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Notes -
Take a list like this (or maybe one with a bit less recency bias).
Do you think those are intellectual action movies, so they don't count as brainless beat-em-up? Are they miscategorized in some way and don't actually have women leads? Do they have worse craft and quality? Are these too few counterexamples to count as "all", or else have they been been rejected (counter to my perceptions)?
As a sidenote, I've only heard of a few of JCVD's works, and none of them because of his name. Beloved action movies starring women popped into my head immediately. I'll be the first to admit I'm not a cinemaphile, but my experiences are completely opposite of the examples you've laid out in your comment.
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