Not Bad, Just Drawn That Way: Top 10 Film Femme Fatales

Eva Mendes, Jaime King and Scarlett Johansson vamp it up in The Spirit

-- Snicks from AfterElton.com

The highly stylized film adaption of the comic book The Spirit is coming out soon (Christmas Day, to be exact), and in addition to the hotness of Gabriel Macht as the title hero, we also get three sexy, badass dames to enjoy.

Scarlett Johansson plays Silken Floss (love that name!), accomplice to The Octopus (Samuel L. Jackson); Eva Mendes is Sand Saref, whose cold heart may be melted by former flame The Spirit; and Jaime King is Lorelei Rox, who lures men to their deaths with her siren song.

Why do tough, dangerous broads prove so irresistible to so many gay men? While we ponder that question, let's take a look at some of our other favorite film femme fatales!

(Pssst! Logo's got a sweepstakes running for The Spirit where you can win over 200 killer movies on DVD. Have a look if you're feeling lucky!)

Our top ten, after the break...

Gene Tierney in Leave Her To Heaven

Despite three Oscar nominations (including one for Best Actress), Leave Her To Heaven is not as well-remembered as other classic femme fatale movies of the 1940's (Double Indemnity, Gilda, etc.) but it's my favorite from that era. Gene Tierney stars as a ... misunderstood woman who wants nothing more than to be loved by her husband. And if people get in the way of that (even an unborn child and a handicapped youngster), well ... it's their own damn fault!

Kathleen Turner in Body Heat

Kathleen Turner became a star with the release of the 1981 neo-noir Body Heat. She stars as a woman who really wants to be with her new lover (William Hurt), but her pesky husband is standing in the way. What is a girl to do? Classic line: "You're not too smart, are you? I like that in a man." Tell us about it!

Olga Baclanova in Freaks

Todd Browning's 1932 Freaks is one of the most infamous cult films of all time, and features a classic femme fatale in the character of Cleopatra. Played by Olga Baclanova, Cleo is a trapeze artist who marries a sideshow midget for his inheritance, but carries on an affair with the circus strong man. When the other "freaks" learn that she's been trying to poison her new husband, they ... well ... I won't spoil it for you, but you'll never look at a chicken dinner the same way again.

Linda Fiorentino in The Last Seduction

Linda Fiorentino played one of the all-time great femme fatales in this 1994 film, toying with Peter Berg mercilessly and inflicting serious damage on a certain chain-link fence. In one of the worst Oscar travesties in history, she was deemed ineligible for a Best Actress nomination because the movie was shown on HBO once before it hit theaters.

Jessica Rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit

In the 1988 fantasy Who Framed Roger Rabbit, sexbomb Jessica Rabbit filled the screen like Rita Hayworth, had the smoky voice of Kathleen Turner, and wasn't afraid to flash her goodies. She also answered the question, "Can a flesh & blood person fall in love with a toon character?" Of course, I already had that answer when I found myself lusting after Liono from Thundercats.

Grace Jones in A View To A Kill

You can take your pick of any number of Bond babes for this list: You might prefer Octopussy or Xenia Onatopp, but you can't get much better than Grace Jones as May Day in A View To A Kill. After having sex with her, James Bond is asked the next morning, "did you sleep well?" and he responds, "a little restless, but I got off eventually."

Rebecca Romijn in Femme Fatale

Director Brian DePalma has had a frustratingly uneven career in Hollywood. For every Sisters and Carrie, there's a Snake Eyes and Black Dahlia (which I couldn't even finish). In 2002 he hit the jackpot again with the completely insane Femme Fatale, which I adore even in the face of universal derision. Rebecca Romijn (when she was still married to Blackie from General Hospital) was terrific as the title character, and the ending was brilliant for its sheer audacity.

Anjelica Huston, John Cusack, and Annette Bening in The Grifters

We get a twofer with the fabulous 1990 thriller The Grifters, with both Annette Bening and Anjelica Huston at the very top of their games as very dangerous con-women. The claws immediately come out the moment they meet, and poor John Cusack is caught in the middle. The shocking ending still packs a punch (hey, he should have listened to his mother!).

Pia Zadora in Butterfly

I realize I'm alone in worshipping at her altar, but what can I say ... she's Pia Zadora-ble! She made her debut in the 1982 jawdropper Butterfly as a manipulative teen sexpot who seduces her (could be) father and tries to work her feminine wiles on the town judge ... Orson Welles! That alone was deserving of her Golden Globe. You can see the white hot trailer below ..."if that's bad, then I wanna be bad!"

Of course, there are plenty of killer femme fatales in screen history (enough to fill a hundred lists). Are any of these sexy, dangerous dames your choice, or do you have your own favorites? Let us know! (And I know what you're thinking: "Where is Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction?" Sorry, but I just can't abide bunny abuse.)

Comments

[ablackgirl]

I personally don't understand why Foxy Brown or Cleopatra Jones aren't on here. Its just beyond me...