Red Heroine (1929)

Red Heroine was a smash hit on release and a prime example of the martial arts explosion of the late 20s (setting the template for later revivals), but with a crucial twist: in place of the typical, manly hero we have a swashbuckling woman. At first she’s a helpless abductee, then an unstoppable killing machine, fighting to stop a tyrannical warlord ravaging the countryside and enslaving numerous (very) scantily-clad young women.