This is an exceedingly dull film and is an insult to the men who fought on the real Memphis Bell. If you read the trivia, you know that none of these real-life hero's are depicted in the film. They must not have been exciting enough, so Hollywood made up someone that they thought would be more interesting.<br /><br />There are two moments in this film that really sum the movie up. The first comes five minutes into the film when a damaged B-17 is landing with one landing gear down. We see a long sequence of the plane scooting around, then another sequence where the footage they shot just wasn't long enough. Then the plane erupts into a massive fireball, this in spite of the fact that it is a returning plane with no fuel or bombs and probably very little remaining ammunition. This made a statement that fact and realism were not meant to be elements of this film, in spite of the idea that this is supposed to be a true story.<br /><br />The other moment comes 30 minutes later. The crew is ready to go, but gets a weather delay. After we hear everyone comment on this, one of the crew makes the statement "why don't get just get on with it". I REALLY had to agree. This movie has so much filler in it and drags forever before we finally get to the only actual plot element, the final mission. Even then, the filmmakers felt a need to drag out every moment as long as possible. This is the single most boring war film I have ever seen.<br /><br />They could have completely removed John Lithgow from the film, considerably improving it. The long buildup to the flight could have been cut. We would have less than an hour of film, but it would have been a bit less dull.