Feminist adventure and action movies

November 19, 2018 3:44 PM

What are some feminist action/adventure/heist/exciting movies for me to watch at the gym? Minimal torture preferred. Streaming somewhere a plus.

All eras, countries of origin, etc welcome. Should pass Bechdel test and/or have overtly feminist themes.

posted by latkes to Media & Arts (20 answers total)

I enjoy Haywire, a minimalist spy thriller by Soderbergh in a Bourne-y vein starring MMA fighter Gina Carano as an unstoppable badass.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 4:23 PM on November 19, 2018 [5 favorites]

Ocean's 8 is streaming now.
posted by rogerrogerwhatsyourrvectorvicto at 4:25 PM on November 19, 2018 [6 favorites]

Femme Fatale is a movie I missed, but just today I learned it was directed by Brian De Palma, The Ringer called it a great heist movie, and Roger Ebert loved it, so I'm making a note to see it. And it passes the test.
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 4:37 PM on November 19, 2018

This may be too obvious, but Wonder Woman?
posted by ubiquity at 4:55 PM on November 19, 2018 [3 favorites]

* Fury Road
* Hanna (2011)
* Set It Off
* Brave (I think? Can't really remember the details of that one.)
* Widows (2018) It just came out and it's kind of like Ocean's 8.
posted by forbiddencabinet at 5:00 PM on November 19, 2018 [3 favorites]

Bound, the Wachowskis' joint directorial debut: "Corky, a tough female ex con and her lover Violet concoct a scheme to steal millions of stashed mob money and pin the blame on Violet's crooked boyfriend Caesar." Stars Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon. Definitely passes the Bechdel test and as I recall it, is a lot of fun.
posted by hurdy gurdy girl at 5:13 PM on November 19, 2018 [7 favorites]

I think Geena Davis in Last Kiss Goodnight is a pretty amazing action heroine.
posted by WCityMike at 5:53 PM on November 19, 2018 [8 favorites]

Mad Max: Fury Road!!!!!
posted by firei at 6:11 PM on November 19, 2018 [4 favorites]

Spy with Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock was a lot of fun.
posted by Emmy Rae at 6:13 PM on November 19, 2018 [6 favorites]

The Extraordinary Adventures of Adèle Blanc-Sec
posted by Orange Dinosaur Slide at 6:18 PM on November 19, 2018 [2 favorites]

(It's been quite a while, but isn't there a significant torture scene in Bound?)
posted by praemunire at 8:20 PM on November 19, 2018

Spy is great, but as I remember it there's some onscreen penis, so keep that in mind for public watching.
posted by IAmUnaware at 10:16 PM on November 19, 2018

Mad Max: Fury Road HIGHLY recommended; it will also have an excellent gym soundtrack for you. I listen to it a lot while running. (Also, literally about the downfall of the patriarchy.)

Does it have to be a movie? There are some lively episodes of Leverage that might suit you.

Atomic Blonde maybe? I've only seen it once.
Man from U.N.C.L.E. (the recent one) also fun and not non-feminist ...

I feel like there are a ton of things on the tip of my brain, because this is my genre too. I will keep thinking!
posted by librarina at 11:00 PM on November 19, 2018

Yeah, the 1996 Bound has a very very nasty torture scene.
posted by Sauce Trough at 1:21 AM on November 20, 2018

Edge of Tomorrow (which is apparently also called Live, Die, Repeat). Emily Blunt's physical fitness is very inspirational.
posted by hydropsyche at 3:54 AM on November 20, 2018 [5 favorites]

Smilla's Sense of Snow
GI Jane
posted by heatvision at 4:24 AM on November 20, 2018

The Heat! Buddy cop with Melissa McCarthy and Sandra Bullock kicking butt!

Also Moana -- the best Disney movie ever with a young woman who saves her island/family, no romance anywhere, just stubbornness, bravery and a sense of doing what's right.

+1 Edge of Tomorrow +1 Wonder Woman
posted by ellerhodes at 7:17 AM on November 20, 2018 [3 favorites]

Whoops, when I said Spy I meant The Heat. But they are both fun! I don't remember Spy well enough to know if it passed the Bechdel test.
posted by Emmy Rae at 8:57 AM on November 20, 2018

Lola Rent/Run Lola Run

Bonus points: awesome soundtrack and energy that will keep you moving at the gym.
posted by wocka wocka wocka at 11:46 AM on November 20, 2018 [3 favorites]

Ghostbusters (the 2016 one, of course), and here's a comment from the original discussion on the blue to illustrate why:

"I cried during the big fight scene of Ghostbusters, because I was so happy that I finally got to see a movie where women were the ones in charge and kicking ass, and that I got to take my daughter to it. This was a huge feminist moment for me."
(I made a similar comment in that thread.)
posted by trillian at 3:08 PM on November 20, 2018 [1 favorite]