Rating: 
Summary: Twelve O'Clock Medium...
Review: If you can penetrate (like a B-17 cutting through cloud cover) all the character cliches and a certain old-fashioned hokey aura, you'll find a harrowing depiction of daylight bombing, circa 1943. What you won't find is an accurate account of the real Memphis Belle's 25th mission, or anyone resembling the actual men who flew her that day.
Matthew Modine captains this fictionalized crew, with support from resentful co-pilot Tate Donovan, dishonest bombadier Billy Zane, panicked navigator D.B. Sweeney and wiseacre belly gunner Sean Astin. Tailgunner Harry Connick, Jr. gets to display his vocals and piano skills in a musical number, dedicated to waistgunner Eric Stoltz, that stalls the film in the early going.
While the real Memphis Belle experienced a somewhat less dramatic run to a different target, this film's mission is to depict the aerial terrors of that year in Europe, when American airmen suffered more losses than any other branch of our armed forces. Direct hit! Massive B-17 formations thunder across the sky, flak rips planes apart, and in one chilling moment, an enemy fighter slices one bomber in half, and our heroes hear the panicked screams of its doomed crew over the radio.
The battle scenes are horrific, and the character scenes are just horrible. It's not that the acting is of poor quality; it isn't. It's that each crewmember faces some sort of hackneyed personal crisis and comes through in true cliched fashion, which somewhat cheapens what the real crew experienced. It's literally one thing after another, a bombing run as group therapy. The film relies exclusively on stock Hollywood types, rather than human beings. Plus, Sweeney's fearful character does a disservice to the real Belle's navigator. Modine comes off best, with his youthful appearance and dedication, as he admonishes his crew not to shout their targets over the intercom. John Lithgow has the thankless task of portraying the coldblooded PR officer who's more concerned with publicity tours than the men's welfare, or their mission's stategic/tactical importance.
Despite its failings as a "true" story, this is a film worth watching. Not until "Saving Private Ryan" would a film surpass "Belle's" depiction of nerve-wracking combat.
Rating: 
Summary: Great Hollywood Introduction to Vital American History
Review: A little background. First of all, there really was a plane called the Memphis Belle. It is traditionally considered the first B-17 to complete the obligatory 25 missions and survive. If you are going to learn about the real 'Memphis Belle', I highly recommend you watch the William Wyler documentary, made during World War II, that chronicles the story of the actual plane and its crew. You may also want to read the book that came out in the past year called "The Man Who Flew the Memphis Belle" about the Belle's pilot, Robert Morgan, because it is a fascinating book about a man who went on to fly B29's in the Pacific after surviving in Europe. And to watch a movie that accurately chronicles the trials and tribulations of bomber crewmen in Europe in WWII, I recommend "Twelve O'Clock High" and "Pistol Packing Mama".
That having been said, I must add that most air veterans think that the 1990 "Memphis Belle" movie is unrealistic, and in many ways they are right. However, I have done enough research to appreciate that the film is a great way to get introduced to the exploits of the brave aircrews who flew over Germany in World War II. It is an entertaining film. I think the director would have been much better off NOT calling the film "The Memphis Belle", because the story is mostly fiction. So why did he/she do so? It was put out by the daughter of William Wyler, who made the original movie, in part as a tribute to her father. Thus the name. The actual pilot of the real Memphis Belle was asked about the movie, and said that it appeared to him that the writers had taken everything that had happened to the crew over all 25 missions and compressed them into one hellish mission. Indeed, the crew deals with about every in-flight emergency imaginable on mission twenty-five. This is one exciting piece of film.
Roger Freeman, one of the great air historians, also served as an advisor on the film. The film got a lot of things right, too, in addition to the gaffes that many air vets notice.
The joy of seeing three of the surviving B-17's flying together again in this movie is worth the price, in my book.
I recommend the movie with the caveat that it is not FACT, but historical fiction, and recommend that if you like it, that you not stop until you see the real "Memphis Belle" video from the forties and also read Robert Morgan's book. You will come away with renewed and increased admiration for the brave men who flew missions in the war to save the world. These men flew knowing full well that each mission could well be their last. They flew no fewer than 25 such missions at war's beginning when the odds were terrible, and as many as 35 by war's end. This movie is a fitting tribute to their sacrifices.
Rating: 
Summary: Memphis Belle is a great movie!
Review: I thought that the movie 'Memphis Belle' is the best movie ever! It made me think of what it would have been like being a bomber in WW2. The cast was great, and the script made the movie seem slightly happier then in real life! It is a movie that is not easily forgotten!!!!
Rating:
Summary: World War II in the air.
Review: If all you know about World War II is Hitler and the Marines raising the flag at Iwo Jima then this movie will help show another side of the war. Not everyone who died in World War II did so in a foxhole or on the beaches of Normandy. Many young men met their fate in the statosphere, some by themselves and others with their crews. Memphis Belle is a great movie on showing how men fought and died at thousands of feet above the ground in the war against Hitler and the German war machine. Although not entirely acurate on how the Memphis Belle flew its last mission, this movie shows just how special this bomber crew was. Also it shows just how lucky the crew of the Memphis Belle were in being the first B-17 in the Eighth Air Force to finish 25 missions and complete their tour of duty. This movie is a great tribute to the men who flew this bomber as well as all the men who gave their lives for both sides in the sky over Germany.
Rating:
Summary: Corny, yes, but a good film about B-17s
Review: Memphis Belle, Michael Caton-Jones' fictionalized 1990 account of a real-life World War II B-17's final mission, harkens back to wartime morale-boosting films. Like Wake Island or Air Force, it depicts the crew of a Flying Fortress taking part in the bloody aerial campaign over Western Europe - and trying to survive the last of a 25-mission tour of duty. Produced by Catherine Wyler, whose father William had shot a documentary about the real Memphis Belle, this version takes familiar clichés from World War II films and fleshes them out with fresh Hollywood faces. Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, Sean Astin (best known now as Samwise in the Lord of the Rings trilogy), Reed Diamond, and Harry Connick, Jr. are among the ten actors who portray the fictional crew of the Memphis Belle. Released during the buildup to Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm, this very retro movie failed to excite audiences, but even so, Memphis Belle is impressive once it gets off the ground and dispenses with expository material. Set in England in May of 1943, the story starts somewhat slowly as an Army Air Force PR officer (John Lithgow) annoyingly prepares the crew and squadron for the Memphis Belle's return to the States. The bomber has completed 24 missions over Nazi-occupied Europe. Now the only thing standing between the war-weary flyboys and home is one last mission over Bremen. There are the usual war movie get-to-know the crew scenes and even a quick (but not graphic) sexual encounter between one of the lads and a British lass...ho hum. But when dawn comes and the bombers are sent to bomb a German fighter-aircraft factory, Memphis Belle draws the audience into the harrowing yet mesmerizing drama of a daylight bombing raid over Germany. Here there are no Stealth fighters with laser-guided smart bombs flying with relative ease over the enemy. Instead, we are treated to almost every danger faced by bomber crews in World War II - mid air collisions, flak, enemy fighters, and even a case of friendly fire. Naturally, most of the havoc inflicted on the B-17s falls on the Memphis Belle, which in real life was not damaged as badly as this movie would have viewers believe. The Warner Bros. DVD presents this film on both full and Widescreen formats on a double-sided single platter, making it necessary to handle with extreme care. The image is less-than-awe-inspiring on an ordinary television or computer screen, at least for those few who caught this flick at the movie theater. It's somewhat predictable and corny at times, but it is one of the few movies released in the past 15 years that treated its topic with an eye for accurate detail. And while some of the shots did involve model aircraft, the filmmakers managed to round up all the surviving B-17s (in addition to a few American and German fighters), giving audiences a stirring tribute to all the aircrew who fought and died in World War II.
Rating:
Summary: Great movie!
Review: This is a movie that I was introduced to when I was young. It really made me appreciate what men like the ones in the movie did for our country. It also turned me on to WWII aviation as well as movies that go for the heart. I would recommend this movie to anyone. See how many familiar faces you can spot.
Rating:
Summary: Almost Realist
Review: This is the first of a line of movies depicting shear guts in the face of a real enemy. Afterwards came the likes of Platoon, Saving Private Ryan, Thin Red Line, The Windtalkers, Blackhawk Down and We Were Soldiers. Memphis Belle gets a bit schmaltzy in the beginning, focusing on the crew and not the reality, but the scenes of flying into the fire makes you respect the guts that generation displayed. I really thought that using the actors (all around 21 to 25) was a great touch, and made me sit back and think about what I was doing at that age (Nam) and what my dad was doing (WWII). Whew, take a bunch of amped up young men and throw them into harms way. I wonder if older, more comfortable men would have done that? And I thought flyboys had it easy. Everyone directly engaged was slugging it out. My Uncle used to say that the papers in WWII wouldn't focus on both fronts simultaneously, if the European campaigns were having a fight, the Pacific theator was talked about briefly or that the Marines were doing okay... he said that wasn't the case, everyone was fighting hard to stay alive, not just to win the war. From the individuals perspective it was a matter of survival, not glory. The glory came later.
Rating:
Summary: A remake from the "Why We Fight" series
Review: During World War 2 the U.S. Government sponsored Hollywood films such as Bataan (1943). I havent seen the original film that this remake is based upon, but Memphis Belle and the more recent Blackhawk Down give a clear picture of why Rangers do not leave their buddies behind.
Rating:
Summary: From a former military aircraft crewmember
Review: I have to be different from most of the other reviewers and give this movie a full 5 stars. It is one of my favorites. As a former hookup man, crew chief, flight engineer, and door gunner, I have seen exactly the type of character assortment and wacky actions that this film portrays. There is always one that is afraid of dying. There is always AT LEAST one hung over person, usually with a barf bag within reach. There is always the one that tries to ride herd on the rest and keep them paying attention to their job. There is always one glory hound that feels he must get a shot at everybody's job so he has bragging rights when he gets home. So this set of characters is totally credible and all were played with extraordinary skill. I love them all, even the jerk. As for historical accuracy, it is not accurate. They based the story on the Memphis Belle, but incorporated all the incidents and accidents that happened to the flying fortresses. If it didn't happen to the Belle, her crew witnessed it. In my opinion, the movie is made better for this. It also serves to educate people about the realities of WWII bomber flights. I'm all for that. The public needs to be made aware that these men went through a hell that most cannot begin to imagine. Thus, this movie performs a vital function. As for the entertainment value ... it is top of the line. You will feel the pain and dodge the shrapnel! The anti-aircraft rounds make me get in fast motion! I especially like the part about the monkey harness and can identify fully with it. The pilot always had to force me to put mine on, and like the guy in this movie, it saved my bacon once. There's just no comparison to flapping in the breeze beneath an aircraft while other crewmembers try to haul you back aboard. (But you'll never have to be told to put on your monkey harness again!) Thus, I identify and empathize with his position ... literally! Order a copy today and see if it doesn't fully engage all your systems!
Rating:
Summary: Memphis Belle
Review: This is an endearing movie. The breathtaking scenery of Western Europe is wonderfully shot. There is also excellent aerial footage of the B-17 Flying Fortress. The cast members are top notch; Billy Zane, John Lithgow, Harry Connick Jr, Sean Astin etc. Although much literary license is used in telling the story of the 25th (final) mission of the Memphis Belle, that is its' only misgiving. You will laugh and cheer at the ensemble cast of misfits as they team together during the final flight. You will share their concerns, expectations, and fears. Action, thrills, and drama without "blood and gore" this is one war movie everyone will enjoy!
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