Merolliv
I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.
Guillelmina
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Ortiz
Excellent and certainly provocative... If nothing else, the film is a real conversation starter.
Desertman84
Memphis Belle is a fictionalization of the 1943 documentary Memphis Belle: A Story of a Flying Fortress that tells the story of the 25th and last mission of an American Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress bomber called the Memphis Belle that was based in England during World War II.It featured an all-star cast with Matthew Modine, Eric Stoltz, D.B.Sweeney and Harry Connick Jr. in leading roles. Having won fame with their exemplary war record and amazing lack of casualties, they expect their final assignment to be a cakewalk. Unfortunately,it was difference from what they expected as it they were assigned to bomb a heavily defended German city.It resulted loss of many lives.Memphis Belle is led by their experienced captain, Dennis Dearborn and the crew shoulders its responsibility despite mounting fears, while their commanding officer and a public relations specialist wait anxiously for their return. Things get interesting when it later found that medical officer Val Kozlowski has fake credentials.It was definitely clichéd and extremely predictable.The film was definitely made for entertainment for viewers who love films like Top Gun and Iron Eagle.Aside from that,it lacks realism as things that happen in it were definitely far from what probably happened in real life.it was obviously a fictionalization as I have stated in the first paragraph.Despite of it,the film manages to rise above it as it had great actors who delivered great performances.It definitely could provide a feeling of patriotism especially for people who did service in the military.Overall,it is still a war film worth viewing.
Lee Addison (yeswecanagain74)
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.
The_Other_Snowman
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.
thinker1691
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! ****
