It’s rarely ever happened in Angelina Jolie’s super sexy career that she wasn’t the hottest thing playing in theatres around town, but such has been Inception-mania sweeping us that even an Angelina kicking butt as a secret spy in espionage thriller Salt couldn’t be noticed.
But this anomaly apart, throughout cinematic history, nothing has excited the male psyche as much as a hot female body performing stunts. James Bond may be the best secret agent, but ask guys around town, and they’d all tell you that if not for his gadgets and babes, they’d any day prefer a female Bond at Her Majesty’s service.
“There is something incredibly alluring about an attractive female who’s in the espionage business. It shows that the woman has the brains, the looks and the brawn. What more could a man ask for,” says Nikhil Acharya, who works for an event management firm. “I’ve been a big fan of the Charlie’s Angels franchise, and also the million others it spawned like She Spies, Femme Fatale, and even Pamela Anderson’s VIP. It does get repetitive sometimes, but you can never get enough of great bodies, treachery and deceit.”
Making your lead protagonist a hot-as-hell female spy isn’t a new phenomenon either. Way back in 1932, when we were just acquainting ourselves with the concept of movies, came one of the most famous spy thrillers of all time Mata Hari. Greta Garbo essayed the title role, as one of the most World War I’s most famous secret agents in this true biopic.
Media professional Clint Fernandes says that spy thrillers generally revolve around the exotic and mysterious Eastern European countries, and are set during the World War or Cold War era, which makes it an exciting time. “People are always curious about the whole spy culture which was fostered during the Cold War era. Even today, Russian spies are interesting subjects. And when it is a woman, then it becomes even more intriguing,” Fernandes said, explaining the reason why these have been such a popular subject.
While most people would claim to be at their happiest watching a female spy outwitting iron curtain governments, kicking and fighting the bad guys, script, logic and sense be damned, there are those who question the mindless action and jokes here.
Belliappa Maneyapanda is one such.“The women are generally hot and that makes the movies fun to watch. But you cannot enjoy watching them all the time. They have no plot or script, and it’s just mindless action. It is alright for a one-time viewing, but no more,” he says.