Athletic honors are shared between Yeoh and Zhang Ziyi, who plays a rebellious young noblewoman with a fiery past.

NEWYORKER: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon actress Zhang Ziyi ranked No. 2 in the overall list, and international film star Gong Li was No. 5.

FORBES: Yao's The Man

Granted, the tale of the aristocratic Jen (played by Zhang Ziyi), her tangles with martial-arts masters Li Mubai (Chow Yun Fat) and Yu Shulien (Michelle Yeoh, fresh from her recent successful turn as a Bond girl), and her torrid romance with rough-hewn Lo (Chang Chen) is not that gripping.

CNN: From Our Correspondent: Movie with a Message

But then the teen-age Chiyo (Ziyi Zhang) is rescued by a good fairy, Mameha (Michelle Yeoh), a retired geisha who treats her kindly and teaches her the intricacies of her craft.

NEWYORKER: Memoirs of a Geisha