Memphis Belle

             The film Memphis Belle is based on the true story surrounding the events of the final mission of the legendary B-17 bomber and its ten man crew. The "Flying Fortress- as the B-17 was nicknamed, was used in heavy bombing runs over Europe in World War II and very rarely made it back to complete its mission. Without the stealth technology of today, the bombers relied heavily thick armor and its machine guns manned by crew members to defend against attacks from every direction. If the crew managed to fly 25 successful missions they were rewarded by being sent home to there families and the plane was taken out of operation. With the cards stacked against them, the crew of the Memphis belle had made it through twenty-four missions. What would be the fate of the crew? Would they make it through their last mission and be the first crew to finish their tour of duty? The movie brings the answer to life.
             The story line of the movie was linear and relatively cliché based upon the many other flying combat movies out there. But what made the story of Memphis Belle so compelling is that it really happened. When watching the movie you know that what you are seeing really took place, and that greatly adds to the effectiveness of the story.
             The acting in the Memphis Belle was superb as well. All of the crew members gave what I believe were realistic portrayals of what crew members in that situation would act like. John Lithgow plays Colonel Bruce Derringer, the Public Relations officer who intends to make the Belle's final mission the story of the century. He is appropriately obnoxious and has his eyes set only what could eventually take place. Counting all his chickens before they hatched, he begins the preparations for the celebration before the Belle had even begun its final mission. As a result, the base commander played by.