Memphis Belle

PG-13

1990

1h 48m

War

List

68%

25 Reviews

Tomatometer

79%

25,000+ Ratings

Audience Score

At a U.S. Army Air Force base in England, the crew members of B-17 bomber Memphis Belle prepare for their 25th and final sortie into enemy German territory. Bomber Capt. Dennis Dearborn (Matthew Modine) knows the mission is a dangerous one, but he's under pressure from Army public relations man Lt. Col. Bruce Derringer (John Lithgow) to earn a decisive victory for the Allies. Now, the Memphis Belle prepares to take flight as apprehension and dissention grow among Dearborn's crew.

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Bernard D

An absolutely fantastic movie that honors the sacrifice made by so many brave American men and women.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

12/02/23

Full Review

Wolfgang G

Memphis Belle ist ein britischer Kriegsfilm der die Ereignisse unmittelbar vor und während des 25. Feindfluges eines Bombers mit Namen Memphis Belle, der 8th Air Force, einer Boeing B-17F Flying Fortress, nach Deutschland (Bremen) am 17. Mai 1943 wiedergibt. Monte Merrick schrieb das Drehbuch, und Michael Caton-Jones führte die Regie. Ein echter Klassiger aus dem Jahre 1990, mit Großartige Besetzung junger Schauspieler.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

09/22/22

Full Review

Audience Member

Good story, historically inaccurate. Characters are composites, not the real crew of Memphis Belle. Incidents (as the Bf109 chopping the tail of one B17) were generally correct. But the way Memphis Belle came in from her last mission, the account seemed more in line with what happened to Ye Olde Pub, late in the war. That aircraft was totally shot up, like Memphis Belle, nothing worked, not even the compass, and a kind hearted Luftwaffe pilot saw no point in shooting down the now one engine airplane and killing the crew. So he pointed them north to England. And like Memphis Belle, they made it. Overall enjoyed it with or without popcorn.

Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars

01/12/23

Full Review

Audience Member

Great movie good cast even better planes . Tense movie lots of action and good battle scenes

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/11/23

Full Review

jon c

It's May 16th 1943 London World War II is at the height of its presence The crew of the Memphis Belle have new recruited pilots A fine cast of John Lithgow, David Straithrain, Tate Donovan, Sean Astin, Billy Zane The only way to win this war is for flying bombers so they train endlessly in the air The actors are good. The aerial fights are well filmed. The movie just spends way too much time in the cockpits in tight spaces with these pilots. They just really needed to cut away every once in a while so we could see the rest of the action. But the story still honors all the brave souls who gave their lives during this intense struggle.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

Audience Member

One of my all time favorites. Great cast of young actors accurately portrayed. Great effort was made to get all the details right

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

01/15/23

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Michael Caton-Jones

Director

Matthew Modine

Capt. Dearborn

Eric Stoltz

Sgt. Danny "Danny Boy" Daly

Tate Donovan

1st Lt. Luke Sinclair

D.B. Sweeney

Lt. Phil Lowenthal

Billy Zane

Lt. Val "Valentine" Kozlowski

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Owen Gleiberman

Entertainment Weekly

Rated: B-

Sep 7, 2011

Full Review

Variety Staff

Variety

Unashamedly commercial. Its moral fabric is thinner than that of other David Puttnam productions.

Mar 26, 2009

Full Review

Derek Adams

Time Out

Sensitive, gripping, oddly old-fashioned cinema.

Jun 24, 2006

Full Review

Rene Jordan

El Nuevo Herald (Miami)

Memphis Belle is worth watching, although this odyssey deserved better. [Full review in Spanish]

Oct 26, 2022

Full Review

Brian D. Johnson

Maclean's Magazine

With a surging sound track reminiscent of Chariots of Fire, it is a simplistic tale of fun-loving lads who learn that war is hell.

Oct 14, 2019

Full Review

Burl Burlingame

Honolulu Star-Advertiser

What's memorable about the film is the high degree of accuracy. There are a number of gaffes, due primarily to filmmaking compromises.

Rated: 2.5/4

Feb 8, 2019

Full Review

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Synopsis

At a U.S. Army Air Force base in England, the crew members of B-17 bomber Memphis Belle prepare for their 25th and final sortie into enemy German territory. Bomber Capt. Dennis Dearborn (Matthew Modine) knows the mission is a dangerous one, but he's under pressure from Army public relations man Lt. Col. Bruce Derringer (John Lithgow) to earn a decisive victory for the Allies. Now, the Memphis Belle prepares to take flight as apprehension and dissention grow among Dearborn's crew.

Director: Michael Caton-Jones
Production Co: Enigma Films, BSB, Warner Bros.
Rating: PG-13
Genre: War
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 1, 2009
Box Office (Gross USA): $25.5M
Runtime: 1h 48m
Sound Mix: Surround, Stereo

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