The story of the 25th and final mission of the Memphis Belle, the most celebrated of the US Air Force B-17 bombers based in wartime Britain.

In the hands of director Michael Caton-Jones, it ends up as a highly romanticised view of wartime and just the sort of unashamed heroics that had Forties audiences cheering for the likes of Errol Flynn and Jimmy Cagney.

The plane is crewed by the freshest faces Hollywood could muster, with acting honours going to Eric Stoltz as the romantic Danny and Billy Zane's suave Val, whose bravado hides a guilty secret.

The photography of sweeping landscapes is stunning and the model work in the aerial fight scenes is flawless.

Film fans may notice original footage from the 1944 documentary Memphis Belle, by William Wyler, father of this film's co-producer, Catherine Wyler, used for emotive effect with letters from parents of dead soldiers read over it by David Strathairn's commanding officer.

A genuine crowd-pleaser.