It's been a while since we've seen some good, female-driven action movies, but I think we finally made our comeback. While there have been a few great underrated films, most of the movies are independent, lesser-known, or inferior to their male-driven counterparts.
In a genre dominated by men, it's unusual for us to see a movie where the woman is taking charge and kicking butt without being sexualized.
The women in action movies were always the girlfriends of the murderers, robbers and gangsters. They're usually the ones taken hostage waiting for a man to save them.
In "Columbiana," however, the female lead (played by Zoe Saldana) takes matters into her own hands.
This is probably one of my favorite female action movies since the "Tomb Raider" series, in which Angelina Jolie was just as fabulous as she was aggressive.
But "Columbiana" strikes a different chord with me. She's not just a female lead character, but a minority character as well.
The actress herself is half-Dominican and half-black. In the movie, Saldana plays a woman from Colombia fighting to save her own life while seeking revenge for her murdered family.
I was most drawn into the movie because of how careful and smart the lead character is. She wasn't acting exclusively with vengeance.
She had a plan and she stuck to it from beginning to end. Yes, there were obstacles to be overcome, but in the end she still prevailed and reached her main goal, even if it meant loss along the way.
The movie itself presents an interesting message. It's all about choices and the consequences we face as a result of those choices. In this movie, the lead character knows the repercussions of her actions and still takes chances. Ultimately, those risks worked to her benefit.
Not that it's OK to kill people. But every day, we are forced to deal with situations wherein we face tough choices.
Hopefully this movie starts a pattern of more good female-driven action films in a time when this type of movie is scarce.
The new action movie "The Debt," starring 65-year-old British actress Helen Mirren, is headed in this direction as well.
I think this is the year of women kicking butt in the movies, proving they are just as worthy as the guys.
—Harper-Davis is a sophomore communications major from Washington D.C. opinion@thedepauw.com