'The River Wild' and the case for more female action stars

The River Wild

I first saw The River Wild when it came out in theaters just over 20 years ago. It's not a masterpiece on par with Deliverance, but it's probably the second best film to make use of rapids for horrific effect. The movie was a change of pace for Meryl Streep, who seemed to be trying at the time to prove she could be successful outside her comfort zone.

The movie works, in a cheesy '90s thriller sort of way. A never better Kevin Bacon makes a really terrific grinning villain here and David Strathairn is quite good in what should be the thankless role of the emasculated husband.

It's the kind of slow boiling thriller they just don't make anymore. It really takes its time setting up the characters and the audience is aware of the danger Streep and her family face out in the wilderness far more than they are. And yet I found myself enjoying it.

Streep is great as always, although this will never go down as one of her more memorable roles. But her presence here elevates what might have been a routine thriller. We're so accustomed to male-driven action that seeing a woman in the central role of the hero is both liberating and inherently unpredictable. Male action heroes tend to fall into certain categories: The man of action forced to be violent or the coward forced to become a man of action.

Women simply bring more complexity to the table. Case in point, Charlize Theron in my favorite film of the year, Mad Max: Fury Road. Don't get me wrong, Tom Hardy is wonderful as the titular Max. But it's Theron's Furiosa, with her heartache, thousand yard stare and determined righteousness which that movie special.

A new study from USC's school of communication makes it starkly clear how far Hollywood has to go in terms of inclusion, not just with minorities but with women, who are woefully underrepresented despite making up slightly more of the population.

With the industry's bent towards action and thrillers, women must achieve equal representation or they risk being permanently marginalized. Here are a few films that provide a blueprint for female leads in action blockbusters:

Alien/Aliens - Is Sigourney Weaver the greatest female action star of all time? I think she has a legitimate case to make. In the first two Alien films, she delivers a master class in capable, fierce determination as Ripley, one of the coolest heroines in movie history. In the 1979 Ridley Scott original she is a bit of a cold fish at first, but rapidly emerges at the most rational person aboard a ship where she and her crewmates are being stalked by a vicious monster.

In the 1986 James Cameron-directed sequel she gets to do even more. She is tougher than any man on screen, and, more importantly, smarter. When the meat-headed, mostly male grunts around her give in to fear, she takes the lead.

Terminator 2 - James Cameron strikes again. Linda Hamilton's Sarah Connor, who was more of a victim in the original, is transformed into a physically imposing force of nature in its big budget sequel. Although Hamilton's performance is a little over the top at times, it's wildly entertaining and she is relentless in this movie. She is not a damsel in distress for one second.

Kill Bill Vol. 1/Vol. 2 - Quentin Tarantino is getting dinged (and rightfully so in my mind) for the gender politics of his latest film, The Hateful Eight, but it's hard to quibble with the power of The Bride in the Kill Bill movies. Although the films are more about style over substance, Uma Thurman does arguably the best acting of her career in the physically demanding role of the The Bride, who is out for revenge and to reclaim her daughter. Her sincere and emotional performance elevates these films from feeling like high octane cartoons.

Death Proof - Another Tarantino entry, this one featuring all butt-kicking women taking on a deranged Kurt Russell as a psychotic stunt man. The movie owes a lot, plot and style-wise, to the Russ Meyer classic Faster Pussycat Kill Kill, but has all of Tarantino's hallmarks too (feet shots, cult movie references). It boasts one of the best car chase sequences of all time, but also the best girl gang action crew I've ever seen.

Zero Dark Thirty - Although Kathryn Bigelow's examination of the hunt for Osama bin Laden is not a traditional action film, it's still got plenty of edge-of-your-seat tension. At the center of the storm is the underrated Jessica Chastain in an incredible performance, which should have won the Academy Award. A propulsive, at times troubling film, that never diminishes the role women play, often behind the scenes, in our counter-terrorism efforts.

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - I haven't watched Ang Lee's film for years, but when I look back on it, it's the gorgeous choreographed fight scenes featuring Michelle Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi that stick out most in my mind. I need to see the movie again, but there is no question that this film doesn't subscribe to traditional gender roles when it comes to action.

The Force Awakens - There have been some who have griped that Daisy Ridley's Rey was a little too perfect. Those people need to chill. Not only was the character a wonderfully and wholly original addition to the Star Wars universe, she single-handedly shook up the series concepts of what role women play in the narrative. What's more the film elevated Princess Leia, who had been saddled with the need to be rescued in previous films, to the rank of general. Pretty badass.