Badass Women in Film

In the obviously male-dominated industry of film, I think it is often important to pay tribute to the strong and brilliant female characters who are featured in some incredible films. In this post I will be shining a light on some of my favourite female characters from films, ones who are often overlooked in regards to being pretty kick-ass by the shadow that many male leading characters cast.

Thelma & Louise
(Thelma & Louise, 1991. dir. Ridley Scott)

At the start of the film, Thelma and Louise, two best friends whose lives are being controlled by their intrusive and selfish partners, decide to leave behind their unhappy relationships and embark on a care free road trip. With just the two of them, the women show just how liberating females can be without men.
At a pit stop to a bar on their road trip, a rape almost occurs, only being stopped by Louise shooting the man dead. This scene has always haunted me, and looking back on it, I interpret it now as the rapist being almost a figure of patriarchy trying to gain its way back into the film. The perpetrator is shot down immediately however, firmly giving the statement that no man is going to control these women, they are strong, they show that they are independent and their gun skills are pretty kick-ass.
The ending of the film is perhaps one of the grandest moments of the pair's labelling as feminist icons in film, with the two choosing to drive straight off a cliff face rather than be caught by the police (a very male dominated profession, also). These women are seriously unstoppable, only stopping when they themselves have ended their lives in a shock-ending that definitely gives the audience something to talk about after the credits have rolled.

The Bride
(Kill Bill Vol 1. & Kill Bill Vol 2.)

If you're not familiar with the general plot outline of the two Kill Bill films, an ex-assassin, known as The Bride, leaves the assassin squad in order to settle down and start a family. That is, however, until her old assassin squad leader, Bill, orders an attack on her wedding rehearsal that leads to the death of everyone in the room.. a part from her. With a need for revenge on the lives of all of the members of the Deadly Vipers Assassination Squad, The Bride sets out to kill them all one by one.
These two films show The Bride constantly outsmarting and gaining the respect of powerful men. This starts in the form of the not-so smart and not-so powerful Buck, and ends in the extremely clever Bill. The Bride does not let her gender prevent her from fighting off the strongest of men and she does it all wearing the iconic yellow leather suit.
A particular favourite moment of mine of The Brides antics is her incredible fight scene with the Crazy 88s, a seemingly endless group of men who The Bride mows down one by one, without taking a moment for a breather. It is truly my belief that Tarantino has created a feminist icon with The Bride, and the character is part of the reason that these films are my favourites of Tarantino's.

There are only three characters from two films listed here, however, instead of me rambling on about even more characters, I thought I would make a list of some more of my favourites, and if you haven't checked out some of the films underneath the names, then I suggest you do.

REVIEW: JACKIE BROWN.

I am obsessed with the films of Quentin Tarantino. He is a genius and without a doubt one of the top living filmmakers in the world, his films are full of depth and his camerawork and screenwriting are always top notch. Like all films, there are flaws to be found when looking closely at his films, however the positives always outweigh the negatives easily and I always find myself engrossed in the characters and world he creates.
Tonight I watched Tarantino's third feature film, Jackie Brown.

It is clear from the start that the film is inspired heavily by '70s crime thrillers. The music, the mise en scene, the cinematography, the everything. The film is heavily stylised, which is enjoyable and different to watch from a film that was produced in the late '90s. Introducing a specific genre and taking inspiration from films that perhaps the Tarantino Generation are not comfortable and familiar with was a risk to take, however the film pulls it off beautifully, capturing and adapting the best bits of '70s cinema for a modern audience.

The film sees one of Tarantino's first female leads, with the amazing Pam Grier starring as the title character, Jackie Brown. A sexy, intelligent middle aged woman in a badass crime thriller is such an anti-typecast character that I cannot believe the film hasn't become a cult-sensation like more of Tarantino's earlier films such as Pulp Fiction or Reservoir Dogs.
Always being one to add in complications and characters who are created simply to be killed off, Tarantino throws the audience into a world of deceit, casual drug use and murder that feels like a whirlwind tour of everything your parents tell you not to do as a child.

The film could be a little shorter, with seemingly unnecessarily long scenes at some moments, but with cinematography that is worth the casual dialogue and monotonous actions that the characters take every so often. I thoroughly enjoyed the film, it is well-rounded, as are all Tarantino films, and the substance matches the style, a factor that I thought was going to be an issue after watching the first half of the film, thankfully however, the second half is much more action packed, tense and dramatic.