The Top 10 Best Movie Archers
These Movie Archers Always Hit the Bullseye
Looking back at Stars & Popcorn’s lists of Gun Fu masters and gunslingers, I couldn’t help thinking about sharpshooters that prefer using something a bit more old school, say pre-gunpowder? That’s why I decided to take on the best movie archers of all time. I mean, if swordsmen get a list, why not movie archers. After all, they are one of the biggest fantasy tropes out there. If you’re getting together a group of heroes to overthrow ultimate evil, you’re going to need a bowman to round things out. Now I did a deep dive into the best movie archers of all time, and let me tell you, there are a lot of really great ones. Now, let me say that in narrowing down the options I decided to push aside how “good” the movie they appeared in and focus on the characters: combat skills. In other words, try not to judge the following picks too harshly on the flicks they appeared in. Now, get ready, because these movie archers are notched, drawn, and ready to hit the bullseye.
10. William- The Great Wall
Before I get into why William deserves a spot on this list, let me first explain that Matt Damon’s role in The Great Wall was not whitewashing (the practice is still alive and well in Hollywood though). The character was meant to be an outsider in order for the film to more naturally explore its themes and the history of the world in which it existed. William was meant to serve as a foil for the Chinese warriors to be measured against in order to demonstrate their skills. That being said, William was an absolutely astounding archer and proves it early on when the Chinese test him to determine if he is actually any good with a bow. He’s able to repeatedly hit moving targets accurately and rapidly enough that I doubt anyone he sets his sights on walks away. There have been a lot of impressive movie archers over the years, but William definitely proves himself to be among the most elite of them.
9. Neytiri te Tskaha Mo’at’ite- Avatar
Representation is important when it comes to cinema, so I decided early on to include at least one person of color on this list of movie archers. That color happens to be blue with Neytirir (Zoe Saldana). The giant alien cat lady is damn good with a bow and arrow. Despite her weapon of choice being considered “primitive,” she’s able to take on slews of mercenaries armed with some impressive mech-suits. That’s probably because the Na’vi are quite a bit larger and stronger than humans. This helps them to put an extra bit of pepper on their shots which turns their pointy sticks into deadly missiles able to impale thick armor. As far as this list goes, Neytirir is the powerhouse whose arrows rip men off their feet and send them flying off the battlefield. That said, she doesn’t demonstrate any especially impressive shots in the first Avatar movie, but maybe we’ll see some of that in the long, long, LONG awaited sequels.
8. Abigail Whistler- Blade: Trinity
Remember when I warned you about judging these movie archers too harshly by the films they appeared in? Well, Abigail Whistler (Jessica Biel) definitely falls into that category. Blade: Trinity was a terrible movie that introduced a few cool new characters to the franchise (including Ryan Reynolds’ Hannibal King). Abigail is the daughter of Blade’s confidant and mentor, Abraham Whistler. She followed in her father’s footsteps and became a vampire slayer just like him. Just like the rest of the characters here, Abigail specializes in a good old fashioned bow and arrow. Her’s has a few high tech upgrades to help her against her undead quarry, including a beam of concentrated UV light that can slice vampires right in half. Abigail not only hunts vampires (which are notoriously difficult to kill), but has even adapted her style of archery for close-quarters combat, eliminating an archer’s primary weakness on the battlefield.
7. Lara Croft- Tomb Raider
Video game fans probably know Lara Croft best for dual-wielding pistols, until recently. The character got a bit of a reboot though, and now she’s much more a tough-as-nails survivalist as well as a relentless explorer. This reboot found its way onto the big screen with Alicia Vikander putting a much more resilient spin on Lara. Determined to find out what happened to her missing father, Lara finds herself shipwrecked on an island that is far from deserted. It’s covered with machine-gun-toting henchmen who have orders to shoot on sight. Seeking to move the odds a bit more in her favor, Lara builds her own bow and arrow and sets about taking out the soldiers of fortune one-by-one. Her ability to improvise, adapt, and overcome any obstacle in her path easily makes Lara one of the most cunning movie archers of all time as well as one of the most deadly.
6. John Rambo- The Rambo Movies
If we’re talking on-screen accuracy, the muscle-bound, mumbling mercenary (played by Sylvester Stallone) is probably the most accurate out there. However, he also takes a fraction of the shots the other movie archers on here do. Still, the stats alone mean that John Rambo is more than qualified for a spot among these other big-screen arrow slingers. A former Special Forces soldier who served in Vietnam, Rambo’s success on the battlefield is partially due to his father teaching him a number of tactics and skills used by Native Americans, including archery. While a lot of people might tout the superiority of guns, a bow and arrow can kill a man with barely a whisper. This stealthy approach allows Rambo to move through areas undetected as he picks off his enemies one by one. Despite the character’s backslide in recent films, he still remains one of the best movie archers of all time.