World War II flying films are just my thing. Battle of Britain (1969), the Dam Busters (1955), Reach for the Sky (1956), Twelve O'Clock High (1949)... even The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress (1944) – I can't get enough. And so I came to Memphis Belle (1990) generously disposed and both hoping and expecting to like it. Spoilers follow.Firstly, open your book of stock characters: one virgin, one fatalist, one phony, one inept and uninspiring leader, and deprive them of all inner depth. Next, when bringing them together as a team, rather than having them gel into right stuff, the best of the best, just make them a panicky, disorganised, undisciplined, incompetent and self-defeating rabble. Finally, ask your audience to believe that this collection of human detritus was the very best that VIII Bomber Command had at its disposal.There are positives. In spite of the clichéd speech he has been handed, David Strathairn makes us feel the weight of many lives upon his shoulders, and John Lithgow has good moments (when away from the aircrew) as the PR man, but his character seems to be written just as the anti-Strathairn. Actually, much of the characterisation and dialogue has the feel of a school project we didn't have time to think through, so we went with the first idea that came into our head each time. Easily checked errors (use of modern phonetic alphabet and CPR, etc.) can be forgiven when the movie has already drawn us in, but here they just add to the sense of "the dog ate my final draft."The aircrew actors are largely fine and, given the script, could not have been more. Eric Stoltz is the best of the group while (is it just me?) it is hard to get past Courtney Gains channelling young 'Lizabeth from the Waltons. Jane Horrocks in a minor role serves to remind us that good things can be done with only moments of screen time.The in-flight filming ranged from disappointing (tens of identical Airfix planes motionless relative to one another, not quite pointing in their direction of travel and illuminated to not match their background) to excellent (especially the shots of action looking into the airframe from just outside). A crewman screaming into the radio as his doomed craft falls to earth was straight out of Dr. Strangelove, except that here it was not intended to be comedic. Or perhaps I am wrong, perhaps this was a comical interlude, as we are surely not to believe moments later that the ball-turret gunner had actually reached through solid metal to grasp the plane while blessed with the foresight that his turret would very soon fall off. (Don't worry, turret fans, it will re-attach itself in time for them to land with it.)I wanted to like it more. 4.5/10

I first saw this movie on video round about 1991, when I was about seven years old or so. I enjoyed it then, because it had airplanes in it, and there was nothing particularly offensive or difficult for a seven year old boy to understand.Watching it again some nineteen years later, I'm struck by the exact same things. It's a very family-friendly war movie, earnestly trying to show us the difficult lives of American bomber pilots in Europe in 1943. The cast of characters come out of a guidebook for writing war movies, complete with The Religious One ("There's always a religious one," says John Lithgow's character), The Scared One, The Good-Luck Charm, The Smartass, and The Captain. The screenplay hits all the familiar notes: the crew pulling together for one last mission, overcoming obstacles, bonding as a surrogate family.The actors all do a good job. Reed Diamond, Sean Astin, Matthew Modine, and Eric Stoltz are the most noteworthy (and how young they all were in 1990!), plus Lithgow and David Strathairn on the ground. Modine is almost funny as the straight-laced pilot who seems uncomfortably aware of just how boring he really is. Stoltz stands out in the thankless role of the all-around nice guy who gets wounded.The flying scenes are exceptional. Real B-17s were filmed at real wartime airfields, and there's a bare-bones authenticity about a lot of it. The scenes inside the Memphis Belle, where most of the movie takes place, do an excellent job of showing you how cramped, cold, and noisy a place like that could be. Not to mention dangerous: the action scenes when German fighters attack the bombers flick by at a very fast pace, which must be something like what the bomber crews experienced. All this, of course, has been cleaned up for movie audiences: real bomber crews would never have taken off their oxygen masks or engaged in the lengthy conversations and horseplay featured in the film.So it's a sincere and generally harmless movie, saturated in nostalgia, motivated by a desire to pay tribute to its subjects. That leads it into clichéd territory, leaving me with the feeling that the producers dusted off a screenplay dating to the 1950s, only adding a few lines here and there for modern audiences. Not entirely a bad thing, mind you, but not all that it could have been. Notable, however, is the total absence of the sort of flag-waving patriotism we've come to expect from period war films: there's nary an American flag in sight, and the film is dedicated to all the pilots and aircrews who lost their lives in the war -- not just the Allies.

World War II has many memories in it's huge archives. But the ones which stand out in an audience's mind are the ones which recall family members who actually experienced them. This movie " Memphis Belle " reaches deep into the human Psyche and rekindles a plethora of war time conflicts. The actors chosen for this masterpiece are incredible as they superbly resurrect the dangerous era of the courageous men and their historic aircraft. Matthew Modine plays Capt. Dennis Dearborn, a stern commander who exhibits a tough veiner, but is inwardly aware and concern with every man in his crew. Tate Donovan is Lt. Sinclair, anxious to experience bravery as a necessary element to achieve fame. However when the war touches him, he realizes, it's not as glorious as he imagined. Eric Stoltz, D.B. Sweeney, Billy Zane, Sean Astin, Harry Connick Jr., Reed Diamond, Courtney Gains and Neil Giuntoli play the crew. Rounding out the cast, adding prestige and enhancing the over-all story are David Strathairn and John Lithgow. Together, this superior ensemble and the dramatic talent of the special effects specialists allowed the 'Belle' to rise center stage and display its last wartime flight. The result is nothing short of extraordinary. Behind the men and their plane is the memory of the thousands of brave airmen who gave their lives for their country. In short, their sacrifice becomes the lasting monument which continues to this day as a lasting tribute to our freedom. A great film which is sure to become a military Classic. Highly recommended! ****

This movie has a lot going for it but it isn't as good as it could have been.The aircraft, the uniforms and the sets were great, but the acting was 1990s. You knew these guy were the grandsons of the men that flew the missions. The actors were part of the "ME" generation and they acted it.They were self absorbed. They were emotional. They were soft. This is more like a movie made about a Time Warp where Generation X is put into the "Way Back Machine" with the dials set to WWII with the cameras running.If you want to see a good WWII movie about B-17 crews and a good movie about leadership watch Twelve O'Clock High. That is a bomber movie.Having said that Memphis Belle is easy to watch. The acting is average. The plot is OK. The sets and props are excellent.I wish they could have used the sets and props for a better script and better director.