Rihanna in Battleship
Paula Patton in Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol. This sexy starlet teamed up with Tom Cruise’s masterspy Ethan Hunt in this franchise rebooting megahit.
Rosario Dawson in Sin City
This sexy star brought the comics to life as a gun toting prostitute in this offbeat noir based on a celebrated series of graphic novels by Frank Miller.
Angela Bassett in Strange Days. After getting into tip-top shape for her Oscar-nominated role in What’s Love Got To Do With It, Bassett’s ‘guns’ became legendary. She ably showed her action prowess in this sci-fi classic.
Tamara Dobson in Cleopatra Jones
Although not as well known as Pam Grier, Dobson was equally tough as this fashionista crime fighter from the 1970s.
Grace Jones in Conan the Destroyer
Avant garde pop star and ex-model Grace Jones made a splash in the 1980s as action hero — taking on the and only Arnold Schwarzenegger in this shot.
Jada Pinkett Smith in The Matrix Reloaded/Revolutions
The Matrix sequels may have been a disappoint for fans of the original but Jada made an undeniably cool impression as the resourceful Niobe.
Pam Grier in Coffy
The iconic blaxploitation star has been kicking butt for years (from Foxy Brown to Jackie Brown) but this is the hit film that started it all.
Tina Turner in Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome
The soul music legend made a rare big screen appearance as the fearsome Aunty Entity in the final Mad Max film. She rules over Bartertown and makes the ‘two men enter, one man leaves’ rules of Thunderdome.
Halle Berry in Die Another Day
The Oscar winner was not your average Bond girl in this blockbuster. As the feisty Jinx she nearly stole the show from 007.
Vivica A. Fox in Kill Bill Vol. 1
Although her screen time was limited, Fox was unforgettable as a knife-wielding assassin in the first part of Quentin Tarrantino’s epic.
Queen Latifah in Set It Off
Before she graduated to light comedies and musicals Latifah played a bada** bank robber in this hood classic.
Beyoncé in Obsessed
In this campy Fatal Attraction-style thriller, the pop star shows she’s not afraid to literally fight for her man.
Eartha Kitt in Batman
Ok, so the late Kitt never actually played Catwoman on the big screen but she was so purr-fect in the role we had to include her anyway.
To coincide with the release of Rihanna’s new action film Battleship, theGrio has compiled a list of our favorite bada** big screen females. From the blaxploitation starlets Pam Grier and the lateTamara Dobson, to 80s icons Grace Jones and Tina Turner and finally we wind up with more modern personalities. Check out the slideshow before to see if your favorite made the list.
