The ancient Greeks gave us theatre, Shakespeare took it to new heights, but the medium of film as visual storytelling with popular appeal is all American. For over 100 years Hollywood has dominated the genre, for good or bad.

And while the movers and shakers of The Industry — from the money guys to the performers — have spent the last decade or so mired in far-left, woke projects with a decidedly anti-American narrative, there is a deep library of films that showcase American grit, principles and ideals. Films that are worth the time you’ve spent watching them.

There’s so many, in fact, that narrowing it down to a top 5 or top 10 can be a struggle. However, in true American fashion, I will brave the slings and arrows of critics to put my personal faves up for your consideration. Please feel free to give your own list in the comments.

In honor of America’s 250th birthday, here are 10 Patriotic Films you should watch.

#10 Yankee Doodle Dandy

I love classic Hollywood movies and what better way to enjoy July 4th than this rousing 1942 film staring James Cagney about the legendary George M. Cohan.

#9 Sergeant York

Another 1940s film, this one with Gary Cooper portraying Alvin Cullum York — from pacifist to Medal of Honor Winner in WWI.

#8 Independence Day

Ok, not a great film … but a super-fun popcorn flick that you can get caught up in enough to suspend disbelief about the plot holes and enjoy the over-the-top spectacle. Quilty pleasure.

#7 Miracle

What’s a sports movie doing on this list? Well, this movie about the Cinderella American Hockey team that went to the 1980 Winter Olympics and triumphed over the Soviet Union is yet another film of inspiring grit and determination and “Don’t tell me the odds”, coupled with Kurt Russell’s masterful turn as Coach Brooks, that had/has audiences cheering.

#6 Patton

George C. Scott dominates the screen in this bio-pic of General George S. Patton. The opening speech alone is worth the price of admission and has one of the most quotable of movie lines …

#5 1776

What’s to say? This 1972 movie musical is a delight on many levels. The musical genre is a purely American invention and is one of my favorite forms.

#4 Saving Private Ryan

I grew up watching many of the old classic WWII movies (Audey Murphy’s “To Hell and Back”, “The Longest Day”, etc) and this film is both compelling and is the first Hollywood film that was unflinching in depicting the bleak horribleness of the battlefield.

#3 Casablanca

You may be thinking, “Hey, it doesn’t even take place in America.” No, but this 1942 film goes straight to the heart of the redemption narrative so prevalent in patriotic films. Cynical, bitter Ric still has that touch of caring. As Captain Renault remarks after Ric helps a young Bulgarian couple to escape “You’re a rank sentimentalist.”

#2 Top Gun: Maverick

As much as I love the original 80’s Top Gun, this is another case of where the sequel out performs the original. Heart-pumping drama that holds up regardless of how many times you see it.

#1 Apollo 13

I don’t care how many times I see this movie — and I was a sophomore in high school during the actual event and followed it real-time — it grips me in suspense and anxiety every time. The space program itself was about pure American grit and the real seat-of-pants ingenuity and never-give-up scrambling to deal with an unprecedented emergency of how to bring back the stranded astronauts alive is stuff fiction couldn’t have written any better.

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I love each of these films and so many more. And I look forward to seeing new films that entertain us as well as inspire us. This trailer certainly has piqued my interest and I’ve put it on my “need to see” list.

Have a wonderful 4th!

featured image, cropped, Adobe Stock standard license