When it comes to one of the most versatile actresses of the last couple of decades, one of the first names that comes to mind is Halle Berry. From her earlier performances to some of the newer Halle Berry movies, she has continued to show that not only can she act her butt off, but she’s a badass as well.
In many of her movie roles, she often shows just how cool and ridiculously amazing she is. In honor of her new movie, Moonfall, coming out in February 2022, these are eight of the most badass performances of her career so far. And who knows? Moonfall might be added to this list soon.
Storm (The X-Men Movies)
I feel like if you’re into superhero movies, you’ve heard of The X-Men. This popular movie series that ran for many, many years (and will most likely join in the MCU soon) tells the story of the eponymous superhero team, who are mutants with individualized powers that fight together to take on some serious threats to humanity.
Halle Berry, for a few movies in the series, portrayed the hero Storm, a mutant who had the power to control the weather and use that to her advantage, and honestly, she’s one of my favorite portrayals of the character. Plus, Berry’s badass as a superhero. I’d love to see her return to the role if Storm ended up popping up in the MCU.
Stream The X-Men movies on Disney+.
Rent The X-Men movies on Amazon.
Sofia (John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum)
The John Wick series has been great for Keanu Reeves' career, and John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum only added onto that. This third entry in the series followed the titular character after his previous adventures, now with millions of dollars on his head. And, it’s a race against time to outrun the people hunting him down.
Halle Berry had a decent sized role in this film, playing Sofia, a former friend of John’s and an assassin. Watching this movie felt like a return to form for Berry. While I love her in her dramatic roles, there’s just something about watching her gun down bad guys and fight her way through scary situations that always makes me smile.
It’s even crazier to hear that she broke her ribs while filming the popular movie. Talk about badass. If only she could appear in the upcoming, but delayed, John Wick 4.
Rent John Wick: Chapter 3 - Parabellum on Amazon.
Jordan Turner (The Call)
While it’s not as action-packed as some of the others on this list, The Call is still great. This thriller starring Halle Berry features her as Jordan Turner, a 911 operator who ends up picking up a call that will change her life forever and send her on a dangerous journey, all to make sure a young girl doesn’t die.
Berry has certainly been in more action-packed roles than this, but The Call is an underrated film of hers that really shows her capability as not only the lead of a thriller, but with her talent in general. Half of this movie is acted through her brilliant facial expressions when she’s on the call with Casey (played by Abigail Breslin), and then the rest is her actively trying to stop this killer despite being the most normal person ever. It’s such an interesting concept and Berry pulls it off perfectly.
Stream The Call on Starz.
Rent The Call on Amazon.
Jackie Justice (Bruised)
In one of her latest films, Halle Berry starred as Jackie Justice in Bruised. This Netflix original film tells the story of a former MMA fighter who has left the sport after a tragic match years back. Now, she has the chance to regain her status in the fighting world when an opportunity is given to her - one that could potentially change her life forever.
Fun fact - Bruised was Berry’s directorial debut, and as someone who enjoys dramatic fighting films, I think she did a great job. While it’s not the most revolutionary movie, the Bruised cast is great and Berry shines once again as a badass protagonist who knows how to fight so well. Just watching her in the ring makes me want to go see an MMA fight. Jackie Justice sure knows how to punch.
Several (Cloud Atlas)
In this interesting sci-fi film, Cloud Atlas examines what it’s like when one story travels through decades and generations, inspiring others to do good, and the connection that people can have just through their experiences.
It’s really hard to explain this movie without spoiling it, but it’s one for fans of sci-fi to see. The reason I put “several” for Berry’s character is that she plays several characters, all in different storylines and worlds but somehow, are all still connected. While there’s no crazy action or anything like that for her in this movie, the fact that Berry played six different characters in the same movie is mind-boggling to me, and in and of itself is badass.
Stream Cloud Atlas on Netflix.
Rent Cloud Atlas on Amazon.
Ginger Ale (Kingsman: The Golden Circle)
If you’re looking for another fun spy movie saga, check out The Kingsman series. In this second movie, Kingsman: The Golden Circle, two of the world's best spy organizations come together to fight a common enemy that could ruin the lives of many people.
Halle Berry portrayed Ginger Ale, a Statesman (the group that the Kingsman team up with) agent who worked as a tech expert, creating all of that cool gear that you’d see them use on their missions. Let me tell you - this character is not only smart as heck, but badass as all hell, and the fact that she ends up taking up the position of Agent Whiskey near the end just shows that she’s willing to go all the way. Berry is really one of the only people I could see playing this role perfectly.
Rent Kingsman: The Golden Circle on Amazon.
Jinx (Die Another Day)
In this popular James Bond film starring Pierce Brosnan, Die Another Day follows the classic 007 after a grueling prison sentence in North Korea. But, when he’s finally released, he goes on the hunt trying to discover who has betrayed him, while also trying to save innocent lives from those who wish to destroy them.
If you haven’t seen the Pierce Brosnan James Bond movies, I’d suggest watching them, as they really are such good fun. Halle Berry starred as Jinx in Die Another Day. I’m sure many of you know her from that famous bikini scene that I’m sure was plastered on the walls of many college dorms, but besides Halle Berry looking beautiful (as always), Jinx was a force to be reckoned with.
Not only was she the romantic interest for Bond, but the woman knew her way around a gun and was a badass in the field. This is what set Berry on the path of greatness when it came to these badass roles. You gotta love her here.
Rent Die Another Day on Amazon.
Ginger Knowles (Swordfish)
Last but not least, we have Swordfish. This action thriller with a stacked and talented cast tells the story of a computer hacker who was once a con. But, you know what they say - once a con, always a con, and nothing rings truer than this when he is recruited into a bank robbery mission because of those hacking skills.
Berry played Ginger Knowles, the main woman who persuades Stanley (Hugh Jackman) to work for their cause, but there’s so much more to Ginger than you would ever expect. This is one of those movies that I feel everyone needs to go into blind because there are so many twists and turns that you don’t want to be spoiled. All you need to know is that Berry is awesome in this and Ginger Knowles is one of her best characters, hands down.
Stream Swordfish on Tubi.
Rent Swordfish on Amazon.
With so many awesome movies on this list, I can’t wait to see what Berry does next, and hope we’ll get to see even more badass roles in the future.
