From revolutionaries battling Red Coats to super soldiers punching Nazis, nothing sets the mood for Independence Day quite like good old fashioned movies about American history and heroes. As we approach the 250th anniversary of America’s founding, I’m counting down ten of the best American-themed movies, in all their red, white, and blue glory.
10. Air Force One (1997)
Harrison Ford ends his 20-year action star run with a bang, starring as an American president trapped 30,000 feet in the air by Russian rebels. But don’t worry: Ford’s prez is a Vietnam vet who doesn’t negotiate with terrorists, so he soon begins taking them out one by one. It’s essentially Die Hard, but John McClane is the president on a plane, and Sirius Black replaces Severus Snape as the villain. Or something like that.
It may not have broken any new genre ground upon release, but it hits the requisite adrenaline beats. And seriously, is there anything in cinema more American than a president personally shooting it out with the Russians?
9. Live Free or Die Hard (2007)
Speaking of Die Hard, Bruce Willis returns as tough-as-nails cop John McClane in one of the few legacy sequels that justifies its existence. It’s a new century, and with assistance from Justin Long’s computer nerd character, McClane must contend with domestic tech terrorists attempting to plunge America into a new Dark Age over the 4th of July weekend.
It’s not your dad’s (or I guess at this point, your grandpa’s) Die Hard, but it’s a solid action flick that has no business being as good as it is.
8. The Undefeated (1969)
In this criminally underrated late-stage John Wayne western, the Duke stars as an ex-Union colonel leading….
Cole Powell is an arts and media commentator and award-winning singer/songwriter from Jayess, Mississippi, USA, with degrees in computer technology, liberal arts, and theology. Host Random Reactions, Words Like That, and Film Nerd by Night. https://colepowell.net