During World War II in England, the crew of the B-17 bomber Memphis Belle are nearing their 25th mission over Germany. Publicity man Lieutenant Colonel Derringer (John Lithgow) is excited by the prospect, as they would be the first in the 8th Air Force to survive to the end of their tour of duty; it would help raise morale immensely. The mission, however, will be a particularly dangerous one against heavily defended Bremen.
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The Memphis Belle sets out on her final mission under the command of Captain Dennis Dearborn (Modine). En route, lead plane after lead plane is lost, and Dearborn finds himself in charge of the bomb run for the entire bomber group. Despite the pleadings of his co-pilot, 1st Lieutenant Luke Sinclair (Donovan), he aborts the run and circles around again, exposing all the bombers to a second round of murderous flak, in order to get a better shot at destroying their target. It turns out to be worth the extra risk; their mission accomplished, they turn for home. Despite taking heavy damage, the Memphis Belle returns safely to base.
Best part of story, including ending:
Despite the high production values, it's just your average generic war movie, with little or no originality.
Best scene in story:
When Sinclair takes the opportunity to man a machine gun, he shoots down a German fighter, only to watch in horror as the tumbling fighter collides with a bomber, cutting it in two.
Opinion about the main character:
Dearborn is utterly unmemorable. There's nothing that sets him apart from anybody else.