8) The Bride – Kill Bill Vol. 1 & 2
Beatrix Kiddo. Black Mamba. The Bride. She goes by many names, but however you know the character, there’s no hiding how incredible she truly is. After awakening from a coma induced by a bloody beating from her former lover Bill delivered on her wedding day, The Bride goes on a bloody campaign of vengeance, dispatching all who stand in her way with any weapons available to her – but most prominently a gorgeous and razor-sharp Hanzō sword crafted especially for her. Oh, and she totally masters the Five Point Palm Exploding Heart Technique.
Along the way, she gets the crap beaten out of her, shot in the chest with rock salt, buried alive and subjected to horrific tortures – but still manages to take out everyone on her Death List Five. And The Bride isn’t just a stone-cold badass. She also hurts deeply, and it’s a credit to Uma Thurman that you can sense all the raw emotion boiling beneath the surface. For her emotional journey as well as the skill with which she swings a sword, The Bride is a kick-ass creation. That she comes from Quentin Tarantino, typically known for his cool cucumber dudes, just sweetens the deal.
– Isaac Feldberg
