Devotion

Devotion

The harrowing true story of two elite US Navy fighter pilots during the Korean War. Their heroic sacrifices would ultimately make them the Navy's most celebrated wingmen.

  • Released: 2022-11-23
  • Runtime: 100 minutes
  • Genre: Drama, History, War
  • Stars: Ava Michelle Thompson, Alexander Goldstein, Jonathan Majors, Glen Powell, Christina Jackson, Thomas Sadoski, Joe Jonas, Joseph Cross, Daren Kagasoff, Serinda Swan, Nick Hargrove, Boone Platt, Matt Riedy, Logan Macrae, Spencer Neville, Kenneth Trujillo, Adetinpo Thomas, Emily Brinks, Aleks Alifirenko Jr., Elizabeth Harlow
  • Director: J.D. Dillard
 Comments
  • witster18 - 21 June 2024
    Budding Superstars Save This One
    Glen Powell is a rising star, as Netflix's "Hitman" displays. Jonathan Majors is also a rising star. His performance in Creed 3 had me weighing if he was the best villain of the entire series. I had wanted to watch this one for a while because the trailer looked solid, and that's before I watched the performances of the two leads in those other films. For what it's worth, I gave all 3 films(inc this one) a 7/10(Hitman 74, Creed 3 71, and Devotion 69). This is a soft 7.

    It's solid, but it is more of a heartfelt drama and character study than an action or "warfilm". It reminded me a bit of "men of honor" starring DeNiro and Gooding Jr., with similar results and tone. Devotion has high production values. The film looks great, and the action sequences do too, but it is a deliberately-paced film, and at over 2 hours will draw angst from impatient viewers and action-popcorn fans.

    That said, patient viewers who enjoy solid performances may be smitten. I was. I should mention: Christina Jackson is also solid as Majors wife. Majors knocks it out of the park, and Powell balances things out. However, i feel like the film was limited due to staying true to the story and subject matter, which is both a compliment, and perhaps a bit of a crutch. I'm not one to just throw the real story out the window, but a little embellishment or controversy here might have gone a long way.

    The film tells an important story, but it is also a bit too safe, too slow, and too anti-climactic to have the resonating impact(and scores) that the production and performances deserve. I enjoyed the film, personally, but the criticisms are accurate. I'm a genxer, meaning I dont need "Revenge of the Fallen(45)" or "300(83)" to be entertained. In another era - this would be more highly regarded. Recommended for those with patience, who enjoy solid performances and production value, but not recommended for those who need more action and cgi to be entertained.

    You'll like this if you liked: Men of Honor(about equal), An Officer and A Gentleman(better), or Black Book(zwartbook/subt/better). This could hold a top 25 spot for 2022. Bottom half, but still.
  • n-m-bertin - 2 November 2023
    Riddled with issues
    This movie is a little weird. I enjoyed the watch, but it's not a very balanced movie. On the one hand, it's very gooey, very melodramatic, with the music, the wife back home, the crying... On the other hand it's intense, with John Major going a bit overboard with the mirror scene, especially compared to the other actors and the gooeyness of it all. So when you have John Major being super intense, developped well as a character, against Glen Powell who's a lot more one dimensional, with 0 background story, it doesn't work as well as you'd hoped.

    Another big issue in my opinion is how war is shown. There is very little explanation as to what's going on with the Korean war, the time jumps are a bit much, and the two actual scenes involving planes in battles are very short. So in the end you're like "wait, that's all they did ?". His biography shows that he has 20 combat missions. The movie makes you believe he only did 2, that's just not right. It also makes you believe he was there only a week. He was there for 2 months. That's where the movie fails the most. It's a shame, coz it's rare to see a movie showing pilots supporting troops and destroying lines of communication. It's usually all about dog fights, and luckily there's only one in the movie. I also wished they explained why in the movie the Russians and Koreans had migs (jet fighters) while the americans still used propellers...It is well known that Americans used F86 Sabrejets (jet fighters as well). Maybe they didn't have them in that company, but a little explanation would have been nice...

    What saves the movie is how well it's shot, despite how irrealistic it is. The amount of flak and machine gun fire these plane go through without taking a hit is ridiculous, as well as the unlimited amount of ammo the Mig showed in the movie seemed to have... The casting is nice, Thomas Sadoski is always an amazing addition to any movie.
  • DazzlaMF - 6 July 2023
    Somewhat tepid delivery of a good story.
    Let's start by saying that it's nice to see a contemporary film about the Korean War, one of the worlds less portrayed, but no less important, wars. Based (according to the film) on a true story, the plot revolves around US Naval Aviators, and specifically, the challenges faced by Ensign Jesse Brown,. As an African American in 1950s America, his determination in the face of prejudice forms the central theme (remembering that parts of the US had apartheid until the 1960s). Well shot and incorporating some nice flying sequences, the film plods along at a gentle pace with the usual tropes to a predictable conclusion. It's not a bad film, the production and CGI are pretty good, but it lacks any real jeopardy. All the combat scenes are too 'Hollywood' portraying scenarios, unrealistically and some of the establishing scenes are too contrived and scripted, too obviously trying to squeeze some social justice elements into the film's narrative rather than just allowing the story itself to make valid points. This film is the music equivalent of 'easy listening', there are a few nice tracks, some of the lyrics are relevant, but you play it in the background rather than turn the volume up and 'thrash it out' in the mosh pit!
  • xmhunter - 12 January 2023
    Generally movie is just pushing 2020 agenda
    First I thought that maybe my disappointment is bias and unfair. But then I've read the caption of it here and understood that my opinion is legit.

    You see I came up on this movie back when it was in the making in an aviation community, where people were hyped to get a good movie with aviators and war planes in a centre of it. People were more excited about this one then over Top Gun.

    Caption says it's a move about pilots going into fight. Fits the expectations doesn't it?

    Well the problem is, out of... 2 hours and 19 minutes the "action"/war/piloting/planes - take - about 19 minutes tops.

    And the other 2 hours are not about storytelling ether. It's whining about how hard is life of black aviator. Don't take me wrong, I have no doubt it was nightmare, but is it really what you want person to be remembered? For his life being hard? And for whining about it? Not "no letter the obstacles he became an elite", not "no matter what he did his job and therefore he's hero". No. Whining. "It was hard for him so nothing special came out of him and then he died".

    Image of main character is rubbish, not controversial, rubbish. First he is presented as an expert fighter wish his view on how things should be done and has no problem bending rules a bit to make sure he and one's around him get proper training. So basically a badass aviator with experience. Then he loses his cool over being deployed, gets to be only persons in squadron who can't land on carrier. Then he acts humble and accepts then new guy gets to command him. Then he goes rogue and acts against orders. But again being presented as an outstanding pilot. Then he gets hit, losses his mind over it, screws up and dies.
  • kenhower - 10 January 2023
    A Story of friendship and devotion
    It's not really a war movie. War is the catalyst, but this is really the story of a friendship that has spanned generations. I enjoyed the movie and learning about Jesse, but where the movie falls a little short for me is his death. While it's not felt in the movie, in real life Tom Hudner and the helicopter pilot tried to chop Jesse out of the plane with an axe for 45 minutes! At one point they discussed amputation of his leg to get him out. They spent a lot of time building up to it and the drama of trying to get him out was kinda glossed over. Tom clearly thought about Jesse his whole life, even trying to get his remains in 2013. One amazing scene however is the mirror scene, where Jesse doubts and motivates himself. Wonderfully filmed with the camera spinning around in one move. Nice trick.
  • goshamorrell - 31 December 2022
    Heartbreaking
    How we define an activist is at the heart of director J. D. Dillard's "Devotion." Adapted from Adam Makos' book Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice, Dillard's latest film tells a civil rights story centered on Jesse Brown (Jonathan Majors), a groundbreaking Black naval pilot and Korean War hero. But Brown isn't your prototypical changemaker, and "Devotion" isn't your usual anti-racism film. Dillard's film opens in 1948 with Hudner's arrival at the Naval Air Station Pensacola in Pensacola, Florida. He enters a cacophonous men's locker room populated by wrathful slurs. These vulgar barbs are not emanating from a mob. They're coming from one man: Brown. Hudner never sees Brown shouting at himself, as the tears this Black man sheds aren't for Hudner (though Dillard and cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt do show us those tears through an arresting fourth-wall-breaking mirror shot). The calm, naive, all-American Hudner casts a different shadow from the quiet, reclusive, no-nonsense Brown. In terms of temperament, they shouldn't be friends. Screenwriters Jake Crane and Jonathan Stewart don't try to force the issue either, which gives "Devotion" uncommon freedom. Instead, this thrilling, pulsating journey is more concerned with the two men forming a bond through shared respect rather than a fantastical misunderstanding of the place and time. For Dillard, Brown's fight against racism on the ground continues in the sky, where the pilot finds his greatest freedom. In this picture, there is no visible physical violence against Black folks as a means for civil rights or to be seen as human by Hudner. Brown's existence is his protest. His plane is his sit-in. A two-and-a-half-hour film that literally flies by, "Devotion" is a graduation of sorts by Dillard, from his compact genre film canvas to a spectacular large-scale onslaught. Dillard manages to balance the several concerns of anti-racism movies with the heroism of Brown without succumbing to maudlin, craven techniques. Even toward the aching end, "Devotion" manages a perfect landing.
  • ThereelscoopwithKK - 14 December 2022
    Hugely Underrated
    I'll admit the first scenes play a bit like a minor league version of Top Gun, but this movie has a slow burn that for me was highly impactful. While it doesn't have the Hollywood flare of Top Gun with the Tom Cruise factor this story was much deeper and more powerful in many ways. At first I wasn't sure if the cast mixed well but by the end I was highly invested. Although there aren't that many action scenes the ones that are in it are spectacular. The last 45 mins of this movie is definitely some of the best time I've spent in the theatre in a while . Although there isnt much gore included in the film it does not sugar coat the realities of war.

    This movie certainly makes you feel when walking out. Many were in fact crying. It's a very powerful story and a must watch for any history buff. It takes place during the largely forgotten (especially by Hollywood) Korean War and is an extremely touching film about the heroes who fought in it, the special friendship between two aviators , overcoming racial barriers, and devotion to family and country.
  • ssakib-96752 - 4 December 2022
    Sad and true story
    This is one of the best aviation movie with a real life story of past. It shows, there are always some good people who keep up the hope for rest of us.

    Definitely, this movie is not marketed enough to reach mass people but this movie deserves to be appreciated because of current decided situation.

    Cinematography, sound, plots are so on point. Really loved it. I wish this movie win something in oscar, so people will get to know about it. People of my generation barely know about the past history. And if they know, they only know those are negative. This movie can showcase love, friendship, family in all together.
  • jakobgately - 30 November 2022
    Not Supposed to be a Top Gun
    My main criticisms of this film come in the First Act, it felt like a collection of scenes rather than a movie with a plot. The movie made you assume how long the time period between the training scenes were. I also was hoping we could get more individuality from the squads' pilots apart from the leads.

    The part of this movie that really hit for me was the use of pathos, from the death scene of their squad-mate you could feel the tension of those scenes. Where it really hit was the final act. Tom's desperation to get Jesse out of his plane, and it finally coming all out when they ground him for the plane scuttling. Then they give the finishing blow when his wife got the notice of being KIA'd. The emotion was also carried by Jesse very well in the earlier parts of the movie, I felt those moments like when he was psyching himself into his final test to be a carrier pilot.

    The action lacks a bit, but I reached a point where I didn't want much action. I just wanted to see the characters progress as squad. I wanted them to keep enjoying the good moments before being sent into battle. The few battle sequences were very enjoyable as well. However, this is a true story and shouldn't be given the expectations of a fictional action like Top Gun. This really happened (ofcourse with obligatory Hollywood embellishment).

    The ending caught me off-guard a bit because I really believe Jesse would make it. The resolution tied everything off well. Tom tried emptying his heart to Jesse's now widowed wife and she stopped him assuring him he kept her promise to be there for him. Then ending on the beach which had its thematic presence throughout, with his real final letter to his wife the day before his death. I found it as a beautiful war drama of brotherhood and family. It did not need to be a Top Gun or other action-packed war classic. It did what it could with the material they had. As well as bringing respect to the Korean War.
  • imatranslator2022 - 26 November 2022
    Based on a True Story
    Devotion is an incredible film about the first black naval aviator Jesse Brown and his wingman Tom Hudner, who formed a unique friendship based on trust and respect during the Korean War. Glen Powell did an amazing job as Tom Hudner after his exceptional performance in Top Gun: Maverick, another brilliant movie about naval aviation and he's proving that he's a very talented actor. I personally enjoyed the plot and the aerial sequences, and we all need movies like this instead of the superhero ones that have become predictable and unnecessary. If you're interested in history and aviation, you'll love this movie.