An audience appreciates a hero with a charismatic or diplomatic way of solving problems, but sometimes it's just really satisfying to watch a determined, motivated, and well-equipped hero lay waste without regret or hesitation. Especially if that hero has an arc that includes slaying a bunch of overpowered bad guys and striking a blow for the downtrodden.
Heroes that show no hesitation when it comes to killing their enemies come from various backgrounds and have different motivations for their actions. Sometimes it's their job, other times they seek revenge, and once in a while, it's just about survival.
8 Ripley – The Alien Franchise
Right from the start, Ripley seemed to be the one character that had seen a horror movie before, and it was obvious that she would be the last girl standing. It's also cool that she has a whole arsenal of modern weapons at her disposal, part of which are crafted through her own badass ingenuity.
Other characters in this franchise have tried to find excuses or reasons to let the Aliens live, for either commercial or scientific purposes. For Ripley, however, no argument could dissuade her from burning, shooting, or sucking every one of her enemies into the vacuum of space, in this case.
7 The Stranger – High Plains Drifter
The nameless protagonist of this old-school Western is the perfect example of an anti-hero. He's just a flat-out terrible person, but he kills even more terrible people with grim, quick precision and he doesn't stop to think about it.
To be fair, this character might not be a person at all. There are a lot of references in the movie to the afterlife and supernatural, and our nameless protagonist could very well be a supernatural being, one that rides a pale horse.
6 George S. Patton – Patton
Patton is an epic biographical war film, the type of movie that nobody makes anymore. Here's a unique instance where the character from a movie is based on a real person. General Patton was one of the Allied leaders during World War 2, and his outspoken and determined style not only whipped his troops into shape but drove the Nazis back, turning the tide of the war.
It's a good thing this guy was fighting on our side and the enemies he did not hesitate to kill were Nazis. Patton was a controversial figure, and it's clear not everyone liked him, but that's how a real hero differs from a fictional one.
5 Bryan Mills – The Taken Franchise
Well, he warned them. The story focuses on the trope of a retired CIA and Green Beret badass who's trying to lead a normal life and re-connect with his family members but is compelled to return to the field of duty when said family members get kidnapped by human traffickers.
Liam Neeson can move between earnest, gritty, and deadly as the protagonist Bryan Mills. It works well to make us root for a deadly hero who mows down everyone in his path without a moment's hesitation.
4 John Wick – The John Wick Franchise
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John Wick is infamous for his impressive body count, but it's important to note that this kind of raw determination is only reserved for his selected enemies. An example is Cassian, who Wick defeats in the second movie but spares because he's not the antagonist, nor is he working for them. It appears he also has a similar past with the Bowery King.
For those who cross him, however, death comes swiftly, and with a creative array of weapons. There was a breathless exception when he waited an extra second to kill the main antagonist in the first movie, but that had to happen to keep the plot going.
3 Paul Kersey – Death Wish (1974)
There have been a few retellings of this story, but Death Wish is notorious for its brutality. The more recent version starring Bruce Willis stayed faithful to the character, a mild-mannered, suburban gent who's driven to a ruthless killing spree, but it was polished to be more of an action film.
Both movies give the hero a background that's based on medicine and peace, with the early character being a former army medic and the more recent version being a trauma surgeon. The earlier movie is more brutal in every way, including how the hero lays waste to his enemies along with a few other people that are allied with them.
2 Dutch – Predator
The franchise includes a whole volume of movies, but Dutch only appears in one of them, and the movie sets him up immediately as a ruthless professional killer. Al Dillon knew that Dutch would mow down a whole camp full of suspected terrorists and spies before asking any questions.
Setting Dutch up as a person who kills his enemies without question makes him that much more interesting for the Predator to hunt. It's an interesting twist that brains, not brawn, are the key to defeating the Predator in the end.
1 Sarah Conner – Terminator 2: Judgement Day
The evolution of Sarah Conner from a mild-mannered waitress into a ruthless killing machine could be one of movie history's best character arcs. It's likely some post-traumatic stress that drives her to be so laser-focused on killing Terminators.
She's not so dedicated when it comes to killing her fellow humans, but those aren't her enemies. There are several times in the movie when she tries to kill the good Terminator, only to be stopped by John. In later movies in which she appears, she's a veritable Terminator killing machine.