The Top 15 Most Patriotic Movies, Ranked by Our Team

Our team argues about this list every year, usually in late June when the Fourth of July is close enough to plan for. The rule we settled on: a movie makes the cut if you walk out of it wanting to raise a flag. That rules out some great war films that leave you somber, and it lets in a couple of comedies. Here are the 15 most patriotic movies on our list, counted down. We added the year and director for each so you can find them.

TL;DR: Our top five most patriotic movies are Saving Private Ryan (1998), Glory (1989), Apollo 13 (1995), Patton (1970) and Top Gun (1986). The rest of the list runs from Frank Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939) to Midway (2019). Honorable mentions at the bottom.

Most Patriotic Movies: 15 to 11

15. The Right Stuff (1983)

Philip Kaufman's film follows the Mercury Seven astronauts and the test pilots who came before them, adapted from Tom Wolfe's book. We put it on the list for the launch scenes and for Sam Shepard as Chuck Yeager, who barely says a word and steals the movie.

14. Stripes (1981)

Yes, a comedy. Ivan Reitman directed Bill Murray and Harold Ramis as two drifters who join the Army on a whim. We keep it here because the movie ends up with a soft spot for the soldiers it mocks.

13. Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)

Joe Johnston's World War II origin story stars Chris Evans as Steve Rogers, the skinny kid from Brooklyn who keeps getting rejected by recruiters. We like that the patriotism comes from his character first. The shield comes later, and it matters less.

12. Air Force One (1997)

Wolfgang Petersen directed Harrison Ford as a president who fights back when terrorists seize his plane. It is pure popcorn, and we have never met anyone who did not quote "Get off my plane" afterward.

11. Lincoln (2012)

Steven Spielberg's film covers the last months of Lincoln's life and the fight to pass the Thirteenth Amendment in the House. Daniel Day-Lewis won the Academy Award for Best Actor. We think it is the best movie ever made about how hard democracy is.

10 to 6

10. Gettysburg (1993)

Ronald F. Maxwell adapted Michael Shaara's novel The Killer Angels into a long, careful account of the battle. Jeff Daniels plays Joshua Chamberlain, and his defense of Little Round Top is the part we rewind.

9. Midway (2019)

Roland Emmerich tells the story of the 1942 Battle of Midway from the pilots and the code breakers on the American side. We include it for the dive bomber sequences, which put you in the cockpit.

8. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939)

Frank Capra sends James Stewart to the Senate as an idealist who stumbles into a corrupt machine and refuses to back down. The Lincoln Memorial scene still gets us.

Then comes the filibuster, and we are done for.

7. Independence Day (1996)

Roland Emmerich again, this time with aliens. Bill Pullman's president gives his speech to the pilots on the morning of July 4, and if you have seen it, you can probably recite part of it. We will not pretend this is a subtle movie.

That is the point.

6. Miracle (2004)

Gavin O'Connor directed Kurt Russell as coach Herb Brooks, who took a team of college players to the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. We know how it ends and we cheer anyway.

The Top 5 Most Patriotic Movies

5. Top Gun (1986)

Tony Scott directed Tom Cruise as a Navy pilot at the service's fighter weapons school. We know some people would swap in the 2022 sequel. We kept the original, and Top Gun: Maverick sits in our honorable mentions.

4. Patton (1970)

Franklin J. Schaffner's biography of Gen. George S. Patton opens with George C. Scott in full uniform delivering a speech in front of a giant American flag that fills the screen. It is the most famous flag shot in any movie. The film won Best Picture, and Scott won Best Actor and declined the award.

3. Apollo 13 (1995)

Ron Howard's film, adapted from astronaut Jim Lovell's book Lost Moon, follows the 1970 mission that turned into a fight to bring three astronauts home. Tom Hanks plays Lovell. We love that the heroes include the engineers on the ground, building a fix out of whatever was on the spacecraft.

2. Glory (1989)

Edward Zwick directed this account of the 54th Massachusetts, one of the first Black regiments in the Union Army, led by Col. Robert Gould Shaw. Denzel Washington won Best Supporting Actor. One real-life footnote we share with anyone who watches it: Sgt. William Carney of the 54th later received the Medal of Honor for keeping the regiment's flag aloft during the assault on Fort Wagner in 1863.

1. Saving Private Ryan (1998)

Steven Spielberg's film opens and closes with an American flag, translucent in the light, and everything in between earns that frame. The Omaha Beach landing in the first half hour changed how war movies are made. Tom Hanks leads a squad sent behind the lines to find one paratrooper whose brothers have been killed. We watch it on Memorial Day weekend. Not on the Fourth. It is too heavy for a cookout, and it deserves the quiet. Our team has argued about every other spot on this list over the years, but never this one. Some of us have family who served in Europe, and it is the movie that makes those stories feel close. It stays at the top.

Honorable Mentions

We could not fit everything. These came close: Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942), which won James Cagney the Best Actor Oscar for playing George M. Cohan; Sands of Iwo Jima (1949) with John Wayne; 1776 (1972), the musical about the Continental Congress; Flags of Our Fathers (2006), Clint Eastwood's film about the men in the Iwo Jima flag-raising photo; Hidden Figures (2016); and Top Gun: Maverick (2022).

Make It a Movie Night With a Flag Out Front

We would be bad flag sellers if we did not say it.

A movie night on the Fourth or on Veterans Day feels better with a flag flying out front. Every flag we sell is made in the USA. The Durable Patriot is 100% nylon with embroidered stars and sewn stripes, and the Everlast American Pride is 100% spun polyester for windy yards. See both in our American flags collection. Flying it on November 11? Our Veterans Day flag etiquette guide covers the rules, and our gift guide for veterans helps if you are buying one for someone who served.

Patriotic Movies: Questions

What is the most patriotic movie of all time?

On our list it is Saving Private Ryan (1998), Steven Spielberg's World War II film that opens and closes on an American flag. Other strong picks include Patton (1970), Glory (1989), and Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939). Every list is personal, and ours leans toward stories of service and sacrifice.

What are good patriotic movies for the Fourth of July?

For a family cookout we would pick Independence Day (1996), Miracle (2004), Apollo 13 (1995), or Top Gun (1986). They are upbeat and easy to watch with a crowd. Save Saving Private Ryan and Glory for a quieter night, such as Memorial Day weekend, when the mood fits the subject.

What patriotic movies are good for kids?

Miracle (2004) and Apollo 13 (1995) work for most older kids, and Hidden Figures (2016) is a favorite with families. Yankee Doodle Dandy (1942) is a fun introduction to old Hollywood musicals. Check the rating on each one first, since several films on our main list are rated R for war violence.

What movie starts with a giant American flag?

Patton (1970). George C. Scott, playing Gen. George S. Patton, delivers an opening speech to the audience while standing in front of an American flag that fills the entire screen. It is one of the most recognized openings in film, and Scott won Best Actor for the role.

What movies show the Iwo Jima flag raising?

Sands of Iwo Jima (1949), starring John Wayne, ends with the flag raising on Mount Suribachi. Flags of Our Fathers (2006), directed by Clint Eastwood, tells the story of the men in Joe Rosenthal's famous photograph and what happened to them after they came home.

Keep reading: American Flag Quotes: 15 Lines Checked Against the Source.