Top 9 Tuesday- Female Action Heroes

In honour of Atomic Blonde hitting theatres this weekend I decided on starting up a new segment that will count down the top 9 of a certain topic based on my opinion. This segment will come every other week and for the most part focus on topics related to new releases. With Atomic Blonde promising a kick-ass performance by Charlize Theron, I figured it would be fun to shed light on some badass female action heroes.

First off, here are some honourable mentions: Hermione Granger (Harry Potter franchise), Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games franchise), Black Widow (Marvel Cinematic Universe), Kate Macer (Sicario), Veronica Mars (Veronica Mars), Gamora (Guardians of the Galaxy), and Clarice Starling (Silence of the Lambs).

#9 Hit Girl- Kick-Ass
Kick-Ass' hit girl is very young, but that doesn't stop her from slicing up bad guys left and right. Trained by a crazy dad, hit girl was made to be a crime fighter. Not only does she make for some cool and at times funny actions scenes, she also brings a fun dynamic with the wannabe superhero Kick-Ass. Her ability to kick ass at a young age puts her at 9th on this list

#8 Rita Vrataski- Edge of Tomorrow
Edge of Tomorrow is an underappreciated movie, and Rita is an underappreciated character. Portrayed beautifully by Emily Blunt, Rita is the toughest nail in an army of heavily equipped soldiers fighting for Earth. While most of the men in the army use an assortment of guns, she uses nothing but a giant sword resembling a helicopter blade. Her badass attitude and action chops put her at 8th on this list.

#7 Trinity- The Matrix
Most of the attention given to the Matrix goes to Keanu Reeves or the impressive style. But Carrie-Anne Moss' Trinity is arguable the coolest character in the film. Decked out in leather and a pair of shades, Trinity's hobbies include looking tough and killing agents. For being the most badass in a film full of badasses, Trinity takes the 7 spot on this list.

#6 The Bride- Kill Bill
Unfortunately I haven't seen Kill Bill yet, but I've seen enough scenes of her slicing people to shreds to put her on here. She kills with ease and has a tough and resilient attitude. With not seeing the movie I can't really say more, but what I've seen is enough to put her at 6th.

#5 Furiosa- Mad Max: Fury Road
Going into this movie I assumed that Tom Hardy's Max would be the standout. However Charlize Theron as Furiosa stole the show for me. Since this list is dedicated to her newest role it shouldn't surprise anyone that she can kick ass, and her tough and gritty portrayal of Furiosa shows that. She disobeys her leader, tries to flee with all his wives, gives Max a smack down, and sports one of the coolest mechanical arms to-date. Furiosa more than deserves the 5th spot.

#4 Leia/Rey- Star Wars franchise
This might count as cheating as I'm putting two characters in this spot but they both deserve it. Leia proves from the first movie that she is the one in control at all times, and doesn't take being a princess as a reason to not fight. We have watched her grow from a princess, to a rebellion leader, to a general, and she has been kicking ass all the way. While we have only seen Rey in one movie, she showed that she has some strong force ability that allowed her to match up evenly with a trained sith. These two have and will continue to kick ass through generations, and are sharing the 4th spot on this list.

#3 Wonder Woman- Wonder Woman
While I'm still iffy on Gal Gadot's acting abilities, there's no questioning that she perfectly embodies Wonder Woman. What is there to say about this character? She is the most badass on an island full of badass women. We have so far seen her match the fighting skill of Batman and Superman, and seen her go toe to toe with the god of war, and that's just what we've seen in two films. Her fighting skill and awesome theme song put her in 3rd place.

#2 Sarah Connor- Terminator 2: Judgement Day
Sarah Connor shows one of the greatest changes in a character of all time. In the first Terminator film she almost acts a a scream queen, she never really shows any strength and is protected by Kyle Reese throughout the film. Then Terminator 2 came along. Instead of the scared and confused character she was in the first film, Linda Hamilton now plays one of the toughest, and grittiest characters put to film. Armed with a shed full of big guns and a tough as nails attitude, Sarah Connor shows the strong will and toughness needed when going up against Skynet, and for that she takes the runner-up spot on this list.

#1 Ellen Ripley- Alien franchise
Anyone that knows me well would no doubt know that this is my top choice. Alien is my favourite horror movie and Aliens is one of my favourite action movies. In Alien, Ripley is put into one of the most terrifying situations one can get into, being stuck in space with a deadly xenomorph on board your ship. She stays tough through this terrifying time and manages to make it out in one piece. In Aliens she is surrounded by tough military men and women with huge weapons and even bigger muscles. Despite being seen by the crew as a lame scientist she is once again one of the only survivors. Not only does she kick ass, but she brings one of the best lines in movie history. Sigourney Weaver's brilliant portrayal of Ripley puts the character puts Ripley in first place on the first Top 9 Tuesday.

Written by Matt McKenzie