Jonathan Majors

Glen Powell

Christina Jackson

Thomas Sadoski

Daren Kagasoff

Joe Jonas

Spencer Neville

Nick Hargrove

Boone Platt

Dean Denton

Thad Luckinbill

Joseph Cross

Serinda Swan

Matt Riedy

Logan Macrae

Kenneth Trujillo

Adetinpo Thomas

Emily Brinks

Aleks Alifirenko Jr.

Buddy Watkins

Erik Bello

Darin Toonder

Grant Henley

Victor Zheng

Percy Bell

BettyLynn Allison

Alexander Goldstein

Elizabeth Harlow

Joshua Whichard

Christie McLendon

Hadije Aliu

Arianna Rosario

Akhil Jackson

Samuel Roberts

Donna Fishman

Michael P. Walker

Julie Kessler

Thomas Bekkers

Isaac March

Hunter Gray

Daniel García

Jack Friddle

Cedar Moore

Michael David Anderson

Chris Davidovicz

Jeff Burhans

Stephanie Ehatt

Sandy Burhans

John King

Ava Michelle Thompson

Zach Catanzareti

Todd Brown

Gigi Paris

Scott Andersen

J.D. Dillard

Jennifer Hodges

Spencer Davis

Dhyana Forte

Aida Scuffle

Michael White

Merissa Lombardo

Michael Ward

Arnold Chon

Kent De Mond

Erik Louis Robert

Jeremy Woolsey

Nancy Cummings

Jennifer Semler

Danny Brown

Jacenda Burkett

Kelly Jones

Maha

Dani Maslaney

Matt Dengel

Billy Fox

Chris Diamantides

Alvin Chon

Benjamin Hinnant

Tamara-Lee Notcutt

Wynn Thomas

Sincere Gilles

Lia Malamo

Hitesh Bharadia

Irenia Vail

Deirdra E. Govan

Charmaine Balcerzak

Dominique Fernet

Erin Haus

Brian Neal

Steven Legate

Jordan Scott

Cannon Smith

Judd Wild

Gino Woulard

Keith Woulard

Joel Cash

Brian Connor

Laura Dunkley

Asha Joseph

J.D. Schwalm

Xinyi Puah

Kacie Guggia

Diana Bredin

Geoff Anderson

Terae Dewitt

Nealy Orillion

Mark Gullesserian

Dalia Dalili

Erik Messerschmidt

Jake Crane

Jonathan Stewart

Ryan A. Sullivan

Joel Dougherty

Robert Simonds

Adam Makos

Molly Smith

Rachel Smith

Trent Luckinbill

Chanda Dancy

Drama

Action

Devotion

Black Label Media

STXfilms

United States of America

Manuel São Bento

FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/devotion-spoiler-free-review

"Devotion tells a character-driven story with emotionally complex protagonists, proudly focusing on honoring forgotten heroes and interestingly developing moral themes despite the somewhat repetitive structure.

It may not have the energetic, intense action of "that other planes flick", but it doesn't need to either, as the film's engine is found in the in-depth arcs of each character. Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell are phenomenal, bringing tremendous authenticity to their roles and interactions.

A character study that won't have the success of its genre counterpart but that deserves to be seen on the big screen."

Rating: B

Nathan

It is a shame that Devotion was somewhat overshadowed with another somewhat popular aviator movie this year... but, it separates itself with a more grounded and dramatic approach.

Devotion follows the first Black aviator, Jessie Brown, (Jonathan Majors) and his friendship with fellow pilot Tom Hudner, (Glen Powell). At first, the two are at odds with each other, trying to gauge what type of man they were. Overtime the two grow an incredible bond that is extremely genuine as they persevere the struggles of the war and the constant racism Brown endures.

The main relationship of this movie worked incredibly well, the chemistry between Majors and Powell was infectious. Hudner displays a genuine desire to be a good person and stand up for Brown, but his naiveness gets in his way as he does not see his actions are causing more harm than good. This film does a great job of portraying the nuances of racism, some old and some that still are relevant today. It did so very soft handed and as a backdrop of the film, which worked well in delivering the main narrative of this emotional story.

I would have to argue that the action in this film is almost better than Top Gun: Maverick. Almost every action scene is in combat with enemy fighters and anti-air tanks, as opposed to training sessions and montages. This creates a much more tense experience as at any second our main characters could get shot down or killed. The high stakes mixed with great cinematography created a very riveting action experience.

Overall, I had a really great time with this film. It is great balance of action and drama with an ending that brought tears to my eye.

Score: 79%
Verdict: Great

CinemaSerf

Glen Powell again dons his flying suit for this passable tribute to two fighter pilots who fought during the Korean war. He is Tom Hudner, whom together with Jesse Brown (Jonathan Majors) became joined at the hip as the latter became the former pilot's wingman. They both joined the US Navy at around the same time and their bond is little short of brotherhood as they undergo combat training and then combat itself together. It's on one such mission that that friendship is tested to the extreme... This is a well produced and good looking film that illustrates well the extent of loyalties and inter-dependencies of these men on each other and on their equipment. It also demonstrates the dangers of warfare, even for those flying at great speed several hundred feet up in the air, and it does both quite well. The acting, though, is a little dry with there actually being little chemistry between the two men here. The writing is adequate and there is plenty of airborne photography to bring it alive, but somehow that sense of brotherhood is just lacking. History tells us that this is true, and like so many wartime stories serves to illustrate that racism has no place in anyone's heart. It is way less gung-ho and ye-ha than many of this genre which is good - I just wish they had cast it a bit more strongly.

The '<a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/top-gun-maverick/" rel="nofollow">Top Gun: Maverick</a>' 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 '<a href="https://letterboxd.com/film/top-gun/" rel="nofollow">Top Gun</a>' 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.