Horrible, fascist and poorly acted

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

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.

From other reviews I was expecting something of an experience, but I found it pedestrian, formulaic and unconvincing. It is understandable that 1990 technology can't match that of today (2015) but that doesn't fully explain the problem.Compare this with earlier productions such as "Battle of Britain", "The Dam Busters", "The Wooden Horse" and "The Cruel Sea" and you should see the point. Even "The Great Escape" was better entertainment, if less convincing.The general idea that very tight procedural disciplines can disintegrate under actual battle conditions is interesting, but is hardly innovative.

It's 1943. B-17 bomber Memphis Belle and her crew goes on their 25th and final mission over Germany. They are aiming to be the first squad to finish 25 missions ending their tour.The actors playing the crew include Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, Tate Donovan, D.B. Sweeney, Billy Zane, Sean Astin, and Harry Connick Jr. The movie tries to give all 10 members of the crew individual characteristics and their own screen time. They are mostly well-acted but generally uncompelling.It's an old fashion kind of war movie. The flight is fictionalized from many bomber war stories. There are a lot of minor inaccuracies. At least, its heart is in the right place. It is nice to see some real bombers at work. The effects is reasonable for the times although it's a bit old fashion. It's a dramatization rather than a documentary.

The story of the Memphis Belle, although fictional, still has the impact to show you the sacrifices made by (American) airmen with a footnote that others served in the same theatre in WW2.There thankfully, isn't too much of a real love interest, apart from a small mention of 'Virg' getting his end away with an early scene from UK actress Jane Horrocks. However, what emotions there are are well-handled and well-placed like the publicity 'Star and Stripes' officer, John Lithgow, being a complete ass and being humbled by the CO, with being presented letters home to the dead airmen's families. The other emotions are handled on board the B-17, with the crew having various personalities and this, apart from the excellent action scenes, the bombing runs, fighter attacks etc make this a great war film with just the right balance, as it's telling a story also. Amazingly, we all probably thought this genre, the air war wouldn't be seen again after 'Tora! Tora! Tora!' or The Battle of Britain. Nice to see Harry Connick Jnr. as the tail gunner - but of course he gets a cheesy moment to sing in the film to Eric Stolz, the American boy-next-door type in the film.Still haven't bought it on DVD though - that's really unforgivable!