Top 20 Femme Fatales In Modern Movies

“Bound” (1996)

Before they introduced the world to “The Matrix,” the Wachowskis directed this stylish crime thriller, playing with an old archetype in new and exciting ways. Reluctantly married to the mob through her boyfriend, Caesar, Violet finally sees a way out when she meets ex-con, Corky, who has been hired to renovate an apartment in her building. In true femme fatale fashion, she seduces the newcomer, and eventually convinces her to help steal a significant sum from her current partner. As one would expect, the plan quickly goes awry, putting Corky’s life in jeopardy. Thankfully though, Violet doesn’t just take the money and run. This femme fatale pulls off the heist and gets the girl.

“To Die For” (1995)

Loosely inspired by the real life crimes of Pamela Smart, “To Die For” is a mockumentary akin to “The Office” or “Abbott Elementary,” but with a considerably darker angle. Suzanne Maretto - or, should we say, Suzanne Stone - is at the center of it all as the prime suspect in the shocking murder of her husband, Larry. His desire to have a family was simply incompatible with her lofty aspirations of stardom, and she found it easier to dispose of him than to waste any of her time with divorce proceedings. As a local news anchor, the devilish femme fatale manipulated a group of disadvantaged youth at the center of her Teens Speak Out segment, convincing them to kill by lying about her relationship with her husband.

“The Neon Demon” (2016)

While some femme fatales ride the line of moral ambiguity, Ruby is one of a select few that feels purely evil - although you may never guess based on her earliest scenes in “The Neon Demon.” Played by Jena Malone, the makeup artist initially presents herself to the young protagonist, Jesse, as a friend and confidant. She warns the young model away from questionable photographers, and offers her a place to stay when she feels unsafe in her motel room. However, this kindness is revealed to have all been a ruse, with her true intentions being sexual…and cannibalistic. Some have criticized the character for playing into the predatory lesbian trope but, as a femme fatale, Ruby’s narrative puts an inventive spin on an old archetype.

“Body Heat” (1981)

Actress Kathleen Turner garnered a reputation as a sex symbol thanks to this smoking hot thriller. Set during an unrelentingly sweltering summer in South Florida, “Body Heat” finds its female protagonist, Matty, in a predicament familiar to any fans of the genre. She’s saddled to an unloving and inattentive husband, dissuaded from divorce by the threat of financial ruin. Her only option? Murder. And, thankfully, the corrupt lawyer, Ned, with whom she is carrying out an affair is up for the job! What makes “Body Heat” stand out from the crowd is the fact that its crime happens fairly early on, leaving plenty of time in its second half for Matty to play a complex mental game with both Ned and the audience.

“The Last Seduction” (1994)

Linda Fiorentino commands our attention as the seductive Bridget Gregory in this textbook neo-noir. Using the alias Wendy Kroy, the character escapes to a remote town, hoping to lay low long enough to make off with $700,000 of her husband’s cash. She lies, manipulates, and even kills to get what she wants, all the while charming the audience as much as her unsuspecting victims. Following the film’s release, Fiorentino received several award nominations for the role, even coming up in that year’s Oscars conversations before being disqualified on a technicality. While we could do without “The Last Seduction”s last act transphobia, its femme fatale is one of the best conceived in contemporary film history, and more than worthy of a spot alongside her many iconic predecessors.

“Promising Young Woman” (2020)

Some of the most dangerous women in film are also the most seductive - a trope which this subversive revenge thriller uses to its advantage. “Promising Young Woman” opens with its protagonist, Cassie Thomas, posing as a blackout drunk. When a man attempts to use her apparent condition as an excuse to assault her, she flips the script on him, revealing her sobriety and shaming him for his behavior. This is shown to be her typical M.O., though she has plans to take it up a notch at the bachelor party of her late friend’s attacker. While the character’s approach to revenge can sometimes be divisive, it’s interesting to see an archetype that occasionally lends itself to sexism tackled in such an overtly feminist way.

“Blue Velvet” (1986)

Regularly terrorized by the horrifyingly violent gangster, Frank Booth, it’s no surprise that Dorothy Vallens is seeking a way out. Unfortunately for naive college student, Jeffrey Beaumont, her “way out” involves entangling him in her complex criminal web. He quickly comes to the conclusion that Frank has been able to keep Dorothy under his thumb not only through the threat of violence, but through the kidnapping of her husband and young son. The pair enter into a sadomasochistic relationship, eventually leading to Jeffrey’s own abduction and interrogation. Dorothy is a unique figure for a neo-noir, lacking explicit malice but nonetheless forced by circumstance to achieve her goals through dangerous, unconventional means.

“Mr. & Mrs. Smith” (2005)

Imagine being married to someone for five years and never realizing that you had the same occupation. This is the case for John and Jane Smith, who masquerade as a construction executive and a tech support consultant, but actually spend their days as highly trained assassins. Unlike most neo-noir dynamics, both sides of this relationship are guilty of manipulation and deceit…but it must be said that Jane is clearly the smarter and deadlier of the two. John is lucky that their mutual feelings for each other got in the way of their missions because, if they hadn’t, she undeniably would’ve come out on top.

“L.A. Confidential” (1997)

In a world where everyone dreams of seeing their name in lights, Lynn Bracken just dreams of a normal life. The call girl works for Fleur-de-Lis, an upscale business selling sex with a celebrity slant - where even the girls’ faces are not their own. Through cosmetic surgery, Bracken’s face has become Veronica Lake’s, a real world actress known for her work in films like “I Married a Witch” and “Sullivan’s Travels.” Unfortunately, those drawn in by her prosthetic visage would soon find that “marrying a witch” would’ve likely been less trouble. Bracken’s only true alliance is to herself, and she’s more than willing to blackmail and manipulate those around her to get what she wants.

“Inception” (2010)

If “Mal Cobb”s name sounds a little macabre, it’s not unintentional. The mysterious woman who haunts Dom Cobb’s dreams is actually his ex-wife, and her self-inflicted death weighs heavily on him in both his fantasies and reality. And although his subconscious’s memories of her are initially clouded with guilt and desire, it’s slowly revealed that their time together was actually more of a nightmare. While attempting to work out the specifics of dream sharing, the pair got caught up in an imagined reality where fifty years played out in a single night. Mal’s sense of time and space was forever shifted, and she attempted to bring Dom down with her when she resorted to drastic measures to “wake up.”

“Cruel Intentions” (1999)

For Kathryn Merteuil, life is a game. And it’s one that she’s used to winning. The high class highschooler presents herself to the world as the ultimate picture of good breeding - clever, popular, and devoutly Catholic - all while getting off on the pain of those around her. In “Cruel Intentions,” she sets her sights on Cecile, the current girlfriend of her ex-beau, hoping to manipulate her into cheating, while also entertaining a high-stakes side deal with her stepbrother, Sebastian. She lounges around their posh home, pulling the strings in the two lowdown love plots until Sebastian’s surprising connection to his mark results in her untimely downfall.

“Chicago” (2002)

Largely taking place in a women’s prison, “Chicago” is ostensibly a film full of femme fatales, but only its protagonist, Roxie Hart, has a fall man devoted enough to take the blame for her crime. Although the duo’s cover story doesn’t work well enough to keep Roxie out of the slammer, it’s just the first in a series of manipulations played out by the character. She’s quick on her feet, with natural charm and a devilish nature. She even manages to con the double-tongued lawyer, Billy Flynn, feigning pregnancy to win the favor of the general public when it seemed her case was losing traction.

“Blade Runner” (1982)

From the moment she steps on screen, Rachael captivates both Deckard and the audience, rising above her status as a synthetic human with a unique magnetism. Though manmade, she remains mysterious, with unclear alliances and the capabilities for complex emotion. Unlike some of her archetypal predecessors, Rachael does not approach the protagonist with any malice. But her sheer existence sets in motion a domino effect that causes him to question everything he thought he knew about his world. His mission to retire her is forgone for a whirlwind romance, with the futuristic femme fatale managing to make it out of the film alive despite the odds.

The X-Men Franchise

To become a master manipulator, a woman must be comfortable wearing many different faces. This is no issue for Mystique, whose mutant powers allow her to literally morph into entirely new identities. Rebecca Romijn’s version of the character in the first three X-Men films most closely aligns with her film noir influences, playing up her seductive villany in service of Magneto. She’s a real force to be reckoned with, executing a complex jailbreak and infiltrating the US government by impersonating a senator. We appreciate Jennifer Lawrence’s unique spin on the character as well but, when it comes to the character’s penchant for deceit, Romijn’s interpretation simply can’t be beat!

“GoldenEye” (1995)

It’s not uncommon for the women in James Bond’s world to have euphemistic names, and “GoldenEye” villainess Xenia Onatopp is no different. The former Soviet fighter pilot and officer is a master of sexpionage, using her brute strength and striking good looks to execute some rather innovative assassinations. This special skill, paired with her allegiance to the evil Janus Syndicate, makes her one of the deadliest women to go up against 007. She even comes close to killing the famed agent twice, but is ultimately foiled in a fittingly crushing finale.

“Ex Machina” (2015)

Following in Rachael’s footsteps, Ava offers a futuristic spin on a classic character type. As an artificially intelligent robot, Ava is meant to be subjected to tests by a young programmer named Caleb to determine her capacity for human thought and emotion. But as the film’s plot unravels, it becomes clear that it is Caleb, not Ava, who is truly being tested. The android manipulates the newcomer into favoring her over her creator, Nathan, even temporarily cutting the power in their home to have “private” chats with him. Her tactics work as well as any human seductress’s would, and her influence over Caleb eventually allows her and fellow android, Kyoko, to rebel against the man who gave them life.

“Fatal Attraction” (1987)

This 80’s pop culture phenomenon plays out like a PSA for not having an affair. What begins as a no commitment one night stand spirals out of control as the woman, Alex, becomes increasingly obsessed with her married lover. She threatens to harm herself, pours acid on his car, and even kills his daughter’s pet rabbit. And while Alex’s behavior is a far cry from the cool and calculated plots of most noir women, her unpredictable mode of lashing out just serves to make her a more formidable foe. She is willing to do whatever it takes to get what she wants, and won’t be stopped by anything less than death.

“Gone Girl” (2014)

Amy Dunne isn’t like other final girls… she’s dead! Well, technically missing, soon to be presumed dead. A little over an hour into “Gone Girl,” Amy takes control of her own narrative and, in doing so, completely upends everything we thought we knew about her world. What initially appears to be an open and shut case of a husband killing his pregnant wife is revealed to have all been a set up - a calculated revenge plot for the crime of infidelity. She’s definitely one of the craftiest femme fatales in film’s history, and one of the most frightening. We certainly wouldn’t want to be on her bad side!

The Batman Franchise

Few people in Gotham are able to get under Bruce’s skin quite like Selina Kyle. It’s why the sultry cat burglar has become one of the caped crusader’s most frequently faced foes, having been adapted several times over both on the page and on the screen. Never committing to being fully good or evil, each iteration of the iconic character allows its actress, and the film she’s in, a chance to try something entirely new. Whether she’s a timid secretary who learns how to land on her feet, or a waitress wrestling with hefty moral dilemmas, it’s guaranteed that her presence will shake up both the plot and its protagonist.

“Basic Instinct” (1992)

When retired rock star Johnny Boz turns up dead, his girlfriend, Catherine Tramell, seems like the obvious culprit. Her latest novel details an eerily similar death, and the company she keeps includes convicted murderers. Nonetheless, she is able to sow seeds of doubt within the police force, using her innate desirability to her advantage. Lead detective Nick Curran proves to be her most malleable mark, falling hard for the could-be murderer over the course of his investigation. As a well-researched crime novelist, Catherine is one of the most perceptive femme fatales in modern history. She consistently remains ten steps ahead of her adversaries, and delights in playing mind games with both men and women alike!


Who do you think is the best modern femme fatale? Let us know in the comments!