Kill Bill- the bride

Kill Bill (Tarantino, 2003)

Uma Therman plays 'The Bride' in Tarantino's classic revenge fueled narrative about an assassin who at her wedding rehearsal is nearly murdered by people she once called 'friends' and who are led by her ex lover and father of her child; Bill.

On awakening from a 4 year coma she realises that she no longer carries her child and on believing she is dead she sets off on a mission of revenge on; O-Ren Ishii, Vernita Green, Elle Driver, Bud and finally Bill.

1. The opening; the opening of Kill Bill is very stylist and important to both Kill bill 1 and 2. Like most revenge movie's the protagonist must be lowered to their lowest possible point until they return even stronger. It is in black and white which adds to the bleakness of the scene, you also hear the non-diegetic sound of a woman breathing very heavily and she sounds terrified. This is very effective at gripping the audience straight away as you are already wondering what has happened to her. The low angle close up of a pair of Southern boots just adds to the mystery and the menacing undertone of the scene as he appears to be stalking her. The colours of their clothing are also very symbolic as the bride is wearing white which has connotations of good and purity whereas black is associated which mystery and darkness and badness. The last shot is probably the shot that has the most impact in the whole film when you hear her say that she is carrying his baby before a gun is fired and it cuts to black, this raises many questions and leaves you in shock. Without a doubt you want to watch the rest of the movie and find out who he is.
2. Awakening from the coma; this scene highlights 'The Bride's' strength both mentally and physically. This scene also highlights her motherly instinct as the first thing she does when she wakes up is to clutch her stomach and when she realises she is no longer carrying her child this is what pushes her over the edge and why she is out for revenge as she believes that Bill has murdered her baby. She is very smart and resourceful as she uses what she has to hand to help her escape. She has to teach herself how to walk again as she has been in a coma for so long she can't move her feet, she does this showing her strength and commitment as as soon as she has accomplished this she goes on her mission of revenge and succeeds.
3. The death of O-Ren Ishii; The bride single handily defeats the whole of O-Ren Ishii's gang. This reinforces how smart she is and why she has made it this far, she is the best fighter out of all of the assassin's she is also fueled by hatred and this keeps her going.

The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo ( Arden Oplev, 2009)

The Original title translated  into 'the man who hated women'. And I think this is a very appropriate title due to the treatment of women within the film.

For Example Harriet, is the epitome of innocence; she has blonde hair, blue eyes and is a genuinely good-hearted person who is her Uncle's favourite. However she is raped by her father from the age of fourteen and then by her brother. To escape this she makes herself invisible and disappears to the other side of the world.

 Lisbeth is the complete opposite to Harriet, she is damaged and this has made her into the person she is when we meet her in the film. Lisbeth's appearance contrasts greatly with Harriets she has short black hair, lots of piercings, wears jeans and a hoodie and rides a motorcycle. These are all very masculine qualities but they also make her strong as Harriet is much weaker than Lisbeth in some ways as Lisbeth is a fighter and incredibly smart.

In some ways Lisbeth and Blomkvist have swapped roles as Lisbeth has very masculine qualities where as Blomkvist is a family orientated person and at the beginning he is seen to be cooking with a little girl this is stereo-typically a woman's role. 

There are three scenes imparticular which I feel add to the empowerment of women and in-particular the empowerment of Lisbeth:

1. The Rape Scene: This scene is obviously horrendous and show's the degradation of women but like in most films that show the empowerment of women Lisbeth is degraded to the worst possible point before becoming empowered. Similarly in the scene in the Train Station where she is attacked by a group of men for no reason other than the way she looks this show's her degradation by men as if she had not been beaten up by those men her laptop would not have been broken and she would not have been raped. Throughout the whole film men are to blame for not only Lisbeth's but also Harriets and the other female Victims degradation and abuse. The sound, camera angles and lighting in this scene make it even harder to watch and highlight how helpless Lisbeth is at this point in the movie. The camera angles in this scene are very important as Oplev uses a close up of Lisbeth and we can see the torture and pain she is going through, though similarly we can see the pleasure her rapist is having adding to the disgust of the scene. The scene uses very low key lighting this adds to the feeling that Lisbeth is trapped and also as soon as she enters the apartment you know something bad is going to happen due to the lighting. The only sound in the scene is the diegetic sound of Lisbeth's screams this is a very haunting sound and is what makes the scene so unbearable.
2. The Revenge Scene: Lisbeth is a fighter and incredibly smart. She gets her own back on Bjurman but she does it in a smart way, she know's that after this he will never be able to touch her or any other girl again. For her this is the most empowering moment in the film. As I've said she is incredibly smart and courageous as she films her own rape and then uses this against her rapist. She is brutal to him and treats him the way he treated her. She uses his own weapons against him and then forces him to watch the rape scene before finally tattooing on to him " I am a sadistic pig, a pervert and a rapist" she inflicts the pain on to him she felt and leaves a permanent mark on him a scar just like he has scared her. Not only does Lisbeth become empowered through her revenge but she also takes back control of her life as she blackmails him with the footage so that she can take back ownership of her bank accounts, he has no choice in this as she has the footage. She uses the worst moment in her life to change her future. She is incredibly strong. The camera angles in this scene are the same as when Lisbeth is raped this highlights how the tables have turned for Lisbeth as she is no longer the victim. Oplev uses a close up of Bjurman so that we can see his terror and fear however we can feel no sympathy for him due what he has done, instead we end up feeling satisfied and proud of Lisbeth.
3. The death of Martin: I feel this is the scene that truly empowers all the women in the film not just Lisbeth. Martin is a sick sadist who enjoys raping, torturing and murdering women simply because he finds it fun. When Lisbeth and Mikael realsie that Martin is the one who is behind countless murders Martin drugs Mikael and ties him up. When Mikael is questioning him on why he did it Martin simply respond by saying it is what all men want, to be able to do whatever they want and take whatever they want to women, he also says that his favourite moment is watching the hope in the girls eyes fade away when they realise they are going to die.  Lisbeth has the choice she could save Martin or she could watch him burn to death. She chooses to let him die. Oplev use shot reverse shot in this scene very effectively. Martin is begging for his life just like he watched all of his victims beg for theirs but instead he is the 'victim' and Lisbeth has the choice, and you see his hope fade as Lisbeth walks away from the car and it catches on fire. We also see flashbacks to when she was a child and she set's a man on fire who later, it is alluded too is her father who abused her mother to the point where she had to go in to a psychiatric hospital. She is taking revenge not only for the women who Martin murdered but also for her mother and herself.

Although you know on a subconcious level as the audience that what Lisbeth is doing is wrong whilst you are watching the film you do not recognise this. 

My Top Five Female Action Characters...

So here is my list of who I think should make it in to the top five female action heroines;

1. Mulan. For me Mulan is the epitome of the Disney Princess, she is also in my opinion the first true feminist in a Disney film. For me she epitomizes an action heroine; not only does she single handily save the whole of China and the Chinese Emperor, but she also overcomes male prejudice and her own insecurities to do so. Mulan doesn't fit into her role as a Chinese woman and the song 'Reflection' shows this as she doesn't feel that the makeup and dresses are who she is on the inside, when she puts on her Fathers uniform and leaves behind her old-self she becomes the person she was destined to be. She does not fit the stereotypical woman of the time. By becoming a warrior in the Chinese army she becomes the real her, she is strong, smart and selfless as she only joins the army to save her Father's life. Mulan has many qualities of the 'final girl' such as being clever; Mulan is the only one who doesn't believe that Shan Yu is dead and without her fight to prove this, the Emperor would have died, she does not give up even though no one else believes her or will help her. They will not help her because she is a woman. She is a fighter, even though she is told to go home by Chief Shang she doesn't, instead she fights and becomes the best warrior in the army, this also makes her strong as she has proved to herself that she can do it. This is the true her. 
2. Lara Croft, Tomb Raider. Angelina Jolie as Lara Croft can be said to have revolutionized the action genre. Lara Croft can be seen as the first true Action Heroine as she fights on her own and in fact men are a hindrance to her and get in the way. Croft rides a motorbike, uses guns, knows martial arts and is generally an action hero. She is also incredibly smart and often manages to workout riddles or problems before anyone else or get through a dangerous situation alive on her own whereas men die and she survives. She does not need anyone else or rely on anyone else, she is mentally and physically very strong. Due to her looks and physique she is an icon of both female strength and male objectification, however she uses her looks to her advantage and I feel this is what truly makes her an action heroine.
3. Sarah Connor, Terminator. Sarah Connor makes it on to the list as she goes from a waitress to an assassin. It is in Terminator 2 that she truly becomes an action heroine. Her physique alone screams action hero. She is incredibly muscly this highlights her power and strength, she also has long hair which she scrapes back into a ponytail and wears boots, these are all very masculine and help to mask her femininity. She is a final girl. She is very inventive and this helps to keep her alive, when she is trapped in the hospital she has to be inventive in order to escape which she does, her strength is also shown from this as she is trapped in this hospital away from her son for no reason however she gets through it and manages to get out. 
4. The Bride, Kill Bill. Uma Therman play's a woman scorned in Tarantino's classic about a woman out for revenge on her ex lover and the people she once called friends. The most startling thing about Uma Therman's character is that she show's no mercy, nothing will stop her from getting revenge. She is an assassin and her skill and knowledge as well as choice of weapon set her apart from other action heroes. She is very dedicated to her cause even though she faces many challenges such as being in a coma for many years, she teaches herself how to walk again and then goes on a rampage. This proves her as an action heroine, nothing will stop her.
5. Katniss Everdeen, The Hunger Games. Katniss Everdeen is a modern action heroine. She goes against a society which is incredibly corrupt and wrong as everyone know's however she is the one to make a change and is the catalyst for a rebellion. She's incredibly strong, she faces so many challenges such as being forced into the games to kill other children in order to save herself and then losing Rue who she looked on as innocence and who reminded her of Prim her sister who she volunteered for. She volunteers for Prim, which she know's almost certainly means death. However katniss does not die as she has her bow, this is very iconic and is what Katniss is associated with as well as the mockingjay. Instead of the woman being seen as the damsel in distress and being saved by a man in this Katniss is the one to save Peeta as she is smarter than him and know's how to survive, she supports him and saves him.