"Devotion" - Film Review
Top Gun: Maverick is not the only high-flying naval spectacle to hit theatres this year. Devotion is based on the true story of naval officers during the Korean War. Jesse Brown (Jonathan Majors) is the only Black pilot in Fighter Squadron 32. Jesse begrudgingly befriends another pilot, Lieutenant Tom Hudner (Glen Powell). It’s 1950, and there’s a looming threat of war in North and South Korea. Squadron 32 is called to support the efforts by South Korea to fend off their northern neighbors.
Sony Pictures, STX Entertainment
Devotion is a war film, that’s not surprising in the slightest. Yet, the movie doesn’t get to the heart of the conflict until about an hour into the runtime. The beginning is spent half-heartedly recreating sequences reminiscent of Top Gun as Tom, Jesse, and their squadron learn to fly a new style of plane. The film really takes off (no pun intended) when the friendship between Jesse and Tom is given time to blossom.
It’s a shame Majors and Powell are trapped within the confines of a paint-by-numbers war movie. Their chemistry gives the audience a glimpse of what could have been a much more introspective film. It’s the friendship between Jesse and Tom that propels the film forward. Yes, there’s the looming threat of war, but what maintains the audience’s focus is the command Powell and Majors have over the screen. They’re surrounded by other, mostly forgettable, members of Fighter Squadron 32, including a rare acting appearance by Joe Jonas of Jonas Brothers fame. It’s fairly easy for Majors and Powell to stand out among their scene partners, but that doesn’t mean their performances are any less noteworthy.
Sony Pictures, STX Entertainment
Devotion should have been Jesse’s story. There are glimpses of the racism he faces from his fellow squadron members and random people he meets when the team goes ashore. The film also briefly alludes to the fact that Jesse has taken these racist remarks and turned them into a mantra of sorts. Something that he repeats before every flight. When talking with a reporter, Jesse is adamant that he doesn’t want to be known as the Black pilot, he just wants to be a pilot. Devotion seems to respect that, instead focusing on his friendship with Hudner and his bold wartime choices, but Jesse, like all of the other characters, lacks depth. There’s nothing about the way Jesse was written that feels like he was based on a real person. Majors took the small amount he was given and created the best version he could of the character the script gave him, but it wasn’t enough.
Should there only be one space for one naval fighter pilot film to exist in the memory of 2022, Devotion cannot hold a candle to Top Gun: Maverick. Devotion is another example of Majors proving that he is one of the finest young actors working today, but he, and Ensign Jesse Brown, deserved a richer script.
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