party at the chapel. Needless to say she turns into the worst Bridezilla ever, and the story takes off from there. Fun fact: Tarantino and Thurman conceived the story during the production of Pulp Fiction (1994) and have a story credit as “Q&U.”

Michelle Yeoh

Yo Michelle! Trained as a ballet dancer, Yeoh began her career working with Jackie Chan in a TV commercial that launched her martial arts film career in which she became known for doing most of her own stunts. This beauty pageant winner first came to the attention of Western audiences as Wai Lin, the fearless and first Chinese Bond Girl opposite Pierce Brosnan in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997).  Three years later she came to international fame as a female warrior and body guard in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), the much-heralded and awarded feature from Oscar winning director Ang Lee that went on to gross more that $200 million internationally.

Anne Parillaud

In La Femme Nikita (1990), Parillaud’s performance starts, literally, with a bang when she shoots and kills a policeman during a robbery that goes horribly wrong. Arrested, convicted, and sentenced to death she is offered the option of becoming an assassin, which she accepts, and does superbly. La vie is working out for her just fine until she falls in love with someone who starts asking questions about her killer past. Written and directed by Luc Besson and featuring a fabulously sexy international cast that includes Jeanne Moreau, Jean Reno, and Tcheky Karyo.

Kate Beckinsale

As an actress who made her made her mark in a number of very proper British period dramas (Much Ado About Nothing, Emma), Beckinsale more than proved she had the chops to take on a much darker role in the Underworld films. As Selene, she is a vampire who works as a Death Dealer committed to killing the werewolves (Lycans) she believes slaughtered her family. War ensued as did Underworld: Evolution; Underword: Rise of the Lycans; Underworld: Awakening, and Underworld: Blood Wars. The highly successful franchise has grossed upwards of $500 million.

Angelia Jolie

One could argue that the actress Jolie took a sexy hit out on Brad Pitt while filming Mr. and Mrs Smith (2005) but in this action/comedy she’s merely the bored wife, whose secret life as an assassin comes to light when she discovers that her husband (Pitt) is also a contract killer. Bullets and sparks fly as they are ultimately assigned to dispose of each other. A box office smash, it was directed by Doug Liman (Swingers, The Bourne Identity) and also stars Adrien Brody, Vince Vaughn and a pre-Scandal Kerry Washington. As for Brangelina, the rest is herstory.

Faye Dunaway

As Bonnie Parker, in the landmark film Bonnie and Clyde (1967), a gorgeous 26-year-old Faye Dunaway, under the guiding hand of director Arthur Penn, completely rewrote the rules about women, sex, and violence on the big screen. With partner in crime Clyde Barrow (Warren Beatty), whom she caught trying to steal her mother’s car, life on the road is a lot more exciting than that of a small-town waitress during the Great Depression. As their bank robberies evolve from the amateur to the sensational, the young lovers became the most hunted (and famous) criminals in the country. Released 50 years ago this August, Bonnie and Clyde is being rereleased for a limited run in theaters across the country. Among the first 100 films selected for preservation in the U.S. National Film Registry, it’s almost impossible for us to understand the film’s impact on the culture at the time of its debut.