User Reviews

This movie's reviews are absolutely fascinating. Everyone (this reviewer included) sees different things in this movie.

My view, as a female pilot who learned to fly in the mid 60s, was of a man who loved to fly and what he had to go through, but even that is just a part of what this is about.

He was a strong family man and friend. Some reviewers said he had problems with his squadron - I didn't see any of that. In fact the opposite - they were all strong personalities who teased one another and looked out for each other.

The flying segments were incredible - I have flown all of the formations in a T-6, including the missing man formation that was flown at the end of the film on the beach. Brought the tears.

The war portion was the most intense I have ever seen - and I truly think it was because it was in "slow motion", given the speed of the Corsairs, versus the jets of most war movies of today.

This movie is not like most - it gives us a taste of so many things. And it seems we see the only the parts we want to see most. Try to see it all.

I remember 6 years ago I read the book On Hollow Ground. The part of the book that went over Jessie and Tom brought a tear to my eye. As I read, all I thought to myself was "wow if this story ever gets a movie they better get it right"...I really wish they did. The movie should have focused more around the connection between the grunts on the ground and the pilots. The movie did not express how absolutely crucial it was for close air support and the terrible conditions it was for troops in combat. One of the main reason Marines in the Chosin Reservoir were able to hold out and eventually make it back to the sea was because of Men like Jessie. That connection did not seem present in the movie.

Please if you are reading this then take my recommendation and read the book. I promise you will be satisfied.

This movie is about war and love. It is about struggle and victory. And above all else, it is above racism and brotherhood. And the latter doesn't only come from same coloured brothers, but from two wingmans that are black and white.

After the hugely successful second installment of "Top Gun", Paramount treats us with another excellent aviator movie. This time it is not about modern jet powered fighter planes, but instead it is 1950's piston driven aircraft that fight in the Korean war. This where they are even faced against hard-to-battle MiG jet aircraft that have vastly superior flight characteristics.

Above all, this movie is about the struggles of a black aviator. Like a MiG, this man is vastly superior in flying planes. But we see him struggle - as a pilot - not only with his upbringing in a racial America, but also with the racial tensions that still exist in 1950's America: specifically in the military.

And last but not least, this movie is about the inhumane struggles of the military ground troops in the 'hell on earth' of the ground warfare in Korea.

Rich with stunning visual detail and effects, this movie makes one remind of such blockbuster movies like "Pearl Harbor". Combine that with the excellent "Men of Honor", and you have the inspirational ingredients that I found back in "Devotion". And with its relative long length for a feature movie - around 130 minutes - it is by no means too long. The events in the movie developed in such a pace, whereby there is a good mix of action and drama, that the movie is over before you know it. When one comes to think of it, this movie could have easily been extended with some additional content - e.g. From flight school - which could have resulted in a 4-part mini-series.

And let's not forget that this is all based on true events, which gives it all a special dimension.

Overall, this movie deserves a rating of 7.6/10, thereby resulting in an IMDb score of 8 stars. A special note is to be made of Paramount, whom is clearly producing some very excellent (best-in-class) movies/shows since the second half of 2022, whereby this specific movie is rated in january 2023.

Devotion is paced like a documentary rather than a feature narrative film. The plot doesn't have an inciting incident, nor is there really any driving force to give the story purpose. It isn't a plot so much as a portrait of characters who happened to be involved in the Korean War.

It isn't until about halfway through the film that any action is seen, and in the meantime we get a LOT of downtime to examine the relationships between Jesse and his family/Jesse and his aviators.

These sequences are very often touching and compelling, providing profoundly satisfying insights into the dichotomy of loneliness and brotherhood that war offers. This-along with the film's excellent acting, capable visual direction, and moving musical score-makes Devotion a frequently captivating experience.

But because the story doesn't have a sense of momentum and cause/effect between sequences, it's far more forgettable than the filmmakers wished for it to be.

As a film that advertises as a Korean War film about aviator Jesse Brown it takes more than half the move to get there. A few cliché moments, but overall it wasn't terrible. My biggest issue with the script is that it is very much a collection of scenes and not a story. It's a this happened and then this happened etc. Instead of this happened therefore this happened. It's not a story... I did like the film for the most part I just wouldn't say it was anything groundbreaking. It was "okay"... at one point I found myself looking back at an earlier point in the film and I thought, "the pay off of that moment was completely thrown away because of blatant bad writing" I think it's worth seeing for sure I love history and honoring those who came before but it's not something I'll watch again probably.

LIKES

Setting

• Brings you back to history and establishes the historical feel

-The houses, the cars, and the culture are all embedded in various shots that should be nostalgic -Loved the feel of the shots and how they captured the culture without getting lost -The naval set may not have been explored, but the parts they did feel much like Pearl Harbor, very ingrained and focused on the stressful platform they are on.

• The European setting did this the best for me, especially the casino scene for the look of the times

Wardrobe -Helps further establish the mood and bring you back to the past -Functional, good looking, and almost acts as an extension of the character -Very calmed down for the most part, and only gets fancy for the right scenes, again establishing the emotion of the film.

-Makeup goes well to accent without going into the complex makeup Hollywood can do.

The Action To An Extent -The scenes are awesome and don't get too violent , helping to curb to both -Great special effects that bring both audio and visual components to the mix that make it theater worthy.

-Feels like a real mission, with cutting through the fat and setting up the parameters making the mission even more fun to watch -You can hear the conversation and not lost to the chaos of the moment -A little diverse and capable of helping you easily follow what's going on and fit quite well for the tone of the movie.

The Acting -Most of the extras are fun to watch, and they are mainly comedic or very stoic to make the point across. All of the roles have good chemistry and work for the movie.

-Jackson is the character I really wanted to see a little more of. She was a strong woman that was realistic, balanced, and fun serving as an anchor to the military feel.

-Jackson has some of the best moments and dialogue of the movie, and really does a nice job with the time she has on screen for establishing the family dynamic.

-Powell's performance is even more dynamic than his Top Gun days. He plays these pilot roles quite well, keeps the tough guy component in, but somehow makes the character more dynamic.

-Handled the dramatic dialogue super well, but yet conveyed other emotions. By far the most balanced of the actors for the emotional spectrum.

-That ending is a fantastic display of his range of acting -Majors knows how to play strong roles and he continues that streak with this stoic, focused, and determined pilot role.

-And yet, those vulnerable moments show just how much he has the emotion down, which makes for a great variety of qualities to that character. He plays the pilot real, and does not tread down the invincible superhero that these roles tend to be.

The Music -Symphony scores are the keys to this movie for musical spectacle, worthy of the theater visit.

-Loud instrumental pieces add to the action scenes and give that gallant approach that helps immerse you into the moment and get your adrenaline up.

-Other instrumental works are about capturing the fun times, adding the jazz feel to the party scenes, and the vibrant party tunes for just enjoying life.

-The end moments are that emotional kick you need to appreciate the entire chemistry between everyone, and the inspirational tale that Brown's story is.

The Better Balance: -Deals with the racism component with class and focus and does not rob the movie of the other qualities.

-Drops that component as part of the story and uses it for fuel to paint the characters in the way they needed to be painted.

-Loved the dialogue with this tale and how they did not let it get away from them and again made it natural.

-By taking this approach, we really got the multiple perspectives down that he might have experienced during his time in the Korean War. A true showing of his respectful character.

DISLIKES:

The Other Characters Are Inconsistent -Many characters don't get the screen time they needed to do them justice.

-Much of the other cast runs together and is difficult to tell one from the other or really make them stand out from each other.

-I wanted more interactions with the group and individual personality building with these other teammates.

-Was not connected to most of the rest of these characters, making the group effort a bit weaker

Some Parts Feel Rushed -Training felt very montage like and did not feel the purpose I wanted -Several big moments were over in a flash, which sort of dulled the emotional impact of the moments at time, or at least diluted them.

-Some things felt left out, cut out, and had the editing feel more than others, again giving us highlights of the time instead of the full story they were trying to tell.

-This was especially true for character interactions and development moments that make things feel a bit cheaper to the story that he may have had.

Predictable Foreshadowing -Painfully predictable dialogue really lays out the ending that is to come and just what will happen -The shots kind of give away when something bad is going to happen -The dialogue seems to point you to the way that the "surprise" is going to take place, which of course make it less of a surprise and therefore not as special for me.

More Action Needed -The action may be in taste to the tone of the movie, but it's also rather short-lived and simplified.

-Pearl Harbor had a lot of great magic and dynamic moments to really add that exciting factor, while this one took a more realistic tone and cut straight to the mission.

-The music helps, but it's missing the engaging pilot action that other films do so much better, which takes you a little out of the action.

-The other members are kind of after thoughts, and this leads to again less character usage and integration further making their inclusion less impactful.

-Needed to be longer and more exciting to really live up to the promise of the trailers that pulled me into the movie.

The VERDICT: Devotion is a true marriage of history, drama, and action to the point of captivating the realistic recreation of the events of that time. The special effects and setting are the machines used to take us back in time and establish the culture to help get you into the moment. While the acting performances are the emotional sword wielded to help pull the weight of Brown's achievements on you and craft characters you care about and wish to follow. With sound editing and a musical track pulling a fair amount of weight to help pick up the slack. However, this movie does struggle with the rushed pace of the runtime in a movie and that may be the biggest mistake of the movie for me in terms of not reaching the full potential. Characters are not consistently integrated, to the point I did not need to see them, while foreshadowing sort of blunts the surprise of what might happen to our band of pilots. My biggest let down is the action of the movie. While not the worst action scenes in a war movie, the battles aren't as long or as wow factor as other films have done. Pearl Harbor set the stage for those kinds of scenes and adding that movie magic might have saved face. Overall, Devotion might have done better as a mini-series to help give Brown's story more time to shine and explore the comradery of the group.

My scores are:

Action/Drama/War: 7.0 Movie Overall: 6.5.

When I first saw the teaser trailer for this film I was extremely excited the history and war film buff in me jumped with joy, "finally a Korean war film" alas it is no 1917 or Dunkirk.

While this film offers some great visuals and solid performances from the entire cast it unfortunately never gripped me in any real emotional way. The two actors Johnathan Majors as Jesse Brown and Glen Powel as Tom Hudner both have great chemistry and their relationship is played out well but even with the amount of time they gave to both these characters I just couldn't seem to get attached.

This is also less a film about the Korean war and more about the relationship between these two pilots who fought in the war. Yet whatever the true history is between the two pilots and however many missions they flew together the film never felt to connect them as true brothers of war as I feel they were intended to be. This film contains all of two battle scenes, in a war film? That seems low.

After all this time being excited for this film I cannot help but feel a little disappointed. They had a great opportunity here to depict the Korean war as well as the story between these two pilots but perhaps with better direction, better pacing, and better storytelling this could've been a stronger film. I also feel my fellow audience members were a bit disappointed as well, some checked their phones multiple times and I'm pretty sure I saw someone leave early.

Oh well, it's not terrible but it's far from great. I wonder what Korean war vets, if they go out and see this film would think.

IMDb: 6/10 Letterboxd: 3/5

Watched in Theaters.

I loved this film, a beautifully told story of heroes of a forgotten war, about a friendship based on a trusting relationship, as it should be during times when a human connection is needed. Jonathan and Glen did a fantastic job; they had great chemistry. The film is criticized as boring and not having much action; come on. It is about two heroes, their heroic story, and their duty to their country. I think the movie had a good pace and the necessary battle scenes. The musical score is fantastic. I loved it and enjoyed it very much. Please, don't miss it and see it; it is a great story, don't listen to superficial moviegoers who love to ruin good films. Be your critic.

When paying homage to a war hero, one would assume that the character in question deserves a fitting tribute. Unfortunately, director J. D. Dillard's biography of African-American Korean War aviator Jesse Brown (Jonathan Majors) comes up somewhat short. The film's first half is tediously paced and includes considerable extraneous material, with a narrative that's rather episodic in nature. The characters (other than the protagonist) and the picture's principal themes (including Brown's struggle to fit in to a newly integrated military) also feel somewhat underdeveloped, leaving some of the potentially strongest elements of this story on the table. And, despite an apparent intention to make up for oversights that have caused the Korean conflict to be called "America's forgotten war" (as noted in the film's opening graphics), the picture never really picks up on that idea to any great degree, treating the war as more of a backdrop than anything else. Thankfully, this biography makes up for these shortcomings somewhat in the second half as the story becomes more focused and considerably more compelling, but that's not enough to save the production overall, despite some fine camera work and a solid performance by Majors as the devoted airman. This offering, despite apparent good intents, could really have used some judicious retooling before being released to allow it to live up to its potential and to give Airman Brown the recognition he truly deserved.

Two very powerful performances - surprised that Jonathan Majors is not a big awards season player at the moment -, a compelling story that is never lame, really good action, and, above all, a film full of heart.

It's not a perfect film. The 2nd act is a bit slow and it could have tried to create a bit more tension adding some new elements in preparation for the battle. However, it felt very real and I was so into this story and these characters that I was always enjoying. The third act is fascinating and I can't lie: it broke me into tears. I didn't know the real story, and had no contact with the material, so it was really shocking and impactful.

I'm surprised that this didn't click with a lot of people but I have my suspicions that is because it came this year, so, many people tend to compare it with an action blockbuster called Top Gun: Maverick, while this is a totally different movie. Great war drama.

The writing and directing was too underwhelming to effectively fill in the slowly paced 139 min runtime. There were bits and pieces of suspense and thrills, but for the most part, every scene was stretched out too long with mostly filler and very little substance. The runtime could've have easily been trimmed down at least 40 mins. In fact, there really wasn't much of a story to begin with for a full length feature film. This may have been better off as a short docu-film. Nevertheless, the casting and performances were excellent, and the cinematography and score spot-on. Devotion is not even close to Top Gun caliber in action or story, but if you like this genre, it's an ok one-time watch if there's nothing better to see.

The movie Devotion feels like it was made in the late 90s or early 2000s and I dont mean that in a good way. It takes an interesting story of bravery and sacrifice (all detailed and researched to perfection in Adam Makos book) and it turns it into an Oscar-bait flop. A LOT of liberties were taken with the story and with what the characters were like in real life. This movie turns the real story into mush in an attempt to feed a political oscar bait race. As for the movie itself, it is clunky and misshapen, the cinematography is too dark and stylized for this kind of picture. It looks like a music video! Overall, this is a disappointing movie about a war that needs more attention in cinema.

What a great story, ultimately spoiled by schmaltz... why oh why does American storytelling of true events have to always spin real historical events in this way?

A man that worked so hard to achieve what he did against such odds and undoubted prejudices that still existed in America at that time doesn't deserve to be portrayed as someone who repeatedly pronounced such a level of victimhood.

If the writer's intention was to highlight and reinforce the modern narrative that black men are always confronted by obstacles that other men don't also face, then they do a huge disservice to the real life heroes like Jesse Brown that were fully accepted as brothers in arms by those who stood next to them.

Please, please give it a rest.

I watched this movie open mindedly. I don't know anything about the story, but I do like my war movies. The flying sequences were phenomenal. Couldn't fault them. But the plot/story was very meh. I don't know if they were on a time frame to get it done quickly but parts of the story seem pointless or under developed. Maybe a directors cut will come into in the future which will make the haphazard scenes make sense. Overall it was OK. I did fast forward past some of the scenes which were unnecessary. The best bit though was the flying scenes. Very realistic. From the same guy who did TG Maverick.

The 'Top Gun: Maverick' comparisons are unfortunately hard to shake, but 'Devotion' remains a good flick.

Jonathan Majors produces a very good performance here, particularly in one or two scenes where he is particularly brilliant. Glen Powell, also in that other 2022 film of course, is good too. I don't think their onscreen chemistry is perfect, but I did enjoy watching 'em and respect their (based on real life) characters.

The look of the film visually is pleasant, good to see them use practical effects; aerial stunt coordinator Kevin LaRosa worked on this, having, you guessed it, worked on that 'Top Gun' sequel. Towards the end, I thoroughly enjoyed the music - it sets the tone for the conclusion ideally.

Somewhat of a shame this didn't come out a few years earlier or later than it in fact did. I still dig it on its own merits, all the same.

This is the first film I have seen in a while that felt like cinema. The opening montage of shots of the airplane was something I have not seen in film in quite a while. The cinematography is breathtakingly beautiful and poetic. Expect to see cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt nominated during Oscar season. J. D. Dillard also deserves an Oscar nomination for his ability to visually portray human emotions. The acting is great, allowing the actors to establish presence and bounce off each other. The story of friendship and brotherhood is extraordinary. There are a few pacing issues but they're not distracting. The film did not feel over two hours long. Definitely worth catching on the biggest screen you can.

I watched it expecting to be moved to tears. By the end of the movie I felt as though every storyline fell flat. The story with his family was forced and the actors lacked chemistry. The story line with regards to his struggles as a black man seemed washed over. The brotherhood storyline also fell flat. It didn't hold my attention nor did it encite an emotion from me. It had so much potential. I was however surprised at how much I like Glen Powell and how he played his character. I think if they had written this right him and Majors could have really done something great but unfortunately the writing was bland.

The director did a fantastic job of balancing the amount of actual fighting time with the amount of time to tell the story of the main character. It starts off feeling a little "top gun" but moved to the uniqueness of the time period after WW2 and the Korean War. Many of the pilots earned their wings after WW2 ended and haven't seen fighting before.

In addition to presenting a view into the forgotten war in Korea, it also focuses on a black pilot. Jesse is the only black man in the group of aviators in the movie and through the dialogue viewers are reminded of the differences in his path and that of the white pilots.

Overall it is a great film with an engaging story.

Expecting an emotional top gun movie, you can pick out the similarities between them but this is less blood rushing fun and a more meaningful story to tell. Story ain't much but the characters performances elevate it, especially Jonathan Majors as Jesse brown who carries the emotional side of the movie.

Still has action, but it's not trying to wow you like top gun, it's scarcely there for the runtime but the action scenes are riveting and get your heart pumping looking at how close some calls are once it starts. They don't feel like a movie, more like the action is right there in front of you remembering it's a true story. It's a war movie, not an action movie, more of a war drama. Reminds me of Tom hanks movie Greyhound. Sure the flashy mid air combat maneuvers of top gun would have been nice to see, but it would've ruined the aura of what this movie was meant to be. It's not there to show how cool flying a fighter jet is, more of showing us the personal lives of those flying them.

Race isn't as prevalent a theme as I thought it'd be, it's more than evident sure but takes it's time to finally focus on Jesse as a main character. I like that it doesn't milk the race card, it's instead sprinkled and Jesse's physical restraint to confronting it aids that. Would've helped adding more depth to the movie though, I didn't care as much as I should've for the characters, I was rooting for them but the ending needed more than that to have the full effect but I guess you can't change a true story. Also, despite sharing majority of the screen time Tom isn't as explored as Jesse, of course Jesse is the lead but Tom felt too wafer thin.

It's pretty straightforward, no dramatic twists so it might not be as thrilling. Plot development is a little slow, still keeps you interested. I wouldn't say the movie is anticlimactic because the action scenes definitely give that but it feels like they were going placed in the middle, not for the big finale.

I did enjoy that it wasn't just some run of the mill sappy ending yet still carrying the emotion. I didn't like the camera work at the end, it looked like the camera man was running on foot and unsteady.

It's not the best war movie out there but it's not a bad watch. With glen powell featuring in both top gun maverick and devotion I guess it's hard not to compare as they came out in the same year.

Top guns more about flare, this is more emotionally moving. It's about the first black navy aviator but also about his friendship with his wingman Tom. They're not entirely thick as thieves even though Tom's tryna be but they get closer as the movie goes on. They did a good job at portraying a brother at arms relationship, not with the two only but everyone in it. It might not stir up as much buzz as top gun but even with it's imperfections it's still worth a watch.

I don't know if it's because the movie was made during covid or what, but it all seems off. Devotion is uneven, awkwardly paced and occasionally incoherent. There are minor time jumps that don't make a lot of sense and I think that's an editing and coverage issue. The story drags, is one cliche after another, and it says nothing interesting about the war or the time period. On top of this, any comparison to Top Gun is laughable. They used the same flight choreographers, but then caked it all in bad CGI. It's a shame this true story went down this way. Who let this balloon into a 100 million dollar movie? Overall, it's an artistic and business failure.

As a viewer that did not read about the subject prior to watching the film, Devotion was shocking. The last fifteen or so minutes of the movie moved me but everything before that did not have nearly the same effect. There were some production questions that came to my mind: why weren't the wingmen looking at the aircraft next to them when flying in formation; how could a fully commissioned officer and pilot let an enlisted Marine speak to him like he did without throwing UCMJ charges against him; how was the aim of the Chinese anti-air so poor? Perhaps I'm taking the movie too seriously. It is an inspiring tale of friendship but I think it would have made a better short story than a feature-length film. I am inspired to read the book, however.

The book is excellent and the story and the heroism by Ensign Jesse Brown (and his wingman) is remarkable. This movie is just poorly written and executed, even by today's Hollywood standards, which unfortunately are extremely low (we don't have the noteworthy blockbusters of the past).

This movie could've done with a proper director and writing staff, a proper story line. Absolutely nothing happens in the first part of the movie, the last half picks up and for that I'm giving it a solid 6.

The main cast is great with Jonathan Majors and Glenn Powell, they're chemistry was natural and authentic. Especially considering that Ensign Jesse Brown, in real life, was known for not socializing much even though he had a strong bond with his flight unit. Jesse Brown preferred to spend every minute possible with his family, this wasn't captured in the movie. Also, Jesse Brown's journey to becoming a naval aviator in the 40s is very important but completely left out of the movie.

All of this to say, you can tell the film was rushed and efforts missed, but still an important film as I believe as a history buff more people show know what Jesse Brown did for America and his contributions to the Korean War as well breaking barriers.