Seeing movies about World War II we are always informed that the glamour service was the Air Corps. A bit of a carryover I suspect from World War I when you had those small biplanes with individual pilots acting like knights of old. That was not the mission of the Air Corps in World War II.In fact people in the Air Corps were the first to see combat in both Europe and the Pacific. Before the invasion of North Africa the only blows against the Axis were struck by the people in the skies. The Americans and British had differing ideas about what to do which is discussed somewhat in Memphis Belle and also in other air films like Twelve O'Clock High for instance. The British believed in night bombing, fly high avoid the anti-aircraft, drop your load and let it do whatever damage it did wherever it landed. The Americans believed in what you see here, daylight bombing to try and limit damage to specific military targets. Casualties were greater that way.So when a B-17 like the Memphis Belle completes its run of 25 missions with the same crew it is a miracle of chance that Captain Matthew Modine and his crew have gone through with the same bunch for 25. After that the tour of duty is up.An eager Army Air Corps publicity guy John Lithgow wants to get them all on a war bond tour when that 25th mission is in the books. But the commander David Strathairn is just treating them like any of the rest of his crews. Not for the least reason that these guys have enough psychological pressure.The crew is a cross section of Americana, white Americana to be sure as the armed forces were segregated at the time. Standing out in the performances are Eric Stoltz and Billy Zane and Harry Connick, Jr. To say that last mission was a rough one is putting it mildly.The battle scenes are well staged, especially inside the plane which was one small contained area. I had never seen it portrayed so well before in a film about the war in the skies. Howard Hughes would have been proud of the staging.This fine film is dedicated to those who fought in the skies in the 2nd World War. I could do no less with this review.

In a standard tight formation I have always wonders how the side gunners avoid shooting other bombers while under attack by fighters. They are shooting 50 caliber machine guns which can shoot a mile. Fighters are zipping between the bombers. It appears to me like there would be tons of "Friendly Fire" hits on the other planes. They would be killing each other. Why don't we see or read more about this happening? Anyone please comment on this. This has troubled me for years. Thanks in advance. By the way this is a great movie. I love old bomber movies, to think that we put young men in there 20s in such a stressful situation.

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.

"Memphis Belle" is an ideal movie of the World War II genre. Movie that shows cruelty and horror of the conflict but at the same time focuses on specific bonds that are to be born between the men of duty. Audience gets familiar with a crew of so-called flying fortress, the biggest bomber airplane used by Allied Forces in that period. Ten of brave, immature and so much different to each other young people on their way to final 25th combat flight over Nazi-Germany in May 1943.Viewer is introduced to the circle of individuals with their own habits for example carrying lucky items. Strong belief in symbols and luck is characteristic for the people who find themselves in extreme situations. Those unforgettable events make every crew-member a part of a brotherhood. They will tease each other and make jokes but in crucial moments they are ready for a sacrifice themselves in the name of their friendship.What makes the movie even more exciting is the scene when one of the main characters reads his poetry to the other crew-members. In fact he doesn't read his poem. It's a quotation from William Butler Yeats. An Irish writer awarded the Nobel Prize for literature in 1923. In decisive seconds he shouts writer's name to admit he didn't actually write it."Memphis Belle" is a story of the people who volunteered to fight the enemy but also must struggle against their own weaknesses. Their airplane which is supposed to be their home comes out as a metal trap held high over the clouds. Pointless fight between the men and machine is shown in a very suggestive way.