# The 18 Best Patriotic American Movies of All Time

> 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!

*By YPB Team · Published July 4, 2026 · https://youpick.best/ranking/the-18-best-patriotic-american-movies-of-all-time*

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## Current results (3 votes)

1. **Saving Private Ryan** — 33.33% (1 votes · score 1000/1000)
   Steven Spielberg's harrowing 1998 WWII epic about a squad sent to bring one soldier home after D-Day.
2. **Glory** — 33.33% (1 votes · score 927/1000)
   The Oscar-winning 1989 Civil War drama about the 54th Massachusetts, one of the first all-Black Union regiments.
3. **Apollo 13** — 33.33% (1 votes · score 706/1000)
   Ron Howard's 1995 true story of NASA's imperiled moon mission and the ingenuity that brought the crew home.
4. **Lincoln** — 0% (0 votes · score 680/1000)
   Steven Spielberg's 2012 drama with Daniel Day-Lewis as the president fighting to pass the 13th Amendment.
5. **Top Gun** — 0% (0 votes · score 529/1000)
   The 1986 blockbuster with Tom Cruise as a hotshot Navy fighter pilot at an elite flight school.
6. **Miracle** — 0% (0 votes · score 529/1000)
   The 2004 sports drama retelling the U.S. hockey team's 'Miracle on Ice' upset of the Soviets at the 1980 Olympics.
7. **1776** — 0% (0 votes · score 529/1000)
   The 1972 musical dramatizing the Continental Congress and the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
8. **Born on the Fourth of July** — 0% (0 votes · score 529/1000)
   Oliver Stone's 1989 drama with Tom Cruise as a paralyzed Vietnam veteran turned anti-war activist.
9. **Independence Day** — 0% (0 votes · score 433/1000)
   The 1996 alien-invasion blockbuster climaxing in a July 4th fightback led by a rousing presidential speech.
10. **Rocky IV** — 0% (0 votes · score 433/1000)
   The 1985 boxing sequel pitting Rocky Balboa against a Soviet giant in a Cold War showdown.
11. **The Patriot** — 0% (0 votes · score 433/1000)
   A 2000 Revolutionary War drama with Mel Gibson as a reluctant farmer turned militia leader against the British.
12. **Mr. Smith Goes to Washington** — 0% (0 votes · score 433/1000)
   Frank Capra's 1939 classic about an idealistic senator filibustering against corruption in Congress.
13. **Captain America: The First Avenger** — 0% (0 votes · score 433/1000)
   The 2011 Marvel origin story of a scrawny patriot transformed into a WWII super-soldier.
14. **Sergeant York** — 0% (0 votes · score 317/1000)
   The 1941 biopic of Alvin York, a pacifist who became one of WWI's most decorated American heroes.
15. **American Sniper** — 0% (0 votes · score 317/1000)
   Clint Eastwood's 2014 biopic of Navy SEAL sharpshooter Chris Kyle and his tours in Iraq.
16. **Patton** — 0% (0 votes · score 176/1000)
   The 1970 Best Picture biopic of the larger-than-life WWII general, opening with its iconic flag speech.
17. **Air Force One** — 0% (0 votes · score 176/1000)
   The 1997 thriller with Harrison Ford as a U.S. president who fights back when terrorists hijack his plane.
18. **Forrest Gump** — 0% (0 votes · score 176/1000)
   The 1994 Best Picture winner following an earnest everyman through decades of American history.

Tags: movies, usa, war, classics, patriotic