Ellen Ripley

Sigourney Weaver’s protagonist across 4 movies in the Alien series is perhaps the definitive kick-ass onscreen woman. She’s an inspiration to all of us, seeing as she was the sole survivor after her ship was infiltrated by a killer alien. In fact, not only was she a survivor, but she actually blew the son of a bitch out of the airlock. AND she did it at least partially in her underwear, which is really just an added bonus. Don’t hurt me, please.

Sarah Connor

Even more so than Ripley, the heroine of the first two Terminator movies has quite an evolution from unassuming girl to horrifying warrior/possible crazy person. In The Terminator, Sarah is a suburban waitress who becomes the target of a cyborg from the future sent to murder her before she gives birth to the savior of humankind. In Terminator 2, she’s confined to a mental asylum and will crack your face open with a broken broom handle just as soon as not. And that’s before she gets out and starts using guns and explosives and stuff.

Xena, Warrior Princess

I don’t really remember much about Xena. She had throwing discs, and she hung out with Hercules, and she got into lots of fights, and she had a girlfriend? Sounds like a kick-ass woman to me. I bet she’d like me if she got to know me (although maybe she thinks the same thing about me, like I said it’s been a while since I watched the show).

Rounding out the weekend was the pretty excellent Hanna, which managed third place with $12.3 million, and Soul Surfer, the inspirational sports version of Jaws, in fourth place with $11.1 million. I’ve said it for years: If you want to make bank at the box office, you’ve got to have more than one person getting eaten by a shark. (Box Office Mojo)

When it comes to famous assassins, what names come to mind? Probably Oswald, Booth, Princip, just to name a few. And you probably think of troubled loaners or psychopathic revolutionaries, as opposed to hot babes in leather jumpsuits or tweenage school girls. But as far as Hollywood is concerned, there’s nothing deadlier than a self-empowered female, and in the new film Hanna, Hanna, is no exception. With that in mind, take a look at this list of ferocious female assassins and see for yourself.

Xenia Sergeyevna Onatopp – Golden Eye

Ms. Onatopp might be the least noteworthy entry on this list, but in the world of assassins, that’s supposed to be a good thing. And while she might not be as well known as her counterparts on this list, she’s just as deadly. Rather than shoot or poison her marks, as a normal killer would, Onatopp lures her victims to bed and then crushes them between her legs. Pain aside, that’s not a bad way to go.

Charlie Baltimore – The Long Kiss Goodnight

Charlie Baltimore (a.k.a. Samantha Caine) is a spy for the CIA. The catch is she doesn’t even know it. After a bout of amnesia, she settled down into a quiet life in rural Pennsylvania. But when her past catches up to her, she is forced to return to her old ways. It’s a lot like A History of Violence, without all the violent sex.

O-Ren Ishii – Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2

If you’re a member of The Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, chances are you know a thing or two about assassinations. O-Ren Ishii learned to kill at an early age, avenging the death of her parents at the hands of a Yakuza boss. After her stint with the squad, she went on to become head of the Yakuza herself, before being assassinated. Live by the sword, yada yada, yada.

Georgia Sykes – Smokin’ Aces

Georgia Sykes is part of a two-man (or two-woman) hit team. In the film, her partner, Sharice Watters, is a closeted lesbian with a crush on Georgia. Lesbianism, even if it’s only hinted at, gets you bumped up on my lists.

Hit-Girl – Kick Ass

Hit-Girl might be the youngest female on the list, but that doesn’t stop her from keeping up with the big girls, at least when it comes to killing. Trained by her father to be a remorseles fighting machine, Mindy McCready (her real name) believes she and her father are on a quest to avenge the death of her mother, and longs for the day when she can return to a normal life.

Jane Smith – Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Angelina Jolie has played several different female assassins, but I decided on using her character, Jane Smith. Why? Why not. In the film, Jane and her husband John are both assassins, although neither one of them knows the truth. As you’d imagine, once their true identities are discovered, things get a little harry, and the couple ends up destroying their home while trying to kill one another. But this is an action-comedy, so things work out in the end, unlike most marriages.

Maggie Hayward – Point of No Return

I went with this film rather than the French original, La Femme Nikita, for one simple reason: Bridget Fonda’s breasts make me happy. In the film, Fonda plays a death-row inmate who is spared her sentence in order to become a government sanctioned assassin, which makes total sense, since drug addicts are so trustworthy and reliable.

T-X – Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines

Technically, the T-X isn’t really a female, since it’s a machine. Just like “technically,” my real doll isn’t a woman. But in both cases, it works out a lot better if you just suspend disbelief.

The Bride – Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2

Was there any doubt that The Bride would be at the top of the list? Not only was she a member of the most talented assassination squad in the world, but she also managed to kill off all of the other members in her quest for sweet, sweet revenge. That pretty much sums it up.

Hanna is the kind of action movie I enjoy, where you understand the visual language. You see a lot without explanation, and what you don’t quite see often tells more of the story. Modern audiences may call this revolutionary. Let’s go with “old school.”

In her first scene hunting a deer, Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) disappears instantly with a camera move. We always see stealthy killers disappearing in a cut, but it means a lot more to show it fluidly. Hanna’s been trained out in the snow by her father, Erik (Eric Bana). If the deer didn’t convince you, her fight with Erik shows you she’s got skills.

Marisa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett) is introduced dramatically, from behind during her daily routine. That pays off later when she brushes her teeth with less confidence. Wiegler provides a brief dossier, something genetic about Hanna and covert about Erik. She’s the bad guy.

I’m being glib because I think it’s perfect that they don’t over explain too much. Eventually you learn exactly what’s special about Hanna but only when it dramatically pays off. As far as I’m concerned they could leave it vague. We just need to know there’s a basic relationship and antagonism. The story and the actors deliver the gravitas without explaining this is why they’re acting this way.

You completely understand the methodology of Hanna’s skills. When she escapes, you don’t exactly see all her moves but you know what she’s doing and how she’s leveraging her opponents. In a flashback for Wiegler, you hear a car crashing off camera, because what’s important is Wiegler’s action. A gunfight has all to do with Wiegler reaching her gun some distance ahead of her.

Hanna is not just an action thriller though. Hanna hooks up with a traveling family in an RV. Their daughter, Sophie (Jessica Barden), is such a spoiled brat it’s an adorable counterpoint. When her mom (Olivia Williams) asks Hanna how her mom, her blunt honesty is priceless.

This is all a very technical way of saying Hanna is awesome. The action is cool, the characters are memorable and it’s made in a clear, exciting way.

Director: Joe Wright

Cast: Saoirse Ronan, Cate Blanchett, Eric Bana

Synopsis: A 16-year-old who was raised by her father to be the perfect assassin is dispatched on a mission across Europe, tracked by a ruthless intelligence agent and her operatives.

Release Date: April 8, 2011

This new trailer shows Hanna as more of a fish-out-of-water and insinuates at the end that should could be just plain evil, but I don’t buy that for a second. Not our Hanna.

Either way, this video just affirms my belief that this movie is going to be really great. Which is what a trailer is supposed to do, so…good job, Team Hanna. (/Film)

The lovelessness was short-lived, however. With Ronan’s recent pedigree and looks, it’s hard to rule her out of any casting decisions, even if those decisions involve little people kickin’ it in Middle Earth. Ronan has garnered buzz for her starring role in Hanna in which she is compelled to assassinate her own father, played by Eric Bana. That role follows well-received turns in both Atonement and The Lovely Bones, which indicate that she might want to go with a comedy next time out to prove she has the whole package. I hear Rob Schneider‘s been wanting to work with her for ages. (/Film)

Today also marks the release of a poster for Hanna, starring Eric Bana and Saoirse Ronan, in which a girl (Ronan) is trained to kill her CIA agent father (Bana). By all accounts, the movie is supposed to be exceptional, and the poster does those sentiments justice. The simplicity of it is striking, as are Ronan’s baby blues. (Film School Rejects)

Period drama director Joe Wright is tucking away his Jane Austen boner for his next project. Focus Features is in talks with Wright to have him helm Hanna: an action-adventure-thriller that centers around a teenage assassin.

Hanna is a 14 year-old Eastern European girl who was bred by the CIA to be a cold-blooded killer. After befriending a French family, she must fight to escape her grim destiny. Pffft. Teenagers. They have zero work ethic. "You are not going to the mall until you garrote the Prime Minister of Chechnya, young lady."  (First Showing)