Ladder 49 (2004)-- Though it wasn't set in New York, you can't help but think of the 343 NYFD men and women that lost their lives on September 11th and ardent first-responders when you watch Joaquin Phoenix and John Travolta as macho Baltimore firemen. (trailer)

Million Dollar Baby (2004)-- America loves a good underdog story and Clint Eastwood gave the public a heck of a good one that went on to win the Oscar for Best Picture. (trailer)

Miracle (2004)-- What better way to boost American spirit than to relive our greatest Olympic triumph. (trailer)

National Treasure (2004)-- How about a history lesson to make you feel good about our great country? Why not? (trailer)

Hitch (2005)-- Will Smith brought popular romance back to the City That Never Sleeps. (trailer) He would capture hearts for a different reason the next year with The Pursuit of Happyness. (trailer)

We Are Marshall (2006)-- Another real-life airplane tragedy sets the stage for an amazing story of athletic and community rebirth. One of the most underrated football movies out there. (trailer)

Live Free or Die Hard (2007)-- Why not give NY's best bad-ass cop a chance to save the nation's capital? (trailer)

Captain America: The First Avenger (2011)-- Last but not least, you can't get more patriotic and underdog than this skinny guy from Brooklyn transformed into a red-white-and-blue super soldier. He followed it up this past summer saving New York in The Avengers. (trailer and trailer) (full review and my full review)

American Sniper (2014)-- The tremendous reception Clint Eastwood's film had to become the highest grossing movie of the year made Chris Kyle a household name and heavily amplified a previously dormant red-blooded (and "red state-d") surge of patriotism and soldier appreciation. (trailer) (my full review)

Sully (2016)-- Both the incredible true story of Flight 1549 from 2009 and Clint Eastwood's respectful retelling featuring Tom Hanks as Capt. Chelsea "Sully" Sullenberger remind audiences of the strength of New York City. There's a great line in the movie where someone is trying to thank Sullenberger and says that it's been a long time since the city has had good news about anything like the "Miracle on the Hudson," especially about a plane. (trailer) (my full review)

Patriots Day (2016) and Stronger (2018)-- The way the city of Boston rallied from another terrorist attack on American soil during its marathon has key inspirational value. It's too bad the film was the Mark Wahlberg show rather than a well-rounded ensemble approach. (trailer) (my full Patriots Day review) (trailer) (my full Stronger review)

Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Avengers: Infinity War (2018)-- Much like the Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield web-slinger movies that came before, Tom Holland's take on Peter Parker is a born-and-raised New York kid that supports and protects his neighborhood and city from dangers foreign and domestic. His protection, joined by fellow New Yorker Doctor Strange, expands with the united effort with The Avengers when Thanos shows up in Avengers: Infinity War. One part down on that with one to go in the summer of 2019. (trailer) (my full Spider-Man: Homecoming review) (trailer) (my Avengers: Infinity War review)

Only the Brave (2017)-- Just as with Ladder 49 thirteen years before it, you can't beat the sympathy generated by the hard work, dedication, and sacrifice of firefighters. Forest fires aren't terrorists, but the feels are all there. (trailer)

The 15:17 to Paris (2018)-- Four years after American Sniper, Clint Eastwood dipped his filmmaking brush in the hero worship paint again to tell another true story. The wrinkle of this one is that Eastwood called upon the actual heroes that thwarted the 2015 Thayls train attack to star in their own movie recreation. Results were mixed, but the Eastwood prestige is there. (trailer) (my full review)