The "Memphis Belle" (Serial No. 41-24485) was one of 12,750 B-17 Flying Fortresses built by the Boeing Aircraft Company, but it was the most famous because it was the first heavy bomber to complete 25 combat missions over Hitler's Europe without losing a crew member. The idea of 25 missions and going home was established by the bomber command as an incentive for air crews because morale was desperately low after the first three months of American combat flights over Europe during which eighty percent of the planes were shot down. The "Belle" flew from November 7, 1942 to May 17, 1943 and its final flight is the fanciful subject of this film directed by Michael Caton-Jones ("Scandal") from the script by Monte Merrick ("Staying Together").

That simply means that besides the fact that the "Memphis Belle" was named for a lady friend (Margaret Polk) of the pilot and that the art on the nose depicting the same (designed by the famous artist George Petty) there is nothing here that is historically accurate when it comes to that final mission, which was over Lorient, France and not Bremen, Germany (the "Belle" flew there on its 21st mission). The names of the crew are all changed and I think the same applies to the plane's mascot, a Scotty Dog named "Stuka." So if you want something closer to the "true" story of the pilot Robert Morgan and the "Memphis Belle" you want to check out William Wyler's 1944 documentary "The Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress."

What you have here instead is a Hollywood movie that celebrates the men who flew these bombers in World War II by incorporating a wide variety of clichés from war movies involving airplanes. Then there is the whole idea that Americans from all walks of life who have little in common besides a desire to get home alive band together to fight the Nazis. So it is we have the young and recognizable faces of Matthew Modine as the business like pilot, Eric Stoltz as the poetic radio operator, Tate Donovan as the co-pilot who wants to actually do something before he goes home, D.B. Sweeney as the navigator who is convinced his number is up, Billy Zane as the bombardier who left medical school to fight, Sean Austin as the runt who is stuck in the ball turret, Reed Edward Diamond as the flight engineer, Courtney Gains and Neil Giuntoli as the bickering waist gunners, and Harry Connick as tail gunner and sometime crooner.

Back at the base David Strathairn plays the commanding officer nervous about his boys getting back alive and John Lithgow is the public relations officer the Army has sent to celebrate the final mission of the "Belle." Of course, it is hard to create tension given that most viewers know the "Memphis Belle" is remembered for completing that final mission, so any tension that is created tends to be somewhat artificial although there are some nice moments during the bomb run (the film might play better if it simply inspired by the "Belle" and they changed the name of the aircraft as well) . But even if the "Belle" survives there are other several B-17 crews on the mission who will not. Still, the idea that doing your duty could not just be dangerous but be outright suicidal is communicated, allowing Modine's character to explain the job to his nervous crew. But what will probably stand out in this film is the grim lesson that Donovan's character learns when he tries to be a hero by doing somebody else's job.

It's just really, really great!
Review date: 2003-09-13 Rating: 10 out of 10

It's probably best to ignore the odd bad reviews that some people have given this film because they are incorrect (officially).
This film has everything that you could want out of a Second World War bomber crew movie and even possibly a bit more. The acting is good and the soundtrack is wonderfull. I have watched this film at least 15 times and I have not yet grown bored of it.

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