10 Greatest Ever Noble Sacrifices In Film

He may start of proceedings as a washed-up alcoholic, but Russell Casse ends Independence Day as a bona fide hero. A Vietnam veteran turned ineffective crop-duster, Russell’s claims of alien abduction are proven to be far more credible that previously thought once the worldwide alien invasion begins. Suddenly the crazy old fool doesn’t seem half as crazy.

During the final battle where anyone with even the vaguest flying experience has been given a rousing speech, thrust into a fighter-jet and tasked with saving the world, the United States begins running out of planes and missiles before it can enact its retaliatory plan. Just as the alien craft sets up to fire on the base, Russell swoops in ready to get a little payback. When his final missile jams though, it looks like all may be lost. Taking one last look at a photo of his family, a family he’d let down on so many occasions up to now, he realises what he has to do.

Throughout the movie, Russell has been shows as a generally bad father, he’s terrible at his job, drinks heavily and leaves much of the child rearing to his eldest son. What adds his noble act extra emotional weight is the fact that through it all, despite his troubles, he still loves his kids more than anything and will do whatever it takes to keep them safe.

As he flies kamikaze style towards the alien beam, he’s not only saving the day, but also gaining a cathartic personal revenge on the aliens that ruined his life many years previously. The sight of his eldest son, finally proud of his old man after so many years, reaffirms just how important Russell’s actions were.