It’s tough to review something you’ve been waiting for that doesn’t meet your expectations, especially a sequel to a great, original story. Unfortunately that’s the case with Fistful of Vengeance, Netflix’s newest action movie that forms a sequel to its 2019 streaming wuxia TV series Wu Assassins, one of the Top 10 fantasy television series of the past decade. As with Firefly, another property that went from series to movie, the movie just doesn’t capture the magic that made the series so well received. Fistful of Vengeance isn’t horrible if you really liked the relationship of the three male leads of the series. But in the series they were secondary to the fresh, new world of magic users it created. And aside from international martial arts headliner Iko Uwais and his supporting actor, Mortal Kombat star Lewis Tan, the best parts of the series were left behind.
One of the Top 10 fantasy television series of the past decade is getting a sequel. As with Firefly, that sequel is coming in the form of a major motion picture. The series was Netflix’s 2019 wuxia series Wu Assassins, and the sequel is Fistful of Vengeance. International world martial arts champ Iko Uwais returns as the chef tapped with the supernatural powers of 1,000 monks, along with series co-star Lewis Tan (Mortal Kombat). Wu Assassins made other action franchises pale in comparison, mixing the best choreographed fight sequences with visual effects, humor, actors we want to see more of. That Chuck Norris-esque movie title doesn’t hurt either. Check out the trailer for Netflix’s Fistful of Vengeancebelow.
It’s time for borg′s annual look at the Best Kick-Ass Genre Heroines in film and television. This year we selected 26 characters that rose to the top. Again the studios gave us more to cheer about than ever. We’re highlighting the very best from a slate of fantastic heroines, with characteristics to learn from and root for. Determined, decisive, loyal, brave, smart, fierce, strong, you’ll find no one here timid or weepy, but all rely on their individual skills to beat the odds and overcome any obstacle that comes their way. Over the years we have expanded the list to include any tough, savvy, gritty character played by a woman, so villains are welcome here, too. Some may be frazzled, put-upon, war-weary, or human, but all have fought, some against difficult circumstances, others against personal demons (literally, figuratively, or both), and some against gun and laser fire. And they all showed what a tough, kick-ass character is about.
Several characters who made previous years’ kick-ass heroine lists returned to TV and film and could very well make the list again, but we’re looking for new recruits. So we’re not forgetting Lagertha in Vikings,Liv Moore from iZombie,Trish Walker in Jessica Jones, and Juliana Crain from The Man in the High Castle, all in their final seasons of their series, plus Eleven in Stranger Things,Juliet Higgins in Magnum PI,Liz Dudley in Lodge 49, the 13th Doctor in Doctor Who,Betty Cooper from Riverdale, and Sabrina Spellman and Ms. Wardwell from The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. At the movies Valkyrie, The Wasp, and Okoye were back, this time in Avengers: Endgame, Martha/Ruby Roundhouse returned in Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, and Rey was back one more time in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. This year we add a mystic, a former Russian operative, a DHS agent, an adventurer, an undercover cop, a bounty hunter, a general, a gang leader, superheroes, martial arts masters, special agents, survivors, former soldiers, resistance fighters, gelflings, warriors, witches, a bride, an emperor (not empress!), and even a cyborg–with a roster evenly split between television and movie characters.
Credit goes to both the writers and other creators of the characters and the actors and performers that brought them all to life.
These are the Best Kick-Ass Genre Heroines of 2019:
Aughra(The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance). If there was a greater woman character in the history of fantasy film, we don’t know who that would be. We first met her 37 years ago thanks to Jim Henson in the original movie, and she hardly changed at all for the prequel series that arrived at last this year. Voice actor Donna Kimball and Muppeteer extraordinaire Kevin Clash perfectly replicated the witchy sorceress whose wisdom, savvy, and mystic powers were stealthily used this season. She went to death and back again, and was key to defeat the Skekses once again. (Henson/Netflix)
Black Widow(Avengers: Endgame). After a decade of being the only superheroine in the Avengers, Scarlet Johannson’s Natasha Romanoff finally took center stage this year as the bravest of the entire bunch, giving her life to save not only everyone on Earth, but everyone across the universe destroyed by Thanos. And yet she still didn’t get the fanfare that Tony Stark did. We’re hoping she gets the solo film she deserves when she’s back one more time next year in her own movie. (Disney/Marvel)
Hattie Shaw(Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw). As part of a big bad assassin family, whose mother was played by Helen Mirren and brother by Jason Statham, Vanessa Kirby’s Hattie might be the toughest of them all. If you need to track down a missing deadly virus in the hands of a cybernetically enhanced superhuman, who else are you going to call to team up with Statham and The Rock? (Universal)
Agent M (Men in Black: International). Valkyrie Tessa Thompson is back on the list again, this time as the first movie lead Woman in Black, earning her nebulizer with the help of her Thor-world partner Chris Hemsworth. As a little girl, Molly witnessed an alien as her parents were zapped by Men in Black, and she worked her entire life to be able to get into the CIA or FBI, hoping one would be the entry point into the secret organization. Agents O and High T would recognize her value to the team, as she saved the planet from the latest menace. (Columbia/Sony)
Cyclone Mei(The Legend of the Condor Heroes). Even as an evil witch, Viola Mi’s master of the Nine Yin White Bone Claw and Heart Destroying Palm techniques became a sympathetic villain after her husband died at the hands of young Guo Jing and she became blind. Even blind she used internal techniques to defeat anyone she perceived as a threat. Master of the whip with fearsome claws, beautiful and fierce Mei Chaofeng once joined her husband as the “Twin Masters of the Dark Winds” to possess a forbidden manual of martial arts, and would leave mountains of bodies in their wake as they sank deeper into the dark teachings. (iQIYI)
Sarah Connor (Terminator: Dark Fate). We were excited when we heard Linda Hamilton would return to the franchise 27 years after she had a major transformation from waitress into the woman who would save 3 billion lives. One of Sci-Fi’s two best-known kick-ass heroines (along with Ellen Ripley), original terminator target Sarah Connor lost none of that drive and determination to continue to kill Terminators into the 21st century. As a grandma surrogate and mentor to the next generation of leadership, we’ve no doubt the future is safe again. (Paramount/20th Century Fox)
Special Agent Dinah Madani (Marvel’s The Punisher). For the entire second season, Amber Rose Revah’s DHS agent was hot on the trail of taking down Billy Russo’s villain Jigsaw. Who knew she’d need to get through his psychiatrist first. She was always tough and good at her job, but proved herself in the final two episodes of the series. (Netflix)
Leia Organa(Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker). Princess or General, Carrie Fisher’s Leia Organa was one of the 1970s brand of kick-ass heroines, although we still wish she’d had the opportunity to show her stuff just as Rey was able to in the third trilogy movies. We prefer seeing her as she continued after the original trilogy in Timothy Zahn’s novels, the Dark Empire comics, and the 20 years of the Expanded Universe stories, where we saw her realize power as great as Luke and the rest of the Jedi Order. (Disney/Lucasfilm)
Captain Marvel(Captain Marvel/Avengers: Endgame). Brie Larson’s take on Captain Marvel was an end-to-end story about being tough and taking charge. An entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe that didn’t fit the mold of past films, it allowed audiences to meet her for the first time and ramp up our appreciation for all she could do in short order. Soon enough she’d be integral to relocating Thanos after The Snap, and she’d return one more time in the final battle to try to turn the universe back to the way it was. (Disney/Marvel)
Cara Dune(The Mandalorian). A master of hand-to-hand combat as well as crack sharp-shooter, the latest Star Wars heroine (played by Gina Carano) helped the Mandalorian take down an AT-ST in their first go. Once a shock trooper with the Rebel Alliance and a fighter after the Battle of Endor, Cara is just the help the Mandalorian and The Child need going forward in the series. (Disney/Lucasfilm)
Sue Lynn Blackbird(Stumptown). Always the smartest person in the room, and ten steps ahead of everyone else, Tantoo Cardinal’s Sue Lynn runs the local Tribal Casino, but she does much more. She’s a businesswoman who always negotiates from the power position. Her leadership role means she has the power to excommunicate anyone who isn’t acting in the best interests of the tribe–or give them another chance. She’s also tough enough to forgive and mentor younger walking disasters she encounters from time to time. (ABC)
Emperor Philippa Georgiou(Star Trek: Discovery). We’ve always loved Michelle Yeoh, but the series writers for her latest character held back in the first season of the series. At last viewers got the full monte when the mirror version of the series lead character’s captain returned not only to help her, but to eliminate any who got in her way, and proceed to take over the secret spy agency of the prime world timeline. Up there with Jaylah from Star Trek Beyond, “Mirror Georgiou” is one of the new breed of badass Star Trek character.
Christine Gavin (Wu Assassins). Vikings star Katheryn Winnick makes her second showing on the list, this time as San Francisco undercover police officer Christine Gavin. Expecting to find the ringleader of a major crime syndicate, she began her work gaining the trust of a man in a local chop shop, only to discover a larger world existed beyond the world we see every day. Possessing some major martial arts skills and a street fighting manner, she didn’t lose a fight all season long, and helped battle evil in both dimensions. (Netflix)
Grace (Terminator: Dark Fate). Sent from the future to save a young woman who has the potential to go forward and lead a rebellion against a new technological apocalypse, Mackenzie Davis’s Grace stepped up to fight a new brand of Terminator. A human that volunteered to undergo enhancements to make herself into a full-fledged cyborg, she would fulfill her mission, giving the ultimate sacrifice for the future of humanity. (Paramount/20th Century Fox)
Huang Rong (The Legend of the Condor Heroes). Quick thinking with a photographic memory, Yitong Ling’s Rong’er met her future husband on one of her outings in beggar garb disguised as a man, practicing her skills as a thief and 13th century grifter. Young and easy to underestimate, with the witty banter of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and an almost supernatural ability to coerce anyone to do her bidding, her charismatic traits were only matched by her mastery of enough schools of martial arts to prevent anyone from learning who taught her. Raised on Peach Blossom Island by her father, she learned how to confuse an enemy, and is able to convince Hong Qigong to teach her even more, all in exchange for her cooking–hey, you can be a badass and also a master chef. (iQIYI)
Maudra Fara(The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance). Refusing to recognize Seladon’s claim to the position of All-Maudra, she’d challenge her for the Living Crown. Fara assumed the title of Maudra after Vala, her mother, had been killed during the First Battle of Stone-in-the-Wood, and she would prove to be the fiercest of all the Gelflings, male or female. Who wouldn’t follow her into harm’s way? Alice Dinnean was the puppeteer behind the scenes, with Lena Headey supplying her voice. (Henson/Netflix)
Grace(Ready Or Not). Samara Weaving’s character Grace made for the perfect bride on her wedding day… who married into a family of psychopaths that required she first beat them in a wedding night game of hide and seek–to the death. A horror movie that was also a suspense thriller, Ready Or Not ran circles around the similar Knives Out from an entertainment and excitement standpoint. Grace had to shoot though her in-laws and extended family to survive the night, somehow finding the mettle to defend herself when the unthinkable became the thinkable–and for audiences it was so much fun! (Mythology/Vinson)
Vedek Kira Nerys(Deep Space Nine: What We Left Behind). In this year’s Deep Space Nine documentary, the creators of the series returned to give viewers a glimpse at what Season 8 would have looked like had they been able to continue, complete with Kira as Vedek, in charge of the space station and taking her seven year character arc into new places. It’s the same grit Nana Visitor gave to her performance, and the spirit of the original shown through as she joins with her former Starfleet colleagues at the show’s cliffhanger.
Agent Francesca “Frankie” Trowbridge (Whiskey Cavalier). Lauren Cohan’s Frankie had it all, and unfortunately for fans the show was canceled after only one season. But what a season! This agent was every bit 100% James Bond but she also used her looks and smarts to double as “Bond girl” when the mission called for it. In hand-to-hand combat or with a weapon, whatever bad guys the writers threw at her, nobody could get past her for long. (ABC)
Zan Hui(Wu Assassins). Cold and near emotionless, Hong Kong movie star JuJu Chan’s Zan was ruthless as henchwoman to the leader of the Triads. But she was also ambitious, and at her first opportunity she didn’t hesitate to act. Incredibly skilled in kung fu and street fighting as well as weaponry, she didn’t need the supernatural skills of the other characters to make an impact. (Netflix)
Two (6 Underground). Melanie Laurent’s Camille was ready to join One and his secret force of ghosts, undoing some of the damage she’d done while CIA operative. Quiet and saying little most of the time, she reveals to the squad’s hitman she knows all she needs to navigate international politics. Take down a government led by a murderous villain and replace him with someone better? Count her in. (Netflix)
Gunnhild(Vikings). An entire series could be written around Ragga Ragnars’ strong and proud warrior. As shield-maiden, she doesn’t hesitate to lead the fight with her sword onto the battlefield. Also kind and humble, she also doesn’t hesitate to make sure her niece and nephew are protected when she has a dream that they are in danger. As Queen of Kattigat she proves she’s the right person at the right time in history. (History)
Dex Parios(Stumptown). Taking a character from the comic books to the screen, Cobie Smulders made ex-Marine Dex her own. Her P.I. is a walking disaster, always “this close” to succeeding, and always trying to claw her way back from the last worst decision she could have made. Somehow she is able to look after her brother. She makes Jessica Jones look like a lightweight, always her own worst enemy. But if she keeps fighting back in this city, she may just make it after all. (ABC)
Amelia Wren (The Aeronauts). Nobody else on the list had to climb to the top of a balloon in freezing cold temperatures with frostbitten, unusable fingers at a height of more than 30,000 feet. And Felicity Jones’s Amelia Wren was based on a real person. Does it get more badass than that? That she was a composite character doesn’t matter–she’ll make audiences breathless as she performs one death-defying feat after another in her two-hour flight. (Netflix)
Bell Mallory(The Man in the High Castle). In the series’ alternate histore, while the Eastern United States was still being fought over by the Nazis and a small band of resistance fighters, Frances Turner’s Bell Mallory rescued San Francisco and led a revolt that removed Japanese occupation from the entire west coast. Undercover op? Whatever it takes. A strategist and brains behind taking out a slew of leaders, she knew who to trust and who not to, and her decisions helped put the U.S. back into American control. (Amazon Studios)
Deet(The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance). The nicest gelfling of the Grottan clan you could ever meet, she befriends plant and animal alike. Once she experiences a vision by touching Vliste-Staba, the Sanctuary Tree located in the Mountains of Grot, the nature loving soul joins the resistance. And when the Skekses are ready to destroy Thra, she is the only one who can muster the power to stop them. An unlikely hero, we don’t yet know the extent of the price she paid for restoring the balance of Thra. Performers Beccy Henderson and Nathalie Emmanuel couldn’t have created a better heroine. (Netflix)
And that’s this year’s list. Keep coming back the remainder of this month as we reveal the rest of our Best in Film, Best in TV, and Best in Print, and our borgHall of Fame inductees for 2019.
Want to see previous years’ kickass genre heroines? Here are 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2015.
From Hong Kong to the U.S. and Australia to Uganda, Australian director Serge Ou and writer Grady Hendrix track the scope of the Hong Kong kung fu movie industry and its pop culture influence on the world in the documentary Iron Fists and Kung Fu Kicks, now streaming this month on Netflix. Splicing interviews with kung fu legends of the past with new discussions with martial artists and actors influenced by them, Ou offers up a surprisingly rich look at how and why kung fu movies gained an international following that continues to this day via Jackie Chan comedies, the Matrix movies (with a sequel due in theaters next year), and new television series like Wu Assassins and Iron Fist.
Beneath what is in essence an overview of the genre is a smart mixture of social and cultural commentary on a global phenomenon centered on an artform mixing athleticism, dance, and grace. Kung fu made its way to American audiences with Tom Laughlin in Billy Jack, and into millions of homes via the Kung Fu series. This was paralleled by Bruce Lee movies and lesser films (they call them Bruce-sploitation) from China and U.S. studios, direct-to-video crotch-kicking and “squirrel-grabbing” action on VHS tapes in video stores, heroines leading the way as a sub-genre, eventually moving to black and inner city audiences embracing the culture, starting with martial artist and actor Jim Kelly (who co-starred with Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon), re-emerging later as an influence on hip hop music. The genre got even bigger boosts with Jackie Chan heavy-stunt comedies, followed by The Matrix and the Academy Awards arrival of the genre with Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. Chinese co-productions with other nations, and actors of Chinese background in the mainstream outside of Asia would eventually come along.
Viewers meet (or revisit) early kung fu icons Cheng Pei-Pei and Sammo Hung in new interviews, along with Billy Banks, who would turn the genre into his own fortune via the creation of the Tae Bo workout, early American female kung fu star Cynthia Rothrock, martial artist Richard Norton, plus from the 21st century shows, Iron Fist actor Jessica Henwick, Wu Assassins actor JuJu Chan, Doctor Strange actor Scott Adkins, and Marvel stuntwoman and choreographer Amy Johnston, among others. It’s all interspersed with great action sequences and other clips from more than 100 films. A theme underscoring much of kung fu movie history is a distinct lack of safety standards, with more than one participant in the documentary stressing that Hong Kong kung fu movies couldn’t be made anywhere else for that reason.
Start with the obvious comparison: Marvel’s Iron Fist. If you were disappointed with that series, get ready for what you probably wanted. It’s called Wu Assassins, and the ten episodes of the new direct-to-Netflix series arrived late this past summer. Wu Assassins weaves so much into its ten very different chapters of its storytelling, you’ll quickly find it’s not only an American attempt at a wuxia martial arts heroes show–it bends the genre into a supernatural, urban fantasy story with characters on the brink of their unique brand of apocalypse, with several Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Grimm parallels. And lots of lots of great hand-to-hand fight scenes. This may not measure up to being the next Buffy or a top Chinese tale like Legend of the Condor Heroes, but as a watch-alike, it far surpasses the Buffy spinoff Angel, as well as most of the Marvel Netflix series. If Netflix can pull together series like Wu Assassins, especially with absolute writing freedom and without the need to rely on some existing brand like DC or Marvel (or anything Disney), then its future is secured.
The world of Wu Assassins begins in our world today, as we meet Kai Jin, played by 36-year-old Indonesian actor and burgeoning martial arts pro, stuntman, and fight choreographer Iko Uwais. Kai is a young master chef who wants to own his own food cart in San Francisco’s Chinatown. This is a Chosen One story, and Kai is introduced to a world where the Chinese philosophy of wuxing is interpreted to rely on human masters of the elements of this world (wood, fire, earth, metal, and water) who can exist both in this realm and a supernatural otherworld. In the middle of an already difficult life, Kai is tapped as the Wu Assassin and he is told by a bellwether and instructor from the otherworld named Ying Ying, played by Celia Au(Lodge 49, Iron Fist, Gotham), that he must kill the Fire Wu, who just happens to be Kai’s adoptive father, known by most as Uncle Six. He’s not just any dad, as Uncle Six, played masterfully by the scene stealing Byron Mann(The Expanse, Arrow, Smallville, Dark Angel), is also the head of the Chinese crime family, the Triads.
Kai’s Buffy-esque band of friends includes a restaurant owner named Jenny Wah (Li Jun Li, The Exorcist, Quantico), her drug-adled brother Tommy (Lawrence Kao, Sleepy Hollow, The Walking Dead), and Kai’s oldest friend Lu Xin (Lewis Tan, Iron Fist, Deadpool 2), who is a suave up-and-coming thief of high-end cars. Spliced into the story is a San Francisco cop played by The Vikings queen Katheryn Winnick, a badass on a motorcycle who knows her own street fighting and inadvertently witnesses the magic of the otherworld while undercover trying to bust gang activity at China Basin. These lead characters are just the beginning, as the series packs in a few seasons’ worth of ideas, and all of it is great fun.
