Rating: 7.9
Premise: A pair of U.S. Navy fighter pilots risk their lives during the Korean War and become some of the Navy's most celebrated wingmen.
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Sony - Columbia Pictures
Directed by JD Dillard
Written by Jake Crane & Jonathan A.H. Stewart
Based on the book by Adam Makos
Cast: Jonathan Majors, Glen Powell, Christina Jackson, Joe Jonas, Thomas Sadoski, Daren Kagasoff
Runtime: 2hr 19min
Rating: PG
Action, Drama, War
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IMDb Rating: 7.0/10
Rotten Tomatoes Score: 80%
RT Audience Score: 93%
Metacritic Score: 66
CinemaScore: A-
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My Review:
The year of Glen Powell in aviation movies continues and I couldn’t be happier! However, I must preface my review of “Devotion” by saying it does not deserve to be compared to “Top Gun: Maverick”. It is quite unfortunate that many will; I will do my best not to, and to judge this film by its own merits instead. Besides, this movie is very different in tone, story structure, and the fact it’s based on a true story! “Devotion” is not “Top Gun: Maverick”, and that is a good thing.
“Devotion” is a straightforward biopic elevated by some standout performances from a talented cast! The film is a good enough historical war time drama without ever fully becoming a great film. I still enjoyed it and found it to be quite emotional! It touches on the story of a forgotten war and the hero that should not be forgotten, telling the inspirational true story of Jesse Brown, the first Black aviator in U.S. Navy history, and his enduring friendship with fellow fighter pilot Tom Hudner. Helping to turn the tide in the most brutal battle in the Korean War, their heroic sacrifices ultimately make them the Navy's most celebrated wingmen.
This was a story I didn’t know too much about going into the film, and all I can say is wow was it ever an interesting piece of history! Unfortunately, the real life events don’t necessarily fit the mold of the movie too well, and the film does not feel as compelling because of this. It makes the movie feel somewhat disjointed, which inevitably makes the climax fall flat, as the first two acts don’t fully feel like they build up to this. All the aircraft and flying stuff looked cool, but I never felt it because of this. The first two acts focus more on establishing the friendship and bond, but then when we hit the Korean War in the 3rd act it feels jarring, like we flipped into a different movie, and because of this, most of the action feels lifeless and overall messy and unfocused. There never felt like there was a clear through-line, and the film doesn’t know how to balance exactly what it wants to do without falling into tropes. It especially does some awkward things to avoid falling into the white savior trope, which is good, but could’ve been done in a cleaner way.
The aspect of the film that compelled me oddly enough was not the flying scenes, but instead the character drama between the two pilots and the emotion that came out of that. I am sure this is because of the excellent performances from Glen Powell and Jonathan Majors! They elevated the movie to a whole other level, and both prove why they are the real deal in terms of modern actors! Powell stood out in a small role in “Maverick”, and we see why in this movie! He has so much charisma and this fantastic acting spark, clearly a star in the making! Jonathan Majors steals the show however! Majors kills it with everything he does, and is one of the best actors working today! He shows Brown’s inner turmoil so well, and sells his performance with so much emotion. I loved the two lead performances, but unfortunately when it comes to the supporting cast, the script never really built any of the secondary characters up so those actors did not have too much to do. Luckily Majors and Powell more than make up for it, and I love their chemistry together! I loved the brotherly friendship they had; they really sold it so well.
JD Dillard did a very good job with the direction. I loved that he framed this historical movie around the friendship between two pilots, it worked very well and this lens allowed for a more emotional, engaging experience for the audience. The cinematography was good, and there were some cool angles and shots sprinkled throughout, but unfortunately the visual effects still needed a bit of work, as they were spotty in a few places. If I was to compare one thing to “Top Gun: Maverick”, it would be that this film shows why the practically shot plane scenes worked so well for “Maverick”; seeing it all with the actors in cockpits surrounded by CGI just isn’t the same. I also thought the score was pretty good, and really helped to bring out the emotions! It just feels like this film needed one more edit to tighten up the plot and the uneven pacing, as well as to focus it all a bit more. The film is a little long, but ultimately I still enjoyed it! It can be quite generic, but it is a great period piece with performances that really stand out! I liked the basic idea of the movie, I just don’t think they found a way to capture it in a film as well as they could have. Still, if you love war movies, period pieces, or aviation films like “Top Gun”, I’m sure you’ll find something to enjoy with “Devotion”!
Fun Fact: For the dog fight scenes, director J.D. Dillard hired Kevin LaRosa, who oversaw and designed the flight sequences for Top Gun: Maverick (2022).
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