The military movie. It's a huge genre. There have been thousands of military movies made over the years. IMDb lists over 6,500 military movies in their data base so there is definitely no shortage of movies made about the military over the years.We've done lots of lists around here and we usually always start with the Army or the Marines. This time, we are going right to our youngest brother, the Air Force. The Air Force gets to kick off this movie party and will lead the way on this one. We are going to rank the 5 best Air Force movies that have ever been made. Let's get to the list.

5 Best Air Force Movies Ever Made

#5 Iron Eagle (1986)

Come on zoomies. You know you love this movie. Sure, it's not at all plausible. No high school kid is sneaking on to an Air Force base with his dad to tool around in an F-16 whenever he felt like it. Not only that, but that same kid is not going to be planning and taking part in any kind of crazy ass assault to rescue his downed father who is being held by some nefarious middle eastern dictator. We know. It's crazy. But damn. This movie is still good.Check out this awesome 80s commercial for Iron Eagle:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mzWQ3aoB4pE

#4 - Tuskegee Airmen (1995)

Two things. First, we know it's an HBO movie but it was better than just about every other movie made about the Air Force. This one belongs here. Second, before we get 1000 comments that the Air Force wasn't officially formed until 1947 and that this movie takes place during WWII when they were still the Army Air Corps, we know. Call it what you want. You know it was pretty much the Air Force even if they fell under the Army at the time. This movie is about the first African-American pilots in the Army Air Corps. If you haven't seen it, check it out. It's well worth your time.Here's the trailer from HBO:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvYvQcppaU4

#3 - Bat*21 (1988)

Bat*21 is the story of the shoot down and rescue of Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Iceal Hambleton. While the movie takes some liberties with the story for dramatic effect, the movie is mostly an accurate depiction of the true story.The true story of the rescue actually caused the Air Force to re-evaluate the efforts that would be put in to rescuing downed pilots. In the search and rescue mission for Hambleton, five additional aircraft were shot down during rescue attempts, directly resulting in the deaths of 11 airmen, the capture of two others, and another airman trying to evade capture. The movie does depict the efforts that were launched to get him back and if you haven't seen it, it is also well worth your time.Here's the trailer. Also, when Don LaFontaine is doing your movie trailer, you know it's serious business.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=065ygnrssgw

#2 - Memphis Belle (1990)

Also based on a true story (and yes set during WWII so see #4 for our previous explanation), Memphis Belle is a movie about the crew of the Memphis Belle, who were about to be the first bomber crew in the European theater to complete the 25 mission requirement to go home. The movie has been changed quite a bit to add drama and make it a movie, so it's not a documentary of any kind (the real documentary can be seen here), but as far as movies go, this one is a good one. Check out the trailer (hear that voice? Don is on the job for this one too):https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FuKVJ8wox0

#1 - The Right Stuff (1983)

Is there another movie out there that makes the Air Force look better (and rightly so) than The Right Stuff? No. There is not. People think about this movie as a movie about the space program, and it is, in the second half. The first half of the movie is focused on Air Force legend Chuck Yeager and the sound barrier and the life of test pilots.Even when the movie transitions to the Mercury space program, it should be noted that of the first seven astronauts our country ever had, three of them were Air Force men (the others were 3 Navy and 1 Marine). The Right Stuff showed the Air Force as the ground breaking force that they have been since they were first formed. If there is something going on in the air, or in space, the Air Force is usually leading the way. Here's the trailer:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ak1n6qQS3_ASo there you have it. The 5 best Air Force movies of all time. Be sure to let us know if there are other great Air Force movies that we left off this list because we know there are.