Top 10 Strong Female Leads in Movies

Top 10 Strong Female Leads in Movies

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They’re all about Girl Power and mojo risin’ by the hour! Join MsMojo as we count down our picks for Top 10 Strong Female Leads in Movies. For this list, we’re focusing on spirited women that held down a lead role in a major motion picture. With all due respect to these actresses and their roles, we’ve excluded Charlize Theron’s Imperator Furiosa in “Mad Max: Fury Road” and Carrie Fisher’s Princess Leia in “Star Wars” since they were clearly supporting players, despite their characters’ prowess within the plot.

Yeah, she’s got the bod, and she’s become a darling of Academy Awards voters – you’ve heard that story - but hold up a minute now, because our girl J-Law slayed as the lead in perhaps one of the more difficult film adaptations of the Young Adult genre. For both men and women to take Katniss Everdeen seriously, they had to buy into the strength of Jennifer Lawrence’s performance. Whether she was having a heart-to-heart or kicking butt in battle, Katniss always managed to convey a formidable presence with a captivating sense of humanity. Kind of like Jennifer’s character Ree in “Winter’s Bone”, but on a much bigger scale, which she had to maintain for several films.

In the first chapter of Krzysztof Kieślowski's must-watch French trilogy, this lead actress looks all cute with that hair, but there’s more to discover than just her style and elegance. This woman has been through some tough times after her losing both her husband and daughter, and as the living embodiment of “liberty” – one of the three central themes of the trilogy – Juliette Binoche’s character discovers that as much as women may need some extended alone time - and Julie needs a lot – one can always find hope by embracing the human spirit.

Not only did this Disney flick help jumpstart the music career of Christina Aguilera, but it also presented female viewers with a beautiful role model in the form of a gal named Fa Mulan. Ok, maybe she’s not a real person in the classical sense, but she is in theory, being based on the legendary warrior from the “Ballad of Mulan.” In the film, Mulan attains a respectable amount of grace and refinement, even if it means suiting up as a supposed male soldier and gently whoopin’ some warrior ass. Voiced by Ming-Na Wen, this Disney darling highlighted the fact that women can be tough and loveable at the same time while expressing a unique individuality that’s all their own.

#7: Uma Thurman as the Bride “Kill Bill: Volume 1” (2003)

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Much like Mulan fits the animated world of Disney, this vengeful assassin fits the turbulent world of Quentin Tarantino movies. Black Mamba is so damn badass that you might forget about the raw beauty of Uma Thurman herself. The Bride always keeps it 100 by demonstrating a fierce commitment to multitasking rather than shopping at the local mall. Who knows? Maybe she’s a girly-girl at heart, but in “Kill Bill: Vol.1,” she’s one bad mama jama that you don’t wanna get angry. At the end of the day, Black Mamba doesn’t just thrown down for the sake of throwin’ down. She lives by a code.

When you hear the name Tina Turner, most women think of those gorgeous legs and probably that piece of work named Ike. And for this film based on Tina Turner’s own autobiography, Angela Bassett stepped into the lead role and handled her business. She channeled all the feistiness and energy of Tina, and you know she looked damn good doing it as well. Given the chaos that Turner endured and the era in which the prime of her career occurred, you gotta hand it to Ms. Bassett for making us all believe that she WAS the icon - and when it was all said and done, she rightfully earned a Golden Globe.

In the original “Alien,” Sigourney Weaver established herself as a strong female presence in cinema with the unassuming Ripley – but then came James Cameron’s sequel in which she conveyed more of a “hardened” demeanor… and who can blame Ripley after floating around for a good 57 years? In “Aliens,” Ripley put aside the notebooks and research babble in order to focus primarily on kicking alien ass. The performance marked a turning point in cinema, as Ripley marked her territory as the Queen B of modern sci-fi, likely helping to pave the way for Linda Hamilton’s reprisal of Sarah Connor in “Terminator 2: Judgment Day.”

Building on theoretical concepts set forth by the aforementioned Krzysztof Kieślowski and fueled by his own vision of visual chaos, director Tom Tykwer introduced us to a now-iconic female lead of modern international cinema. Hoping to earn the necessary cash to save her boyfriend’s life, Franka Potente’s Lola is given 20 minutes to navigate the streets of Berlin in a cinematic demonstration of one’s determination fighting his or her own free will, and let’s just say this: the actress’ breathtaking, yet hardened, performance propelled her right into the Jason Bourne franchise.

If you don’t know the specifics behind Kathryn Bigelow’s post 9-11 film, you’d probably think Jessica Chastain’s CIA agent was a real historical figure. While Maya is based on different personalities, the important thing to remember is what Maya represents: power, commitment and execution. She earns her money by way of intelligence and preparation. Hey, we’re not saying she’s the embodiment of humanity, all we’re saying is that Chastain’s depiction unveils a female lead that won’t bow down in the face of adversity.

For a brief moment, just throw aside the likeability factor of the two lead actresses and think about their BFF friendship: one that takes them down many literal and figurative roads. Ok, spoiler alert: some shenanigans happen in “Thelma & Louise,” and yes, Ridley Scott’s film gave us young Brad Pitt and beautiful landscapes to balance out the darkness. Sort of a feminist road movie of vengeance, “Thelma & Louise” contains enough grit and humanity to subvert itself from typical genre clichés. In the end, the dynamic bond between the two leads is the heart of the movie. Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions. • Audrey Tautou as Amélie Poulain “Amélie” [aka “Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain”] (2001) • Zoe Saldana as Cataleya Restrepo / Valerie Phillips “Colombiana” (2011) • Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly / Lula Mae Barnes “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” (1961) • Jennifer Beals as Alexander ‘Alex’ Owens “Flashdance” (1983) • Bibi Andersson & Liv Ullman as Alma & Elisabet Vogler “Persona” (1966)

Here’s the deal: Erin Brockovich doesn’t need anybody’s crap nor does she want her local community to deal with the inept practices of energy corporations. With an American icon in the titular role of Steven Soderbergh’s 2000 classic, audiences received a different side of Julia Roberts as she channeled the feisty, inquisitive spirit of her real-life subject. This resulted in a powerhouse performance in which she embodied numerous positive ideals for modern-day women already dealing with less-than-perfect lives. Redemption didn’t come easy, but as Erin Brockovich demonstrated, you can’t win unless you play the game. Do you agree with our list? Who is your favorite strong female lead? For more mind-blowing Top 10s published daily, be sure to subscribe to MsMojo.