Lucy / Hanna / Atomic Blonde

Triple bill of female-led action thrillers. In 'Lucy' (2014), Scarlett Johansson stars as the titular heroine who finds herself caught up in the dodgy dealings of the Taiwanese mob while living in Taipei. Forced into becoming a smuggler, she is drugged before a package is inserted into her stomach for safe transit.

Lucy is then severely beaten for protesting her situation which results in the package bursting inside her and leaking into her bloodstream. As the drug takes over her body, Lucy becomes capable of using a higher brain capacity than humans are naturally accustomed to which makes her able to use telekinesis and absorb knowledge rapidly. Meanwhile, neurological scientist Professor Norman (Morgan Freeman) takes an interest in Lucy's evolution as she takes revenge on those responsible for her extraordinary transformation and evades those who wish to harness her powers for their own ends.

In 'Hanna' (2011), having been raised deep in the Finnish wilderness by her ex-CIA agent father Erik (Eric Bana), Hanna (Saoirse Ronan) has been carefully trained throughout her childhood to become the perfect assassin. Now in her teens, she is finally judged by her father to be ready to be sent out on a mission, and she sets out across Europe to carry out her deadly assignment. On her trail is Marissa Wiegler (Cate Blanchett), a ruthless intelligence agent with a few dark secrets of her own.

Finally, in 'Atomic Blonde' (2017) based on Antony Johnston's graphic novel of the same name, the story follows Lorraine Broughton (Charlize Theron), an elite MI6 spy tasked with taking down a secretive organisation responsible for the murder of an undercover agent in Berlin. With the Cold War coming to an end and allegiances shifting in the city, Broughton reluctantly joins up with local station chief David Percival (James McAvoy) to conduct the investigation. However, with a missing list of double agents putting the West's entire intelligence network in serious danger, the pair must put their differences aside and work together in order to achieve their objectives.