The Top 10 Best Movie Archers

5. Katniss Everdeen- The Hunger Games Films

Despite her opposition to the Hunger Games, few are as good at hunting people as Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence). She’s a beloved young adult character that stands up against a tyrannical government in a dystopian future with her trusted bow and arrow. Katniss’s skills grew out of her hillbilly roots from District 12 (which is pretty much West Virginia). Those years of hunting varmints and critters for redneck chili made her a crack shot with her trusted bow and arrow. So, when all those other kids decided to get up close and personal in the Hunger Games, she had a pretty easy time simply picking them off from a distance. Of course, Katniss takes no pleasure in killing her fellow “tributes,” but when the stakes are on the line, she isn’t afraid to let the arrows start flying. In the third film, her weapon of choice got an upgrade with explosive tips among other nasty arrowheads. So, when the revolution came, she was ready to let hell rain down on her enemies.  

4. Tauriel- The Hobbit Trilogy

The cliche with movie archers is that more often than not, that role is reserved for women. I guess the idea is that women are weak or something, and they need to stay as far away from the actual battlefield as they can. Well, Tauriel (Evangeline Lilly) is not only lethal with a bow, but she’s just as deadly with a pair of blades. Being an elf gives her a bit of an unfair advantage given the species’ innate grace, speed, and agility. Unlike other elves though, Tauriel is a vindictive huntress who chases her prey to the ends of the Earth. Just because you made it off the field of battle alive doesn’t mean your safe with her lurking in the shadows. Tauriel is coming for you and there’s basically nothing you can do to stop her. This has earned her a bit of a lone wolf reputation, but after watching the character in the Hobbit trilogy I have to say that she probably does her best work when she doesn’t have to worry about others keeping up.   

3. Robin Hood- So Many Movies…

This whole list spun out of my recent search for the best big-screen Robin Hoods of all time. Now, I’m well aware of the legacy that Robin holds as one of the best fictional archers of all time, and there have been a few versions of the roguish bowman that were pretty impressive. However, when it comes to the movies, he’s not quite the number one archer of all time. Still, he’s an iconic one for a reason. Robin has the kind of swashbuckling charm that lets him merrily laugh as he robs the rich blind before distributing wealth to the poor. The strange thing is that while we all know that Robin was the hero, these days he’d probably be shunned for being a “socialist.” Luckily, Robin’s never been the kind of guy to listen to trash talk from the wealthy. Instead, he always let his arrows do the talking for him, and that’s why the Sheriff and Prince John were so scared of him.

2. Clint Barton AKA Hawkeye- The MCU

Here’s the thing, while Robin Hood might be the O.G. of movie archers, he only had to worry about facing off against mere men. Hawkeye, though, is a member of the Avengers, a team that consists of heroes like Captain America, Thor, and Iron Man. Compared to them, a guy with a bow and arrow might seem kind of pointless. However, Clint Barton (Jeremy Renner) has always proven himself to be an asset to the team. Over the course of the Avenger films, he’s pulled off impossible shots and thrown incredibly powerful villains, like Loki, for a loop with some of the tricks he has up his sleeve. Even when he finds himself hopelessly outmatched and outclassed, Clint Barton finds a way to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Why else do you think Captain America called dibs on him during Civil War? Besides, he’s one of the few founding members of the Avengers who’s still in one piece. When it absolutely, positively has to hit its mark, Hawkeye is the guy for you.  

1. Legolas- The Lord of the Rings Trilogy

As good as Robin Hood and Clint Barton are, they’re only human. In that regard, Legolas (Orlando Bloom) has a bit of an advantage, but that doesn’t make him any less deserving of the top spot among movie archers. Why Legolas? He’s got them elf-eyes, son! Unfortunately, those have been proven to be less than scientifically accurate. Still, Legolas has proven himself time and time again to be unparalleled when it comes to archery. No matter how big or how fearsome the foes he faced might have been, Legolas was all too happy to put an arrow between their eyes. He’s been through numerous battles and racked up some pretty impressive kill counts along the way (he just kept counting, like some sort of psychopath…). Hell, even the dwarf Gimli admitted that he was pretty decent with a bow (dwarves never have anything nice to say about elves). When all is said and done, Legolas is just as good as any of the archers on this list and twice as pretty, earning him the top spot.

Honorable Mention: Yondu- The MCU

Do you need a bow to be an archer or just an arrow? Because if you just need an arrow, Yondu probably deserved the number one spot. His weapon of choice is an arrow that he telepathically controls. With just a whistle of his lips, that thing will zip through the air, twisting and turning, until it hits every bad guy in the vicinity. Of course, a techno arrow like that probably goes against the bowman’s code or something. So, I’m perfectly happy giving the guy a shout-out, because I don’t know if any of the movie archers above could beat him in a fight… Well, maybe a fair fight, but Yondu has never been one to “fight fair.”  

Shout-Out: Topper Harley- Hot Shots! Part Deux

There are some pretty impressive movie archers in the list above, but none of them ever pulled off a shot quite like Topper Harley. In all fairness, Hot Shots! Part Deux is a parody mocking one of the archers who did earn a spot about (Rambo). Still, even a mockery of one of the best movie archers of all time is probably still a pretty good archer. So, why not give old Topper Harley a bit of recognition with a shout-out?

Those are my picks for the best movie archers of all time. I’d love to hear some of your favorites in the comments below as well as your thoughts on the bowmen who earned a spot above. I’ll be sure to update this list when new movie archers let loose their arrows across the silver screen. So, be sure to check back in the future to see how the rankings might change!