Summary

• Females stars dominate assassin movies: Jessica Chastain, Karen Gillan excel in streaming hits.
• Best leads must be ruthless, engaging, and intense in action - brutal assassins save innocent victims.
• Cult classics and lauded releases improving female assassin movie genre with memorable characters.

The increasing popularity of female assassin movies has seen stars like Jessica Chastain and Karen Gillan join the genre in some major streaming hits. While the genre dates back decades, a large selection of great films has come in recent years thanks to the growing number of streaming services. Some are already becoming cult classics while others have been heavily lauded by critics and fans alike, only improving the genre with each passing release.

When it comes to the best leads in female assassin movies, they have a lot of boxes to tick for fans of the genre. The best female assassins in movies are ruthless and can tear through even small armies almost on their own, while also working to save either themselves or an innocent victim that they have picked up along the way. The protagonist must be an engaging character to root for, and the action must be intense when it comes to the best female assassin movies. In the end, many of the movies match up well with the best of the genre.

21 Angelina Jolie As Jane Smith

Mr. & Mrs. Smith (2005)

Angelina Jolie's portrayal of Jane Smith in Mr. & Mrs. Smith stands as a quintessential example of a modern female assassin in cinema. Jolie brings a magnetic blend of sophistication, wit, and lethal prowess to her role. As Jane Smith, she navigates the complexities of a double life with seamless efficiency—balancing her covert activities with the facade of a suburban married life. This duality adds depth to her character, exploring themes of identity, trust, and love under extraordinary circumstances.

Jolie's physicality in the role is undeniable, executing choreographed fight scenes with precision and agility that emphasize her character's deadly capabilities. Her performance is not only about physical action but about the subtle interplays of power and vulnerability, particularly in her interactions with her on-screen husband, played by Brad Pitt. Their chemistry makes for a thrilling blend of action, comedy, and romance. Jolie's Jane is memorable not just for her combat skills but for her portrayal of a woman who masterfully controls her destiny in a high-stakes game, making her one of the most iconic female assassins in film history.

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20 Keira Knightley As Domino Harvey

Domino (2005)

Keira Knightley's portrayal of Domino Harvey in Domino is a vibrant and gritty depiction of a woman who defies societal expectations to forge her own path as a bounty hunter. The role of Domino offers the actress an opportunity to step away from Knightley's more traditional, period-piece personas, showcasing her versatility and strength as an actress. In the movie, Domino is portrayed as rebellious, tough, and unapologetically bold, traits that resonate with Knightley's dynamic performance.

Domino is based on the real-life Domino Harvey, an English woman who became a Los Angeles Bounty Hunter.

The character is based on a real-life figure, which adds a layer of depth and authenticity to Knightley’s portrayal. Her Domino is not just physically tough but also emotionally complex, navigating a world filled with danger and moral ambiguities. Knightley brings a raw, emotional intensity to the role, which is highlighted in the high-adrenaline action sequences and the more introspective moments. Her performance captures the essence of a woman who is both a fearless fighter and a deeply flawed individual, making her Domino Harvey a compelling and memorable character in the landscape of female cinematic assassins.

Domino is available to rent on Google Play, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu, and YouTube.

19 Sofia Boutella As Gazelle

Kingsman: The Secret Service (2014)

Sofia Boutella's portrayal of Gazelle in Kingsman: The Secret Service stands out for its combination of elegance and lethality, embodying a new kind of cinematic villain. Boutella's Gazelle is more than just an assassin; she's a visually striking character whose disability—having prosthetic legs—is ingeniously turned into her most deadly weapon. These prosthetics, equipped with razor-sharp blades, transform her into a formidable force, seamlessly integrating disability with empowerment in an action-packed context.

This physical prowess is matched by a cold, calculating demeanor that makes her loyalty and effectiveness as a villain all the more chilling.

Boutella's physicality and background as a dancer bring a unique grace to her action scenes, making Gazelle's movements fluid and mesmerizing. This physical prowess is matched by a cold, calculating demeanor that makes her loyalty and effectiveness as a villain all the more chilling. Her portrayal goes beyond traditional roles for female antagonists by combining physical threat with psychological complexity. Throughout the film, Boutella infuses Gazelle with a sense of danger and unpredictability, solidifying her as a memorable and iconic figure in the realm of movie assassins.

18 Kate Beckinsale As Selene

The Underworld Series (2003-2016)

Kate Beckinsale played Selene in four Underworld movies, and her portrayal is iconic, bringing a deep intensity and formidable presence to the vampire assassin role. As Selene, Beckinsale embodies a character defined by her strength, agility, and a profound sense of duty. Dressed in signature sleek, black leather, Selene cuts a striking figure against the gothic backdrop of the series, which intertwines vampire lore with a modern action aesthetic. Her character is driven by a thirst for vengeance and justice, making her one of the most compelling figures in contemporary fantasy cinema.

Beckinsale's performance is not only physically demanding but also emotionally layered. Selene is more than just a warrior; she is a character caught in a web of betrayal and forbidden love, navigating her existence as a vampire bound by ancient conflicts. Beckinsale brings a nuanced depth to Selene, portraying her as both lethal and vulnerable. Her adeptness with a wide array of weapons, combined with her tactical genius in combat, makes Selene a standout assassin who is both captivating and terrifying in her relentless pursuit of her enemies.

Underworld is available to rent on Google Play, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, Vudu, and YouTube.

17 Gina Carano As Mallory Kane

Haywire (2011)

Gina Carano's portrayal of Mallory Kane in Haywire is a showcase of raw physicality and tactical acumen, marking a significant step in the portrayal of female operatives in action cinema. Carano, a former mixed martial artist, brings authenticity and credibility to the role of Kane, a highly skilled black-ops mercenary who is both the hunter and the hunted. Her background in combat sports translates seamlessly, making the fight scenes particularly realistic and hard-hitting. In Haywire, Carano's Mallory is not just physically dominant but also sharply intelligent, often outsmarting her adversaries with both her physical prowess and her strategic thinking.

The film strips away the typical glamour often associated with female spies and assassins in cinema, focusing instead on a gritty, no-nonsense portrayal that is as practical as it is dynamic. Carano's performance is understated yet powerful, providing a strong female lead who operates in a male-dominated world without relying on sexualization or traditional gender roles. This approach gives the character a refreshing authenticity and makes Mallory Kane a memorable and influential figure in the genre of action films.

Watch on Peacock

16 Jessica Chastain As Ava

Ava (2020)

Stream on Netflix

Casting Jessica Chastain as the lead character in Ava was a stroke of genius because she has a history of portraying tough women in plenty of other films, but Ava is her most violent role. Like many female assassin movies, Chastain plays the lead character of Ava as someone with a dark past that she has to overcome - in this case, she is an addict who turns her skills as a former soldier into the role of an assassin.

When Ava's superiors betray her, she ends up fighting for her life and shows that she is stronger and more resilient than they ever gave her credit for. There are scenes in this movie that are pretty shocking in terms of how graphic they get. Ava holds nothing back as she takes out everyone in her path. That includes a pretty memorable fight against Colin Farrell's Simon. Chastain received critical praise for her performance, although the movie received mostly negative reviews.

15 Jeon Do-Yeon As Gil Bok-soon

Kill Boksoon (2023)

Stream on Netflix

In the South Korean crime thriller Kill Boksoon, Gil is a contract killer working for a group called M.K. Ent, and she has a 100% success rate. She is also one of the few killers working for the company that has an "A" rating. At the same time, she is also a single mother of a teenage daughter. One trope of female assassin movies is that there is usually one person who completely respects the assassin and another who despises them, and that happens in this movie as well.

While the head of M.K. Ent has great respect for Gil Boksoon, his sister hates her. After Gil self-sabotages her last kill for the company, the sister orders another assassin to kill Gil's target and then puts a hit out on Gil as well. When Gil has to battle her former friends in the assassin's network, she proves how powerful she is and kills her way to the top and the person who betrayed her in the first place. Jeon Do-yeon earned nominations at the Baeksang Arts Awards and Bull Film Awards for the performance.

14 Geena Davis As Samantha Caine

The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996)

• Rent now on Tubi

Geena Davis starred as the amnesiac assassin Samantha Caine in The Long Kiss Goodnight. This was one of the underrated Shane Black Christmas-time movies, directed by Davis's husband at the time, Renny Harlin. Samantha Caine is a suburban schoolteacher who begins to remember bits and pieces of her past life after bumping her head. When she comes to, she realizes she is a highly skilled government assassin whose old partners are now out to kill her and keep her quiet for good.

Of course, Caine has other plans. Samuel Jackson stars as Mitch Henessey, a down-on-his-luck private investigator who ends up helping Samantha once she finds herself the target of her old associates. However, it isn't Jackson, but Davis who stood tall in this movie as a warrior who wouldn't let anyone stop her and cut down anyone who tried to stand in her way.

13 Sasha Luss As Anna

Anna (2019)

Stream on Max

Filmmaker Luc Besson is behind such classics as Leon: The Professional and The Fifth Element, making him an expert in the world of assassin movies. In 2019, he wrote and directed Anna, another in a string of the genre he's mastered. The movie follows the titular Anna (Sasha Luss), a woman who escapes a life of domestic abuse and joins the KGB.

After years as a skilled assassin, she wants out but isn't granted it, sending her on a mission to free herself. Along with her brutal nature in the field, Anna also proves herself to be among the smartest killers out there. She is sent on a mission that no one should ever escape in one piece, and not only comes out on the other side but keeps a way for her to protect herself if her former handler decides to betray her in the future.

12 Taraji P. Henson As Mary Goodwin

Proud Mary (2018)

• Rent now on Starz

It seems like the talented Taraji P. Henson has played every kind of role, from a hip-hop mogul to a genius mathematician. She added hit-woman to her impressive resume in 2018 by portraying Mary Goodwin in Proud Mary. Along the same lines as some other female assassin movies, Proud Mary sees the protagonist take care of a teenager following a case where a job goes wrong. One of the normal tropes for these movies comes up here, as Mary had killed the boy's father and has been watching over him since then.

When Mary is forced by her bosses to train the boy to be a killer, she turns on him and ends up with a target on her head. This puts her at odds with everyone she once worked with, and she proved more than capable of saving herself and the teen. Though reviews weren't great, Henson delivered her usual quality performance and Mary had some standout action sequences.

11 Mary Elizabeth Winstead As Kate

Kate (2021)

Stream on Netflix

Following the success of Ava, Netflix looked to bring more female assassin movies to the streaming service. 2021 saw two of them, with one being Kate, starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead as the titular character. Some critics felt that this movie hit too many tropes from similar films, but that did not take away from the enjoyment factor of Kate roaring through her enemies without remorse.

While Kate was an expert sniper, her best scenes were when she got up close and personal with her targets. While on a mission to execute a yakuza boss, Kate is poisoned and has one day to find out the truth and get revenge. Along the way, she has some truly incredible moments and takes on a young protégé, who she has to protect from her bosses in the end. The bond between Kate and the protégé is a highlight of the film.

10 Karen Gillan As Sam

Gunpowder Milkshake (2021)

Stream on Netflix

Another of the female assassin movies to hit Netflix in 2021 was Gunpowder Milkshake. The movie centers on Sam (Karen Gillan), a hitwoman who teams up with her mother (Lena Headey) and other ladies to protect a young girl. As with many movies in the subgenre, Sam was the one who murdered the father of the girl she is now protecting, something the little girl didn't know until later in the movie.

The complex relationships were great, but the action scenes are where this film shines. Watching Sam dispatch multiple attackers while most of her body was numbed made for a creative scene, while her joining forces with the other women was another highlight. Seeing the close-knit female assassins taking out a legion of mafia hitmen in a library made the entire movie worth the watch. There was also an incredible moment at the end, set to The Animals' "It's All Over Now, Baby Blue."

9 Zoe Saldana As Cataleya Restrepo

Colombiana (2011)

• Stream on Starz

Several high-quality female assassin movies were released in 2011, including Olivier Megaton's Colombiana. Written by the master of the female assassin subgenre, Luc Besson, the film stars Zoe Saldana as an ice-cold professional hit woman. Upon witnessing her parents' barbarous murder as a child in Colombia, Cataleya grows up to vow revenge on those who took her more precious relatives away.

Cataleya becomes one of the world's most formidable assassins under the tutelage of her uncle, as well as a moonlighting murderer out to provoke the mobster who took her parents' lives. She is ruthless and efficient, leaving a Cattleya flower at each murder, hoping that the man who killed her parents will remember the significance and take notice, so she can exact revenge. She proves to be more than the FBI, CIA, and cartels can handle and the film works as a great look at Saldana's skills in an action flick.

8 Charlize Theron As Lorraine Broughton

Atomic Blonde (2017)

• Rent on DirecTV

While she also played a worthy hit-woman in Æon Flux in 2005, Charlize Theron upped the assassinating ante in Atomic Blonde, directed by David Leitch of John Wick fame. Lorraine Broughton (Theron) is a top-ranking MI6 Agent who uses her disarming sexuality as a weapon when sent to Berlin to investigate the murder of a colleague. When she isn't killing with a look, she engages in hand-to-hand combat or employs a high-tech arsenal to dispatch legions of traitorous double agents.

While some critics considered it a ripoff of John Wick movies, Atomic Blonde does enough to help it stand up alongside other female assassin movies. Lorraine is just as capable as Wick, but she also did it in style and remained a constant threat, even when backed into the corner. It's another in a long line of Theron action movies as the Oscar winner has become a staple of the genre.

7 Scarlett Johansson As Lucy Miller

Lucy (2014)

Stream on Netflix

Returning to a Luc Besson project, Lucy stars Scarlett Johansson in the title role as an ordinary citizen who is transformed into a super-assassin upon taking a radical new synthetic drug after a smuggling scheme goes awry. With her newfound skills intact, Lucy mounts a relentless revenge campaign on those who made her carry the drug in the first place.

It is a different look because she wasn't traditionally trained, so this idea takes female assassin movies and adds a superhuman touch that makes her more than formidable. Ultimately, Lucy wasn't one of the best-reviewed Scarlett Johansson movies, but critics were mostly positive about it. The special abilities that the character unlocks allow her to stand out from the crowded pack of other female movie assassins who gained their skills through training. There are plenty of films about characters unlocking the full capabilities of their brains, though this one stands out.

6 Kim Ok-Vin As Sook-hee / Chae Yeon-soo

The Villainess (2017)

• Stream on Prime Video

As already mentioned, Luc Besson is incredibly influential when it comes to the genre of female assassin movies and that is clear in The Villainess. According to writer and director Jung Byung-gil, it was Besson's La Femme Nikita that inspired this film (via Montreal Gazette). This South Korean action flick stars Kim Ok-vin as the protagonist, a woman who has been trained as a killer since childhood. However, she wants a new life, especially after giving birth to a child of her own.

The Villainess was praised for the action scenes and characters, while also reportedly receiving a standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival. Sook-hee goes through quite a transformation in this movie, having lost who she was and then finding it with some of the most brutal and stylized fighting scenes in female assassin movies.

5 Angelina Jolie As Fox

Wanted (2008)

• Stream on Peacock

Angelina Jolie has played ultra-skilled assassins several times. Her first came via Mr. and Mrs. Smith in 2005 and her last in the 2010 film Salt. However, it's her turn as the mentoring hit-woman Fox in Wanted that featured her best female assassin. Wanted traces the exploits of Wesley, a boring office employee who one day learns his father was a covert hitman. With the help of Sloan and the wily Fox, Wes soon taps into his supernatural assassin abilities to replace his father.

This is Wes's story, but Fox was just as important. She was the one who trained him, often in a brutal fashion and never letting him take a shortcut or slack off in any way. She was also someone who could dispatch any enemy, no matter how deadly. When she had to take a stand against her organization, she proved how deadly and fearless she was. While there was almost a Wanted 2, it wouldn't have been the same without Fox.

4 Saoirse Ronan As Hanna

Hanna (2011)

• Rent now on Apple TV & Prime Video

In the movie that inspired a 2019 TV series of the same name, Saoirse Ronan stars as Hanna, a 16-year-old girl raised as a cold-blooded assassin by her father Erik (Eric Bana) while living in rural Finland. Directed by Joe Wright, the plot picks up when Erik sends Hanna on her first mission in Europe. As Hanna keeps a low profile while on a collision course with the intelligence agent Melissa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett), she begins to reexamine her upbringing and question her role in the world.

This took the idea from Leon: The Professional and took it one step further. The young assassin wasn't in training here. She was a full-fledged killing machine, a teenage girl who could kill anyone in her path and even fight her way through a small army of gunmen, all by thinking two steps ahead at all times. When she finally met up with Wiegler, it was a true battle between old and new-school assassins.

3 Anne Parillaud As Nikita

La Femme Nikita (1990)

• Rent on Prime Video

In a story that inspired an American remake and two TV series, Luc Besson's Nikita features one of the all-time best female assassins ever recorded on film. French actress Anne Parillaud stars as the titular killer who assumes a new identity en route to assassinating her assailants. Nikita is a hardened criminal who is given the option of going to jail or becoming a trained killer for the French government. When she opts for the latter, she exhibits dazzling skills as an unscrupulous murderer while taking down one mark after another.

While the TV version remains the one most people remember, this remains one of the best female assassin movies. Nikita in the movie is someone who can plow through anyone who threatens her and remains one of the most legitimate assassins in film, female or male. It helped shaped the genre going forward.

2 Uma Thruman As Beatrix Kiddo

Kill Bill (2003-2004)

• Stream now on Starz

With the sole mission to Kill Bill in Quentin Tarantino's martial arts masterwork, Beatrix Kiddo (Uma Thruman) proves her status as a top-tier female assassin. Kiddo not only succeeds in her epic mission, but she does so by waylaying a series of collegiate hitmen and hitwomen in the process. Rather than using high-tech weaponry, Kiddo's brand of assassination entails Samurai swords and brutal hand-to-hand combat. After undergoing arduous training in Japan, Kiddo comes out stronger and more dangerous than ever.

The fight scenes are often over-the-top, with Tarantino showing his love and passion for kung fu movies, but there is no doubting how dangerous and deadly Kiddo is as she cuts her way through armies of assassins, showing there is only one person in this world who stands at the top of the hill. The scene where she battles the Crazy 88 only to fight O-Ren one-on-one in the snow remains one of the greatest scenes in female assassin movies.