Bench marks of women's progress

ACTION films are a quintessentially male genre. That women are now playing the lead roles in recent films like Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life, and Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle is one possible indicator that Hollywood’s perception of women has changed.  

Moreover, an increasing number of actresses like Halle Berry (due to reprise her James Bond girl role of Jinx in the first-ever spin-off of the 007 spy film) are becoming bankable, that is, their appeal to viewers is broad enough to make a film financially viable, if not profitable.