Strong women can be heroes, too

By Jack Garner
Democrat and Chronicle

(June 15, 2001) -- Women are kicking butt in the movies. Literally.

Action films of the past regulated women to damsels in distress, cheerleaders on the sidelines or seductive femme fatales.

But women today are center stage, shooting, karate-chopping and kick-boxing their way to glory. Angelina Jolie's portrayal of Lara Croft in Tomb Raider is the latest in a growing trend toward powerful women on screen.

"Lara is very much a girl," Jolie has said. "It's not that she's as good as a guy; it's that when she's competing with a guy, she might win -- not because she's a girl, but because she's a better fighter."

The virtual-reality version of Croft has proven herself, becoming today's preeminent video game action hero.

Recently, we've seen three women leaping, kicking, sword-fighting and boxing in Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Three others save the world with sexy pizzazz in Charlie's Angels, a hip-chick Bond flick if there ever was one.

We've seen Demi Moore go through basic training in G.I. Jane; Halle Berry, Rebecca Romijn-Stamos and Famke Janssen as high-energy mutants in X-Men; and Carrie-Anne Moss as a high-kicking battler in The Matrix.

And although the darkly romantic Angel Eyes is in the tradition of so-called "women's pictures," the leading character was a hard-punching, tough-as-nails cop, played by Jennifer Lopez.

The modern wave of hard-body feminine warriors in action films can be traced to two characters: Sigourney Weaver's Ripley in the four Alien films (1979 to 1997) and Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor in the two Terminator films (1984 and 1991).

Weaver as Ripley grows in strength and attitude throughout the series, and remains victorious over, arguably, the most fierce and resilient monster in movie history.

Hamilton's character in the first Terminator was resourceful and brave; by Terminator II she had bulked up and become the first truly muscular female action hero in the movies. Finally, some male viewers envied a screen female's biceps.

In truth, there had been a few, earlier hard-core action heroines -- notably Pam Grier in Foxy Brown and other blaxploitation films of the '70s. But none captured the public fancy (or box office) as strongly as Ripley and Connor.

The arrival of physically strong women on screen also corresponds to recent inroads by women in other male bastions, including sports.

A few recent films address athletics specifically. Michelle Rodriguez takes her rage from the streets to the boxing ring in Girlfight, and Sanaa Lathan parlays her basketball ability into a college degree and a pro career in Love & Basketball.

Industry observers say the employment of women action heroes is a smart move to revive the tired action movie genre. Most men seem to enjoy watching the women kick butt; meanwhile, the female audience for these films continues to grow.

"Certainly, it's a phenomenon," says Molly Haskell, the veteran critic who wrote From Reverence to Rape, the definitive book on female stereotypes in film.

"If you're going to have action films, why not action heroines? Partly, they're based in the reality of women today entering into more aggressive and acrobatic worlds, like the armed forces. Action is where Hollywood's bottom-line audience is, so why not try it."

Haskell is hopeful because audiences seem to be accepting women as action heroes.

"If the younger audience -- the action audience -- enjoys women action heroes, and don't feel threatened, that's OK."