We always stand in awe of the impressive body count of the most beloved action heroes, but there are a lot of women in the story of cinema capable of dishing out punishment like the best of them. While some of these ladies can’t compare to the likes of John Wick or Rambo, they get the job done, and in most cases, their stories are great setups to make all their killings justifiable. The women in this ranking have elevated action by crushing stereotypes and being as strong as their male counterparts.

Before we get started, it’s important to highlight a few ground rules: Charlize Theron and Angelina Jolie only get two spots. Otherwise, plenty of their characters could take over half the ranking easily. We’ll also consider the implied violence some characters incur, even off-screen, due to their line of work. With that out of the way, it’s time to see which women have commanded the screen by combining beauty, skill, and brutality. Many of these films have incredible cultural relevance, while others ache to be discovered by audiences.

20 Yuki Kashima (Lady Snowblood)

The aesthetic and score of Lady Snowblood have a massive influence on Kill Bill, just watch this film, and you’ll understand what we are talking about. This 1973 classic is directed by Toshiya Fujita and based on Kazuo Koike’s manga. Meiko Kaji takes on the part of the lethal Yuki Kashima, a child born from a mother unjustly imprisoned after killing one of her rapists.
Yuki is born in captivity and grows to train in the art of the sword under the priest Dōkai to become her mother’s wrath incarnate. Sporting an immaculate white kimono and ladylike behavior, Yuki hides a deadly set of skills to carry out his vengeance by killing nearly 30 people just in the first film.

19 Jennifer Hills (I Spit on Your Grave)

Anchor Bay Entertainment

Jennifer Hills may not have the most significant kill count in the ranking (that we know of), but she surely knows how to get the job done and plan accordingly to get back at people who wronged her. Sarah Butler plays the lead character from I Spit on Your Grave in this remake of the 1978 classic. The story is directed by Steven R. Monroe, who imprinted a heavy dose of realism and brutality.
Jennifer is assaulted, raped, beaten, and left for dead by a group of hillbillies and the corrupt Sherriff of the small town she is visiting to write her novel. Like the proverbial phoenix, she rises from the ashes and won’t stop until she gets some payback. Her story continues in the third entry of the saga, as she’s tuned to the dark side and now kills out of pleasure. Her total on-screen kill count amount to nine bodies.

18 Cataleya (Colombiana)

EuropaCorp

Want to know a funny story about this movie? This script was meant to be the follow-up to León, the Professional. After negotiations with Natalie Portman failed, Luc Besson took the script, turned it into something else, and handed it over to director Olivier Megaton. In Colombiana, we follow the story of Cataleya, played by the ever-reliable Zoe Saldana.
As a child, she witnessed the assassination of her parents, as her dad was bent on leaving his criminal deeds behind him; his associate Don Luis Sandoval couldn’t have that, so he wiped out the family, but the girl managed to escape. As an adult, she’s been trained by Emilio, a former friend of her father, to become a top assassin. When Cataleya discovers Don Luis has become a CIA asset and could get protection from the US government, she will not let this stand. By the film’s end, she leaves a trial of 24 bodies in her quest for justice.

17 Hanna Heller (Hanna)

Focus Features

Pairing out coming of age with action is undoubtedly an odd choice. However, Hanna manages to do so seamlessly. This underrated action flick directed by Joe Wright gathers Saoirse Ronan, Eric Bana, and Cate Blanchett. In the story, Hann has been trained since she was a child by Erik, a man she believes to be her father.
As somebody with many secrets, Erik has raised Hanna as her failsafe in case anything happens to him. When Hanna finally finds out about her real origins, she feels entitled to some payback, and she won’t stop until everyone who has wronged her and Erik is dead and buried. The film ends with a kill count of 22 bodies.

16 Riley North (Peppermint)

STXfilms

Jennifer Garner, cold-blooded killer? Now that’s a sentence we never thought we’d read, but it turns out the actress can pretty much kick anyone’s ass in Peppermint, a sleeper action flick made in 2018. In this excellent revenge story directed by Pierre Morel, Garner embodies the fierce and vengeful Riley North, a former bank employee turned vigilante after her husband and daughter are gunned down by a Mexican drug cartel.
The justice system fails Riley; with the judge and cops being bought and paid off by the cartel, she disappears for five years. When Riley finally returns, she’s now a strategic planner with deadly combat skills. Riley begins to hunt down and kill everyone who wronged her. From mobsters to cops or judges. She ends her story with 40 bodies in her kill count.
Related: The Most Iconic Final Girls of the 1980s

15 Evelyn Salt (Salt)

Sony Pictures Releasing

Some of the most underrated action flicks showcase a lot of potential and miss the chance of being bigger because audiences fail to pay attention. Salt was one of those occasions. This incredible movie, directed by Phillip Noyce and written by Kurt Wimmer, follows the story of Evelyn Salt, played by Angelina Jolie.
As a skilled CIA operative, Salt suddenly finds herself burned and accused of being a Russian spy. The interwoven web of conspiracy makes for a great story full of action, drama, and intrigue, and Angelina kicks some major ass in this film, leaving a trail of 13 bodies and 15 guys who’ll need assistance to walk for the rest of their lives.

14 Lucy (Lucy)

Universal Pictures

We should get more action films by Luc Besson; the man has a unique touch for action rarely seen in American cinema. This film was another sleeper hit in 2014, made on a budget of $40 million and scoring back close to half a billion dollars. Scarlett Johansson plays Lucy, a young woman who unintentionally ingests a new drug that unlocks 100% of her brain skills.
Lucy quickly gains control over her new skills, becoming an expert marksman and developing mind powers to manipulate matter and wills. She begins the story as a scared girl but ends with nearly 40 kills by the film’s end, with most of the shootouts driven by her own hand or driven by her machinations.

13 Mallory Kane (Haywire)

Relativity Media

If someone can do action, it has to be Gina Carano. It’s a shame she has yet to be given another chance to truly shine. Haywire was her first theatrical release, and she went all out. This remarkable story is directed by Steven Soderbergh and written by Lem Dobbs and features the talents of Michael Fassbender, Ewan McGregor, Bill Paxton, and Channing Tatum as co-leads.
The story follows Mallory Kane, a highly skilled operative seeking revenge after being double-crossed by her agency. She must track down her former employers and find out why they want her dead. She proves efficient with a tally of ten bodies left behind her rampage.

12 Alice (Resident Evil)

Sony Pictures Releasing

We are still marveling that Paul W.S. Anderson managed to make six Resident Evil films centered around an original character he created for the franchise with minimal participation from the original cast of characters from the game. Still, Alice, as played by Milla Jovovich, embodies everything we are looking for to get into this ranking.
The no-nonsense warrior battles hordes of undead creatures and a powerful corporation in a post-apocalyptic world. She’s the fiercest warrior in fiction, with a total kill count of 685 bodies across six movies.

11 Domino (Domino)

New Line Cinema

Tony Scott was a great filmmaker that went too soon. Domino is still one of his most underrated works. The superb screenplay by Richard Kelly is brought to life by Keira Knightley, who portrays Domino Harvey, a real-life supermodel turned bounty hunter after being kicked out of college.
The action-packed story has excellent entertainment value but reflects poor life choices and the consequences of a lack of guidance for young people. Knightley still kills it in the role ending the film with a total body count of 14 people.
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10 Selene (Underworld)

Sony Pictures Releasing

You’ll notice in this ranking that, somehow, the prettiest faces are the ones who turn out to be the deadliest. Kate Beckinsale had a great run as Selene in four Underworld movies. The original film, directed by Len Wiseman, established the ground rules of that unique world, where mortals are nothing but cannon fodder in an ongoing war between lycans and vampires.
In a conflict that has been raging on for hundreds of years, Selene proves to be a crucial piece of the plot as she’s the one to fall in love with Michael Corvin and give birth to Eve, a lycan/vampire hybrid who is the key to ending the war. Selene ends her story with a grand total of 130 bodies in her tally.

9 Natasha Romanoff (The Avengers)

Marvel Studios

Natasha Romanoff was introduced in Iron Man 2 to keep close eyes on Tony Stark. As it was later revealed, the Black Widow had been a SHIELD operative for years before becoming a fully-fledged Superhero with a public life. Before joining the good guys, she used to be a red room operative, as stated in her solo film.
Unlike her peers, Natasha did a lot of black OPS work before joining The Avengers, and she has no qualms about killing anyone who gets in her way. She kills 29 people between regular goons and aliens in her first two appearances. So it’s safe to say her past as a spy has led to a high kill count that will never be on public record.

8 Lorraine Broughton (Atomic Blonde)

Focus Features

Atomic Blonde is a great film based on the graphic novel by Antony Johnston. David Leitch directed the movie, featuring Charlize Theron’s talent as Lorraine Broughton, a top-level MI6 agent sent on a dangerous mission after the fall of the Berlin Wall. Broughton must retrieve a dossier in western Germany and take down an espionage ring set by the KGB, who are keeping close tabs on her and passing as operatives of her won agency to mislead her. Theron does a spectacular job in this movie, showcasing her lethal combat skills and expert marksmanship. She resolves the intrigue leaving a trail of 20 bodies to her name.

7 Fox (Wanted)

Universal Pictures

Wanted is a great story based on the comic book of the same name written by Mark Millar. Although the original story is flashier and tonally different, the film compresses the best elements to tell a competent tale. Directed by Timur Bekmambetov, Angelina Jolie takes on the role of Fox, a skilled assassin who must train Wesley Gibson (played by James McAvoy) in the art of killing. As expected from a mentor figure, Fox is much more skilled than Gibson, and while she only has 29 kills to her name in the movie, it’s safe to say the list goes on much longer due to her longstanding relationship with the Fraternity.

6 Major Eden Sinclair (Doomsday)

Universal Pictures

It’s a damn shame Rhona Mitra it’s not more famous. This beautiful and talented woman can kick your ass if she wants. She played a unique role in Neil Marshall’s Doomsday. In this post-apocalyptic action film, she plays the role of Major Eden Sinclair, a highly trained soldier with a mission to find a cure for a deadly virus in a quarantined area filled with cannibalistic gangs.
Eden is resourceful, with formidable training, but not depicted following the unrealistic trope of the woman who can body a man twice her size. She emerges victorious from her struggle, with 60 killings in her countdown.
Related: 20 Great Sci-Fi Movies With Female Leads

5 Nikita (La Femme Nikita)

Gaumont Films

We really have to wonder what it is with Luc Besson and coming-of-age stories featuring empowered feminine killing machines. La Femme Nikita is the film that made him famous, but American audiences had to settle for a watered-down version named Point of No Return starring Bridget Fonda. The original French film is rawer, impactful, and somber.
Nikita is a girl who has been dealt a lousy hand most of her life. When she’s finally sent to prison, the DGSE fakes her death and gives her two choices: to become a trained killing machine or an unmarked grave. Anne Parillaud does an incredible job playing Nikita with a complex blend of vulnerability and lethal prowess, leaving a trail of ten bodies across the story.

4 Hit-Girl (Kick-Ass)

Lionsgate

Kick-Ass is another excellent comic story written by Mark Millar with some of the most in-your-face characters and situations you’ll ever see. The film, directed by Matthew Vaughn, faithfully adapts the first series, with Chloë Grace Moretz playing the sweet yet deadly Mindy Macready, aka Hit-Girl.
Mindy has been trained since birth by her dad to be an expert assassin, capable of handling any weapon that falls into her hands. After her dad is killed by the Mafia boss Frank D’Amico, Mindy embarks on a suicide mission to kill anyone who stands in her way to avenge her father. The story ends with Hit Girl taking out nearly 40 people in her rampage.

3 Sook-hee (The Villainess)

Next Entertainment World

Korean cinema has repeatedly proven to deliver great stories and action sequences. Throw in a beautiful face, and you have one of the most underrated action flicks of the past ten years. The Villainess is a film directed by Jung Byung-gil; in the story, Kim Ok-bin takes on the role of Sook-hee, a highly trained assassin seeking revenge for everything that is given and taken from her.
The story has similar undertones to the La Femme Nikita, but this one goes one step forward. A nihilistic teen is given the chance of a lifetime when the police detain her after a murderous spree. The South Korea Intelligence Agency transforms her by giving her a complete makeover and a family, which she loses for the sake of a mission. At the end of her rampage, she killed everyone in the agency, with a total body count of 82 people.

2 Beatrix Kiddo (Kill Bill)

Miramax Films

You already know her and probably guessed she would be in the top three. Beatrix Kiddo is the original name of The Bride, the character played by Uma Thurman in Kill Bill Vol.1 and 2. The film, directed by Quentin Tarantino, is a straightforward revenge story as Beatrix suddenly wakes up after being left in a coma by Bill, the boss of The Deadly Vipers and her former lover.
The Bride embarks on a long journey to hunt down and kill every gang member and get her well-deserved payback. The desire for revenge drives Beatrix, and she won’t spare anyone daring to go in her way. By the time she’s finished, she has killed nearly 80 people, including Bill himself.

1 Andromache of Scythia (The Old Guard)

Netflix

When it comes to comic book films, some stories showcase a great deal of imagination and inventiveness. The Old Guard is a movie directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood and based on a series written by Greg Rucka. Andromache of Scythia, played by Charlize Theron, is the leader of a mercenary group of immortals that has been around for thousands of years. She is the oldest member of the crew, having lived for 6000 years when the film begins.
She goes by Andy in modern times because keeping such an ancient name it’s not exactly fashionable. Andy and her squad are on the run from a rival team of mercenaries working for a man who wants to steal their immortality, something neither of them knows how it works. While Andy gets a staggering kill count of 60 people in the film, she’s also been doing this for ages, so her kill count is probably in the thousands by now.