Movie

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)

Another iconic franchise with a patchy record for female villains. There are very few women at all in the series, let alone baddies. The timeless classic Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) features a feisty companion in Marion Ravenwood. Despite many damsel in distress moments, she also proves capable and resourceful. The prequel Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984) has the much more annoying Willie Scott, a lukewarm romantic interest who screams whenever the situation calls for it. In fairness, that happens a lot.

For the third film, we got a Raiders redux of sorts. Indy battles Nazis in the late 1930s and chases around the globe after another legendary religious treasure. This time out, it’s the ultimate prize: the Holy Grail. The gift of eternal life is handy when almost everyone wants to kill the hero, whether they be German troops, a religious sect, or double-crossing backstabbers. Locations include Utah for the teen Indy prologue, the scenic city of Venice (and not so scenic catacombs), an Austrian castle, Berlin, and Hatay.

Such an epic quest deserves a companion, and since the female is a villain, Indy works with his father, Henry (Sean Connery). Their relationship, which starts frosty but develops into mutual respect, is a highlight.

Villainess

Elsa Schneider (Alison Doody)

After the exciting prologue, the main plot kicks in with the hero tracking his father, who disappeared while in Venice. For the opening third, Elsa is Indy’s companion as they search the catacombs for the tomb of a Crusader knight. The “helpful” woman is thankfully less wimpish than Willie. There’s also some expected romantic tension and an exciting boat chase along the city’s famous canals.

It’s only after Indy finds his father in Austria that Elsa reveals she’s in league with the Nazis. Her villainous turn is surprising, given it’s rare for the lead female in a 1980s movie to be bad. While there’s clearly a traitor involved, we’d already been introduced to a man called Donovan. Being played by Julian Glover, it’s no surprise he ends up being a villain. The twist is that there are two traitors for the Joneses to contend with.

Indy has his father for backup, though he’s lacking in encouragement and proves a hindrance on more than one occasion. Returning from Raiders are Marcus Brody (even less helpful) and Sallah for comic relief. The heroic quartet has many perilous encounters, and the action sequences are well done.

Elsa seems to work with the Nazis out of personal greed, but shows distaste for their more barbaric methods, especially book burning in Berlin. Despite some reluctance, Elsa shows no remorse, and anyone fearing she might turn good should perish the thought. This villain is a woman of intelligence rather than action, which she leaves to the guys, but while Elsa is Donovan’s lackey for much of the film, she’s a lot more evil in the finale.

After Indy guides the villains through booby traps to save his wounded father, they find a twelfth-century knight guarding the grail. Or rather, grails, since there are many fake ones on display. Elsa offers to help Donovan choose, but his trust is misplaced since he drinks from a false chalice and disintegrates. The villainess’ screams won’t generate much pity. She knows her history, and this was likely an intentional double-cross to keep the prize for herself.

Elsa’s greed gets the better of her, and she ignores the knight’s warning not to remove the cup from the temple. As the structure collapses, Elsa falls into a chasm. Rather than take Indy’s generous outstretched hand, the villainess opts to reclaim the grail and plummets to her doom. A nice parallel follows with Indy in the same position. Fortunately, he listens to his father and chooses life over glory.

Honourable Mention: Indiana Jones

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) – Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett)

The divisive fourth instalment gives us a female main antagonist for the first time… and the longest movie title on my ranking list. Cate Blanchett is back on mature villainess duty as evil Soviet psychic Irina Spalko, leading KGB agents on a mission to find the lost city of El Dorado. That’s the place in South America with streets and buildings built from solid gold, for anyone not versed in treasure hunter myths.

The film is a mixed bag with inventive sequences and… some not so good parts. The opening shootout in Area 51 gets things off to a thrilling start, with a battle in the secret warehouse where the ark from Raiders is stored. Marion Ravenwood makes a welcome return, and the Peruvian jungle section is decent. Then Indy escapes a nuclear blast by sealing himself in a fridge (yes, that infamous sequence). And there are alien beings with magnetic crystal skeletons (!) that somehow defy the laws of physics.

Spalko is an expert sword fighter, so naturally fights Indy’s son, who’s also had fencing lessons. Blanchett’s role is surprisingly physical – with a fantastic jungle jeep chase – but she’s absent for much of the movie and doesn’t generate the expected menace. When she tries to mind control Indy, he resists her easily, and the titular crystal skull is more threatening than the villainess.

In the end, Spalko stands in the lost city demanding knowledge and gets sucked through a dimensional portal. If this sounds vague, it’s because the last twenty minutes are utter gibberish plotwise. Repeat viewings don’t improve the weak conclusion.

Spalko is an intriguing foe, but had the potential to be so much more. And since Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) only gave us a misguided female CIA agent, Elsa remains the top female villain.