I know this website has a worldwide audience, but here in the United States, it's coming up on the Fourth of July. It's Independence Day! So here's a list of ten films I think are the most pro-USA. They're not necessarily the most patriotic or the best, but I think they are entertaining and do a great job of taking the USA and shoving it down your throat, in a good way of course.
Captain America: The First Avenger
It's World War II and the United States is losing the war thanks to the Red Skull and Hydra. Hail Hydra! So what does the USA do? Science! Their plan is to create an army of super soldiers, which is not unlike the idea of someone on the other side of the pond. But the Americans only managed to get one super soldier, and one was all they needed. The film is rife with USA propaganda. Captain America starts off as a poster boy selling wartime bonds. He eventually becomes an inspirational leader and a masterful tactician and it turns the tide enough for the USA to win the war while he takes a snooze in the Arctic.
Team America: World Police
"America! F#$k Yeah!" The creators of South Park set out to make a film that lampoons big budget action movies with marionettes. That's right, marionettes. Maybe it's not the most pro-USA movie since it depicts the team which polices the world as largely inept at their job, but the satirical take on North Korean leader Kim Jong-Il is too funny not to include on this list.
Saving Private Ryan
Bet you never thought you'd see Team America and Saving Private Ryan on the same list. The film details a small group of Army Rangers searching for a paratrooper who is the last surviving brother in his family. And it also has one of the most thrilling openings in movie history with the landing on the beaches of Normandy. It's brutal, it's gut wrenching, and it's probably one of the only war movies I will ever watch. These fellas just want to get home.
Air Force One
Russians have hijacked the President's plane, and only he can stop them. It's Die Hard on a plane! With the POTUS! While the film pretty much displays how bad American security can be, seriously, Air Force One gets hijacked because of a dirty Secret Service agent. It also shows how badass Harrison Ford was back in the day. And Gary Oldman as your bad guy is always a good omen. Plus it gave us this wonderful one-liner.
Apollo 13
"Houston, we have a problem." It's the real life story of how a mission to land on the moon went wrong and turned into a mission to get those astronauts home safely. It's an example of how in the face of despair, good old American ingenuity can get you through practically anything.
Stripes
When two slackers join the army, hilarity ensues. Yes, Bill Murray & Harold Ramis are misfits. Yes, their graduation drill display is unconventional. Yes, they were the reason their friends were captured by the Russians. But they managed to rescue everyone, become American heroes in the process, and have fun at the same time.
The Patriot
Before Roland Emmerich went disaster film crazy and Mel Gibson went nuts, they collaborated on this little movie about the American Revolutionary War. The movie isn't exactly historically accurate but it depicts Gibson as a family man who does all that he can to protect his family. And only Gibson can motivate an army by running through a battle waving the American flag. And here's a bit of trivia. While most people assume Mel Gibson is Australian, he was actually born in Peekskill, NY.
Top Gun
Fighter jets, aviator glasses, the need for speed... Save for an extremely questionable beach volleyball match, Top Gun was one of the manliest movies of the 80's. With the Cold War in full effect, any movie showing combat with (implied) Russians was a winner and Tom Cruise was a poster child for flying fast and shooting hard.
Independence Day
It's the world versus aliens, from a largely American standpoint. Hell, they were the ones who discovered how to bring down those giant ships. And Bill Pullman as the President flight-suiting up showed how we're so willing to take up arms to fight. But his speech motivating everybody the night before the big fight shows those aliens you should never attack so close to Independence Day. But considering there's going to be a sequel, those stupid aliens probably didn't learn.
Rocky IV
On a one man mission to avenge Apollo Creed's death at the hands of Ivan Drago, Rocky goes to Russia to train and fight, complete with Creed's USA boxing shorts. While Rocky trains the old fashioned way, Drago gets a lot of help from science. But science isn't enough to stop Rocky, because he's like "iron." Hell, he even wins over the hostile Russian crowd when they start chanting USA. You'd think after watching this movie that Sylvester Stallone was single-handedly responsible for ending the Cold War.
Honorable Mention: This Guy From Bloodsport
What are your favorite movies that are pro-USA? Let me know! And have a happy Fourth of July!
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