Bruce Willis in ‘Live Free or Die Hard’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
It’s the 4th of July!
Once you are done with your barbecue and fireworks, there is no better way to celebrate than by relaxing and watching a movie with your friends and family.
Moviefone has compiled a list of the best films to watch on the 4th of July which includes movies that take place on or around Independence Day, or just celebrate the United States growth and history as a country.
Let’s begin!
Tom Cruise in ‘Days of Thunder’. Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Talented but unproven stock car driver Cole Trickle (Tom Cruise) gets a break and with the guidance of veteran Harry Hogge (Robert Duvall) turns heads on the track. The young hotshot develops a rivalry with a fellow racer (Michael Rooker) that threatens his career when the two smash their cars. But with the help of his doctor (Nicole Kidman), Cole just might overcome his injuries– and his fear.
“You can’t outrun the thunder.”
64
1 hr 47 minJun 27th, 1990
When CIA Analyst Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) interferes with an IRA assassination, a renegade faction targets Jack and his family as revenge.
“Not for honor. Not for country. For his wife and child.”
67
1 hr 57 minJun 4th, 1992
The true story of technical troubles that scuttle the Apollo 13 lunar mission in 1970, risking the lives of astronaut Jim Lovell (Tom Hanks) and his crew, with the failed journey turning into a thrilling saga of heroism. Drifting more than 200,000 miles from Earth, the astronauts work furiously with the ground crew to avert tragedy.
“”Houston, we have a problem.””
74
2 hr 20 minJun 30th, 1995
Widowed U.S. president Andrew Shepherd (Michael Douglas), one of the world’s most powerful men, can have anything he wants — and what he covets most is Sydney Ellen Wade (Annette Bening), a Washington lobbyist. But Shepherd’s attempts at courting her spark wild rumors and decimate his approval ratings.
“Why can’t the most powerful man in the world have the one thing he wants most?”
65
1 hr 53 minNov 17th, 1995
The extraordinary tale of Harriet Tubman’s (Cynthia Erivo) escape from slavery and transformation into one of America’s greatest heroes. Her courage, ingenuity and tenacity freed hundreds of slaves and changed the course of history.
“Be free or die”
73
2 hr 5 minNov 1st, 2019
Kirsten Dunst in ‘Civil War.’ Photo: A24.
In the near future, a group of war journalists attempt to survive while reporting the truth as the United States stands on the brink of civil war.
“Welcome to the frontline.”
69
1 hr 49 minApr 26th, 2024
Wounded Civil War soldier, John Dunbar (Kevin Costner) tries to commit suicide—and becomes a hero instead. As a reward, he’s assigned to his dream post, a remote junction on the Western frontier, and soon makes unlikely friends with the local Sioux tribe.
“Inside everyone is a frontier waiting to be discovered.”
78
3 hr 1 minNov 21st, 1990
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13. ‘Glory’ (1989)
Robert Gould Shaw (Matthew Broaderick) leads the US Civil War’s first all-black volunteer company, fighting prejudices of both his own Union army and the Confederates.
As America’s stock of athletic young men is depleted during World War II, a professional all-female baseball league springs up in the Midwest, funded by publicity-hungry candy maker Walter Harvey (Garry Marshall). Competitive sisters Dottie Hinson (Genna Davis) and Kit Keller (Lori Petty) spar with each other, scout Ernie Capadino (Jon Lovitz) and grumpy has-been coach Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks) on their way to fame.
“Once in a lifetime you get a chance to do something different.”
72
2 hr 8 minJul 1st, 1992
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The revealing story of the 16th US President’s tumultuous final months in office. In a nation divided by war and the strong winds of change, Lincoln (Daniel Day-Lewis) pursues a course of action designed to end the war, unite the country and abolish slavery. With the moral courage and fierce determination to succeed, his choices during this critical moment will change the fate of generations to come.
69
2 hr 29 minNov 16th, 2012
Captain America/Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) in Marvel Studios’ ‘Captain America: Brave New World’. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. © 2024 Marvel.
After meeting with newly elected U.S. President Thaddeus Ross (Harrison Ford), Sam (Anthony Mackie) finds himself in the middle of an international incident. He must discover the reason behind a nefarious global plot before the true mastermind has the entire world seeing red.
The biography of Ron Kovic (Tom Cruise). Paralyzed in the Vietnam war, he becomes an anti-war and pro-human rights political activist after feeling betrayed by the country he fought for.
“A true story of innocence lost and courage found.”
70
2 hr 25 minDec 20th, 1989
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A man with a low IQ (Tom Hanks) has accomplished great things in his life and been present during significant historic events—in each case, far exceeding what anyone imagined he could do. But despite all he has achieved, his one true love (Robin Wright) eludes him.
“The world will never be the same once you’ve seen it through the eyes of Forrest Gump.”
85
2 hr 22 minJul 6th, 1994
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Presenting the tale of American founding father Alexander Hamilton (Lin-Manuel Miranda), this filmed version of the original Broadway smash hit is the story of America then, told by America now.
“A story in American history.”
81
2 hr 40 minJul 3rd, 2020
6. ‘Jaws’ (1975)
When an insatiable great white shark terrorizes the townspeople of Amity Island, the police chief (Roy Scheider), an oceanographer (Richard Dreyfuss) and a grizzled shark hunter (Robert Shaw) seek to destroy the blood-thirsty beast.
Bruce Willis in ‘Live Free or Die Hard’. Photo: 20th Century Fox.
John McClane (Bruce Willis) is back and badder than ever, and this time he’s working for Homeland Security. He calls on the services of a young hacker in his bid to stop a ring of Internet terrorists intent on taking control of America’s computer infrastructure.
“The choice will be clear.”
66
2 hr 8 minJun 27th, 2007
Modern treasure hunters, led by archaeologist Ben Gates (Nicolas Cage), search for a chest of riches rumored to have been stashed away by George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin during the Revolutionary War. The chest’s whereabouts may lie in secret clues embedded in the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, and Gates is in a race to find the gold before his enemies do.
“In order to break the code, one man will have to break all the rules.”
66
2 hr 11 minNov 19th, 2004
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After more than thirty years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators, Pete “Maverick” Mitchell (Tom Cruise) is where he belongs, pushing the envelope as a courageous test pilot and dodging the advancement in rank that would ground him. When he finds himself training a detachment of TOPGUN graduates for a specialized mission the likes of which no living pilot has ever seen, Maverick encounters Lt. Bradley Bradshaw (Miles Teller), call sign: “Rooster,” the son of Maverick’s late friend and Radar Intercept Officer Lt. Nick Bradshaw, aka “Goose.” Facing an uncertain future and confronting the ghosts of his past, Maverick is drawn into a confrontation with his own deepest fears, culminating in a mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice from those who will be chosen to fly it.
On July 2, a giant alien mothership enters orbit around Earth and deploys several dozen saucer-shaped ‘destroyer’ spacecraft that quickly lay waste to major cities around the planet. On July 3, the United States conducts a coordinated counterattack that fails. On July 4, a plan is devised to gain access to the interior of the alien mothership in space, in order to plant a nuclear missile. The movie stars Jeff Goldblum, Will Smith, and Bill Pullman.
“The question of whether or not we are alone in the universe has been answered.”
69
2 hr 25 minJun 25th, 1996
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Matt Damon in ‘Saving Private Ryan’. Photo: DreamWorks Pictures.
As U.S. troops storm the beaches of Normandy, three brothers lie dead on the battlefield, with a fourth (Matt Damon) trapped behind enemy lines. Ranger captain John Miller (Tom Hanks) and seven men (Edward Burns, Tom Sizemore, Jeremy Davies, Vin Diesel, Adam Goldberg, Barry Pepper and Giovanni Ribisi) are tasked with penetrating German-held territory and bringing the boy home.
“The mission is a man.”
82
2 hr 49 minJul 24th, 1998