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'Alien' (1979) -

In 1979, Sigourney Weaver opened the door for women in action as Ripley, who managed to survive an encounter with the scariest monster of all time.

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'Kill Bill: Vol. 1' (2003) -

Both volume one and two are great. The film stars Uma Thurman as The Bride, a former assassin who is out for blood after waking up from a coma.

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'Lara Croft: Tomb Raider' (2001) -

Angelina Jolie was truly amazing as Lara Croft. She did a great job taking the video game character to the big screen, which resulted in a franchise.

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'Wonder Woman' (2017) -

Gal Gadot as Wonder Woman was perfect casting. Not only did the film break box-office records, it also redefined women in the superhero genre.

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'Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens' (2015) -

With Daisy Ridley as Rey and Carrie Fisher as General Leia, this film was led by women. And female fans of the franchise could not be happier!

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'Resident Evil' (2002) -

Another video game-based, woman-led franchise, in 'Resident Evil' Milla Jovovich plays a woman taking on mutants and big corporations. It's also the highest-grossing franchise to ever be based on a video game.

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'The Hunger Games' (2012) -

Jennifer Lawrence played a strong female protagonist as Katniss Everdeen in the Hunger Games franchise. Not only did she save herself, she also saved everyone around her.

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'Black Widow' (2021) -

Scarlett Johansson finally got her own movie as Natasha Romanoff. In this film, she teams up with her sister, played by Florence Pugh, to take down the man who first made her an assassin.

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'Mad Max: Fury Road' (2015) -

Charlize Theron was the true star as Imperator Furiosa in this reboot. The stunt work and action sequences are amazing as she portrays the ferocious war captain.

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'Captain Marvel' (2019) -

Who can forget Brie Larson's epic role as a former Air Force pilot turned superhero? 'Captain Marvel' is a fun film with a strong female lead all will admire.

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'Underworld' (2003) -

Kate Beckinsale played a vampire trying to save her family's legacy in the Underworld franchise. It went on to last five movies. Not bad at all!

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'V for Vendetta' (2005) -

Natalie Portman is truly iconic in this film as Evey, a young woman who teams up with a masked man known only as V in order to take down the fascist government.

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'Atomic Blonde' (2017) -

Set before the fall of the Berlin Wall, Charlize Theron plays a brilliant and vicious elite spy who's tasked with taking down an espionage ring in the German capital.

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'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' (2016) -

This 2016 installment of the extended universe stars Felicity Jones as the extremely badass Jyn Erso, a criminal-turned-rebel fighting the good fight.

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'Wanted' (2008) -

No stranger to action films, Angelina Jolie stars as a member of a secret assassin society who takes a young man under her wing as her mentee.

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'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' (2000) -

This masterpiece became the highest-grossing foreign language film produced overseas in US box-office history. It follows a rebellious young warrior who's tasked with protecting a 400-year-old sword for her lover, which ends up getting stolen.

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'Charlie's Angels' (2000) -

Sure, there have been many reboots, but this version from 2001 was truly iconic. Lucy Liu, Drew Barrymore, and Cameron Diaz made for box-office gold.

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'Hanna' (2011) -

This film stars Saoirse Ronan as the titular Hanna, a teen assassin tasked with killing the senior intelligence agent who's after her father, an ex-CIA operative from Germany. Talk about a tough mission for a teenager!

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'Salt' (2010) -

In this thriller, Angelina Jolie plays Evelyn Salt, a CIA operative who must go on the run in order to try and clear her name after she's accused of being a Russian spy.

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'X-Men: Dark Phoenix' (2019) -

Sophie Turner plays the young Jean Gray in this X-Men origins film. Let's hope for more female-led origin films, because this franchise has many awesome female characters.

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'Sicario' (2015) -

In this action thriller, Emily Blunt plays an FBI agent who gets mixed up in a dangerous operation in Ciudad Juárez, Mexico, while fighting the war on drugs.

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'The Old Guard' (2020) -

It's safe to say that Charlize Theron excels when it comes to action movies. This superhero film tells the story of four centuries-old immortals secretly working to protect humanity and suddenly discovering another immortal.

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'Annihilation' (2018) -

'Annihilation' doesn't only give use one female lead, but five! Starring Natalie Portman, Gina Rodriguez, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Tuva Novotny, and Tessa Thompson, they all play a team of scientists and military personnel who investigate a rapidly-spreading alien presence.

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'Proud Mary' (2018) -

In 'Proud Mary,' Taraji P. Henson stars as a ruthless assassin whose life is turned upside down when she encounters a 12-year-old kid she'll do anything to protect.

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'Colombiana' (2011) -

In 'Colombiana,' Zoe Saldana plays the ferocious Cataleya, a woman who seeks revenge against a Colombian drug lord for killing her family.

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'The Long Kiss Goodnight' (1996) -

In this film, Geena Davis plays a schoolteacher with amnesia. When her memories come back, she discovers that she used to be an assassin, and now has to stop a terrorist plot.

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'The Protégé' (2021) -

Maggie Q stars as Anna, the world's most skilled contract killer after being rescued by a legendary assassin as a child. After her mentor is brutally murdered, she goes after revenge.

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'Haywire' (2011) -

This action-packed flick stars Gina Carano as a highly-trained black ops operative who's betrayed by her employers and targeted for assassination.

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'Miss Bala' (2011) -

Stephanie Sigman stars as a young woman who gets caught in a cartel’s dealings in Mexico. She becomes a tough fighter who yearns to break free from the world of crime.

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'The Assassin' (2015) -

In this ninth-century period drama from Taiwan, the kidnapped daughter of a general is trained to become an assassin. As a final test, she is sent home and forced to choose between killing her betrothed or breaking with her organization.

Sources: (Marie Claire) (Cosmopolitan) (Screen Rant)

See also: The 30 best action movies of all time

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