Women in Action

It’s a peculiar double standard to make women face such trauma before they get to carry a gun, but it arguably produces better movies. There will always be a place in our hearts for John Rambo, John McClane, and John Wick, but there’s something electric about watching the moment when someone’s world shifts and they’re forced to leave their former self behind. It raises an important question: why do we choose violence?

And while most traditional, male-led action flicks are so proudly dumb that they never come close to posing the question, it’s one that more action films should answer. Violence is inherently traumatic. It leaves scars. The payoff of a movie that acknowledges this is deeply cathartic, often thanks to the women that are brave enough to tackle the scary, emotional content that boys are too afraid to touch.