Kate Winslet
This is definitely the best her…skin…has looked. But more importantly, her role as Hanna Schmitz in The Reader caught our eye and earned her a spot.
Technically a WWII era romance film, vice a WWII film itself, Winslet’s character likes having classic novels read to her and disappears after having a clandestine affair…
Hang with us…
Then she reappears on trial for Nazi war crimes. See, there is some connection, albeit soft. Bottom line, we like Kate and the film was well received by most critics.
Rachel Weisz
Rachel has played a number of outstanding roles, but her character, Tania Chernova, in Enemy at the Gates was outstanding and nailed her spot firmly on our list. The film, though overshadowed by other great war films in the years surrounding its release, was a fabulous and highly entertaining film.
Ed Harris (who doesn’t love him?) and Jude Law play awesome characters and are dueling snipers during the height of Russian and German battles for control of Stalingrad.
Weisz also plays a great role in The Mummy series, which is set to be re-boot with Tom Cruise at the helm.
Jessica Chastain
The real life analyst that Chastain portrays may not be well-liked in the intelligence community. Okay, she is loathed, but that doesn’t mean her work wasn’t greatly important and led to the death of al-Qaeda leader and 9/11 mastermind Usama Bin laden.
We greatly appreciate the performance Jessica puts forth in Zero Dark Thirty and how it follows events sequentially in great detail, mirroring closely the series of events leading up to the operation to take down UBL.
Sadly, there were parts of the film, one in particular that was a little close to home as several friends were lost. May those officers who died in the Khost blast in December 2009 (which never should have happened) never be forgotten.
Okay, sorry had to get serious there for a second.
Jennifer Garner
This 13 Going on 30 star plays Federal Agent Janet Mayes in the 2007 hit, The Kingdom. The story surrounds the aftermath and investigation of a bombing at a federal facility in the Middle East, and escalates from there. Don’t miss the last five minutes. Seriously, this film was well done and very entertaining.
Still, Garner is more known for her role of Sydney Bristow on the hit TV show Alias, which aired for five seasons. Garner’s character is an absolutely adorable and seemingly vulnerable college grad that is actually a bonafide bad-ass. Her appearance as “the cute girl”, is misleading as her real job has her slaying bad guys and protecting the nation left and right.
The series is loaded with other acting talent, to include Ron Rifkin and the now super well known Bradley Cooper.
Sophia Bush
The streets of Chicago are violent…so violent, in fact, that since 2001 there have been more more murders there than U.S. service member deaths in Iraq and Afghanistan combined. Take that in…
On that somber note, isn’t it great that we have Sophia’s fictional character, Detective Erin Lindsay, cruising the streets and laying down some justice? Her role on Chicago P.D. is outstanding!
Sure, not everyone watches the same TV drama’s, but creator Dick Wolf tends to get quite the following with all of this shows (Chicago Fire, Chicago PD, Chicago Med, Chicago Justice and Law and Order: SVU to name a few). Sophia’s help makes the show what it is and will very likely end up on the big screen sooner than later.
Scarlett Johansson
Guilty! We are stretching here. Scarlett is not in a war movie, she doesn’t play a cop, but she is in the Marvel Avengers series as Natasha Romanoff, AKA Black Widow and has been in several other bad-to-the-bone roles. We see our military members and first responders as super heroes, and thought you would want to see a picture of her…so it all makes sense right?
If that doesn’t jive with you, let’s simply look to more recent films such as Lucy and Ghost in the Shell where she is…umm…amazing. If you would mess with her and not get your ass kicked, let us know and we will remove the mention of her name on this list. Can we keep the picture though?
Rachel Nichols
We know, we know. Not everyone knows Rachel Nichols, but you will.
Rachel Nichols is not only gorgeous (trust us – the above picture is a safe one), but her role as Scarlett (yes the action figure you had growing up) in G.I. Joe: Rise of the Cobra verifies that she can kick some ass too. Rachel battles Baroness played by Sienna Miller in the film, which is a site to be seen.
The movie is not as good as anyone wanted it to be, but nostalgia (and Rachel) help keep you engaged.
Thanks for your willingness to battle the evil Cobra Commander. I have hated that guy since I was a kid. He is such a jerk.
Rae Dawn Chong
“I have an emergency message for General Franklin Kirby.” Rae Dawn Chong’s hotness and lovability factors in the 1980’s action hit Commando are off the chart….we love you, Rae, and miss you (no, she is not dead, the statement just felt right).
Unfortunately, she has not taken on any major roles of note, as least as they pertain to this list, since teaming up with Arnold Schwarzenegger.
As a side note, she could use a lesson on firing the M202 Flash shoulder fired rocket launcher, although she definitely improved on her second try. Please, never fire one at me though if you are trying to save me.
