They’re the heroes of the cheesiest and over-the-top ’80s action movies. They have some of the most quoted one-liners. And they’re the bad guys’ worst nightmare. Cinema’s one-man (and one-woman) armies take on thieves, terrorists, assassins, super villains, minions, and hoards of the undead with infinite ammo and a supernatural knack for wit.
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This list does not consider super-powered characters, as they’re in a league of their own. Cinema has produced plenty of one-man armies with the choreography, quips, and style that define a genre.
John McClane — ‘Die Hard’ Franchise
Die Hardspawned an entire sub-genre of the everyman trapped in a confined setting, systematically taking out minions one by one. He’s not a soldier; he’s not a body-builder. He’s a schlubby New York cop trying to spend Christmas with his kids (impeccably played byBruce Willis). Up against one of the most charismatic villains of ’80s and ’90s in the first film, Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), McClane faces some incredible odds.
From glass in his feet to impressively strong adversaries to ignorant FBI agents, McClane’s only help comes over the radio from desk jockey, Sgt. Al Powell (Reginald VelJohnson). Though the sequels never quite live up to the original,Die Hardhas cemented itself as one of the greatest action films (and Christmas films!) of all time.
Colin Firthmakes a surprisingly good action star, andKingsmanmakes for anexcellent spy thriller parody. The movie pokes fun at spy and secret agent tropes, like cartoonish villains, secret weapons, martinis, and explosive action set pieces. Firth’s Galahad is no slouch throughout the movie, easily taking down thugs off the street.
It’s during the movie’s five-minute, gratuitously violent church brawl that Galahad shows off exactly what he’s capable of. Surrounded by churchgoers gone rabid and set toLynyrd Skynyrd’s“Free Bird,” Galahad nearly single-handedly becomes the last man standing in increasingly creative and gruesome ways. Topped off with the illusion of a single-take shot, Gahalad’s skills are a hilariously violent surprise.
Hit-Girl — Kick-Ass
In a spoof of comics and superhero movies, with several tongue-in-cheek references,Kick-Assmanages to be both badass and starkly sincere in its best moments. None of the characters have actual superpowers, but that doesn’t stopChloë Grace Moretz’sHit-Girl from being a terrifically efficient one-woman army (or one-girl army, instead).
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Hit-Girl is perfectly unassuming, donning pigtails and a school uniform. With a hidden arsenal of weapons and the knowledge and training to use them all, the set piece for Hit-Girl’s showdown with the villain’s goons is gloriously over-the-top. As Hit-Girl proves with flying colors, one need not be a six-foot-tall strongman to best a high-rise of minions.
Bryan Mills — ‘Taken’Franchise
Liam Neesonhas a very particular set of skills, and he’s unafraid to use them throughout theTakenfranchise. Playing an ex-CIA agent, Mills spends the first film tracking down his kidnapped daughter and the people holding her captive as part of an underground trafficking ring. The last two entries of the franchise pale in comparison to the intensity and novelty of the first.
Mills stands apart from other one-man armies that are happy to quip, snark, and flex their muscles. He’s quiet, calm, and collected, which makes him all the more dangerous in his relentless pursuit of his daughter and those responsible for taking her.
Bruce Lee — ‘Enter the Dragon’
All ofBruce Lee’s films of his tragically short career deserve the praise they have received butEnter the Dragon, Lee’s final film before his death, is his crowning achievement and is regarded as one of the best action films of all time. Lee’s character, “Lee,” is recruited to help uncover a drug trafficking ring in a hybrid spy-action thriller that combines elements of classic martial arts films and Bond movies.
Unlike most staged Hollywood stunts and fight choreography, much of what takes place on screen is the product of real combat. While Lee may not fight entirely alone, he stilltosses around adversaries like ragdollswith skill and commitment to the film that was absolutely worth the effort.
John Rambo — ‘Rambo’ Franchise
Rambo is synonymous with the trope of a one-man army. Over-the-top effects,Sylvester Stallone’s body-builder physique, peak ’90s one-liners, and crazy stunts defined theRambofranchise. They continued to sell the image of the ideal action movie hero look untilDie Hardbrought some variety.
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First Blood Parts 1 and 2follow the titular veteran and former POW of the Vietnam War. InPart 1,he faces discrimination in a small Northwestern town and is pit against abusive cops. InPart 2,he is sent back to Vietnam, where he fights combined Soviet and North Vietnamese forces to free other prisoners of war that the US government has tried to forget. The rest of the franchise sees Rambo deployed to other conflicts worldwide, each time walking away a triumphant victor.
John Wick — ‘John Wick’ Franchise
Keanu Reeveshas more than enough experience playing a one-man army as Neo inThe Matrixmovies, but John Wick has the brutal efficiency of a regular human far from being “the One.” Wick is an ex-hitman trying to keep his head down when his old life comes to drag him back into the fray for silky smooth stunts, action-packed set pieces, and excellent fight choreography.
All three movies in theJohn Wickfranchise,pending films four and five, succeed where many other fight-heavy films fail. It doesn’t disrupt the scenes with dreaded shaky-cam or disorienting quick cuts to hide clunky choreography, which only sets Wick that much more apart from the goons he fights with incredibly satisfying results.
Lorraine Broughton — ‘Atomic Blonde’
Charlize Theronis another actor who’sno stranger to being an army of one. Her role inThe Old Guardas an un-killable killing machine is equally entertaining, but for entirely different reasons. Broughton is an MI6 agent tasked with retrieving a list of compromised secret agents on the eve of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
The fight choreography is unpolished in the best way, with realistic grit that lets its female lead get creative with her choice of fighting style and weapons against bigger and stronger opponents. Best of all, Broughton’s one-woman army status is cemented in an incredible 10-minute long take with all the stumbles that make it feel all the more viscerally real.
The Bride — ‘Kill Bill Vol. 1 & Vol. 2’
Kill Bill’s hyperbolic action scenes, from its choreography and stunts to makeup and effects, combine to make an incredibly memorable and entertaining film. In the middle of it all isUma Thurman, playing the one-woman army simply known as “The Bride” out for revenge against Bill for his attempted murder of her and her unborn child.
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The obstacles between The Bride and Bill are many, but that doesn’t stop her from bloodying the floor, the walls, and everything else with the members of the Deadly Action Viper Squad. When asked if she expected her revenge to come easy, the Bride declares that yes, she did, with the skills to back it up.
He’s taken on a literal Army of Darkness to protect primitive screwheads with a chainsaw for a hand, a boomstick, and a slew of one-liners.Bruce Campbell’s take on the character is a perfect balance of taking himself just seriously enough while also being massively over-the-top.
Throughout the franchise, Ash is the ever-reluctant hero facing hoards of the undead and who never walks away squeaky clean. The horror aesthetics ofSam Raimi’s direction have made Ash a cult hero and theEvil Deadtrilogy a cult classic.
