BRAINS OR BRAWN? IN THE CINEMATIC BATTLE OF THE SEXES, WHICH WEAPON SHOULD WOMEN WIELD?

Byline: Glenn Whipp Staff Writer

In ``Enough,'' Hollywood's latest take on the female victim-hero thriller, Jennifer Lopez gets punched in the face and backed into a corner by her boogeyman husband. For Lopez, it's either kill or be killed.

And if you've seen the commercials with J-Lo grunting and sweating through some punishing martial arts training, you know the path she chooses.

The thing is, murdering your husband in movies used to be a lot more fun.

Consider Barbara Stanwyck in ``Double Indemnity.'' Stanwyck wants her spouse dead, too, but not because he's beaten her. She's simply bored. She doesn't do it for a man, even though a man (Fred MacMurra ruthless and nobody's fool. And even though Stanwyck plays the part without ever trying to win our sympathy, we want her to succeed. See, she's got us wrapped around her little finger, too.

Comparing Lopez and the great Stanwyck is kind of like choosing between rump roast and filet mignon, but the issue goes deeper than acting chops. The two performances illustrate the way movies these days equate a woman's strength with physical prowess in roles that tend to be reactive, when back in Stanwyck's day, a dame could get by on the strength of her intellect, wit and emotional maturity.

``It's great to see these actresses in top physical shape, but you want something upstairs, too, and I don't think we're getting that,'' says novelist and screenwriter Susan Isaacs, author of the book ``Brave Dames and Wimpettes: What Women Are Really Doing on the Page and Screen.''

``Parts for women used to be so much juicer and richer,'' Isaacs continues. ``You'd see women on the screen who had a real sense of themselves and their place in the world. They were doing something, even if that something wasn't what you'd call moral or right. These days, a 'strong' woman is someone who's reacting to something - an attacker who's threatening them or their children. That's fine, but it's so limiting.''

Revenge fantasies are nothing new, but this year has brought a spate of movies featuring women as victims who turn the tables on their aggressors. In ``Panic Room,'' Jodie Foster beat back a host of invaders in order to protect herself and her daughter in a movie that can easily be read as a revenge fantasy against the entire male race.

Ashley Judd played an attorney defending her unworthy husband (and suffering numerous tragedies in the process) in ``High Crimes.'' Sandra Bullock was a wounded detective who had to overcome the psychological anguish of physical abuse in her past in ``Murder by Numbers.''

Then, there's ``Enough,'' one of the worst-reviewed movies of the year. But Lopez says the critics are missing the point - the movie is really about female empowerment.

``It's like a female 'Rocky' in that it has the training and all that stuff and the entertainment value, but it also has a very clear message,'' Lopez says. ``Whatever situation a woman finds herself in, even as extreme and horrible as this, you have the power to make a difference for yourself and take back your life.''

That message isn't the problem says Kevin Hagopian, lecturer in media studies at Penn State's College of Communications. Rather, it's the simplistic way in which the solution is presented.

``The continued popularity of revenge fantasies among female audiences speaks to strong feelings of frustration and powerlessness with business, legal and social institutions that are still insensitive to women's needs,'' Hagopian says. ``However, by suggesting that a deadly shortcut is the only way to solve these needs, these films encourage all who watch them - men as well as women - to opt out of their responsibilities.''

Isaacs puts it in less academic terms: ``Movies like this have an ugly sexism to them that pits men against women in the most shallow and manipulative way possible. It's a mean-spirited way of looking at the world, not to mention a very a narrow and pathetic mentality.''

Even Irwin Winkler, the Hollywood veteran who produced ``Enough'' (and, not coincidentally, ``Rocky'') admits that ``it used to be, particularly in the film noir movies, that a woman could be tough and even bad. Today, it seems like a woman has to first be good and then become tough so she protects herself or her family.''

Sixty years ago, men and women did battle in the movies, but, more often than not, they matched wits, not weapons. And you didn't have to look hard to find smart female characters in a wide variety of incarnations - the strong and the scheming, the desperate and the do-gooders, there were plenty of great dames and great roles to go around.

Katharine Hepburn was glowing in her superiority, the very definition of intelligence, character and high-minded charm. Greta Garbo suffered for love; Joan Crawford just plain suffered no matter what the situation, taking on-screen agony to withering heights. Carole Lombard epitomized nervy wit; Rosalind Russell embodied the commanding career woman. And Stanwyck blended strength and sentiment in an assortment of roles that came to define a woman's place of independence in a man's world.

These days, though, a woman's independence in movies seems to be measured by her ability to marshal the martial arts. ``Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,'' ``Charlie's Angels'' and even the Oscar-winning ``Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'' have ridden the wave of you-go-girl physicality to box-office heights.

Cameron Diaz, who's about to begin filming a sequel to ``Charlie's Angels,'' believes that femme fighting is simply a sign of the times.

``The great thing about the Angels is that they aren't afraid to take a chunk out of life and chew it up and swallow it and take whatever flavor it is and just say, 'I like that,' '' Diaz says. ``That's the way I want to be, and most of the women I know are the same way. They don't want to hear about limitations; they just want to go for it.''

``Great Dames'' author Isaacs can appreciate that. She just wishes that movies could empower women and let them resemble human beings at the same time.

``It would be nice to see women given the power to do something besides beat the living daylights out of someone,'' Isaacs says. ``And it would be nice to see a woman be strong for a reason other than having to fight back and stop being a victim. I think women fighting for justice can be a profound subject to explore. I just wish the process didn't have to hurt so much for all parties concerned.''

Audiences included.

Tough enough

In classic Hollywood potboilers, there was nothing like a dame

Barbara Stanwyck, ``Double Indemnity,'' 1944. Strong femme fatale in a role that reinvents an already remarkable career.

Katharine Hepburn, ``The African Queen,'' 1951. Strong woman in peril, albeit one who has her tongue planted firmly in her cheek.

Carole Lombard, ``My Man Godfrey,'' 1936. Strong Cinderella, only Lombard's so good, she doesn't need a fairy godmother.

Bette Davis, ``All About Eve,'' 1950. Strong vanity, and we love her for it.

Rosalind Russell, ``His Girl Friday,'' 1940. Strong at the office and not too shabby when it comes to delivering rapid-fire dialogue either.

CAPTION(S):

8 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- cover -- color) women in reaction

The sophisticated femme fatale has given way to the fists-first avenging angel - but does simplicity equal sexism?

(2 -- 5) Modern females who take an active stance in films (clockwise from top left): Jennifer Lopez, who battles an abusive husband in ``Enough''; Sandra Bullock, a detective tracking a pair of serial killers in ``Murder by Numbers''; Sigourney Weaver, a hibernating space traveler battling a deadly creature in ``Alien''; and Zhang Ziyi, fighting for possession of a legendary sword in ``Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.''

(6) Cameron Diaz, from `Charlie's Angels'

(7 -- 8) Tough dames from Hollywood's golden era: Katharine Hepburn, near right, a contentious spinster in ``The African Queen''; Bette Davis, far right, a film legend struggling against an ingenue in ``All About Eve.''

Box:

Tough enough (see text)