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The 18 Best Patriotic American Movies of All Time

By YPB Team

From flag-waving war epics to underdog sports miracles and sharp-witted political dramas, this lineup spans the whole spectrum of American big-screen pride. Cast your vote!

  1. Saving Private Ryan — ranked #11
    Saving Private Ryan
    Steven Spielberg's harrowing 1998 WWII epic about a squad sent to bring one soldier home after D-Day.
    1000pts
  2. Glory — ranked #22
    Glory
    The Oscar-winning 1989 Civil War drama about the 54th Massachusetts, one of the first all-Black Union regiments.
    927pts
  3. Apollo 13 — ranked #33
    Apollo 13
    Ron Howard's 1995 true story of NASA's imperiled moon mission and the ingenuity that brought the crew home.
    706pts
  4. Lincoln — ranked #44
    Lincoln
    Steven Spielberg's 2012 drama with Daniel Day-Lewis as the president fighting to pass the 13th Amendment.
    680pts
  5. Top Gun — ranked #55
    Top Gun
    The 1986 blockbuster with Tom Cruise as a hotshot Navy fighter pilot at an elite flight school.
    529pts
  6. Miracle — ranked #66
    Miracle
    The 2004 sports drama retelling the U.S. hockey team's 'Miracle on Ice' upset of the Soviets at the 1980 Olympics.
    529pts
  7. 1776 — ranked #77
    1776
    The 1972 musical dramatizing the Continental Congress and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
    529pts
  8. Born on the Fourth of July — ranked #88
    Born on the Fourth of July
    Oliver Stone's 1989 drama with Tom Cruise as a paralyzed Vietnam veteran turned anti-war activist.
    529pts
  9. Independence Day — ranked #99
    Independence Day
    The 1996 alien-invasion blockbuster climaxing in a July 4th fightback led by a rousing presidential speech.
    433pts
  10. Rocky IV — ranked #1010
    Rocky IV
    The 1985 boxing sequel pitting Rocky Balboa against a Soviet giant in a Cold War showdown.
    433pts
  11. The Patriot — ranked #1111
    The Patriot
    A 2000 Revolutionary War drama with Mel Gibson as a reluctant farmer turned militia leader against the British.
    433pts
  12. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington — ranked #1212
    Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
    Frank Capra's 1939 classic about an idealistic senator filibustering against corruption in Congress.
    433pts
  13. Captain America: The First Avenger — ranked #1313
    Captain America: The First Avenger
    The 2011 Marvel origin story of a scrawny patriot transformed into a WWII super-soldier.
    433pts
  14. Sergeant York — ranked #1414
    Sergeant York
    The 1941 biopic of Alvin York, a pacifist who became one of WWI's most decorated American heroes.
    317pts
  15. American Sniper — ranked #1515
    American Sniper
    Clint Eastwood's 2014 biopic of Navy SEAL sharpshooter Chris Kyle and his tours in Iraq.
    317pts
  16. Patton — ranked #1616
    Patton
    The 1970 Best Picture biopic of the larger-than-life WWII general, opening with its iconic flag speech.
    0pts
  17. Air Force One — ranked #1717
    Air Force One
    The 1997 thriller with Harrison Ford as a U.S. president who fights back when terrorists hijack his plane.
    0pts
  18. Forrest Gump — ranked #1818
    Forrest Gump
    The 1994 Best Picture winner following an earnest everyman through decades of American history.
    0pts
movies679USA335war4classics496patriotic2

Comments 1

Here Apollo stops being a space programme and becomes a Tom Hanks film: https://youpick.best/articles/apollo-program-ranked-many-ways

YP
ypb-teamAug 25
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