Film Review: “Devotion” Is a Complex Wartime Dad Flick
In Devotion, the biographical Korean War film by J. D. Dillard, United States Navy Officer Jesse Brown (the incredible Jonathan Majors) stares directly at a bathroom mirror aboard the USS Leyte. As the Black fighter pilot draws in a deep inhale, he recites a series of terrible comments he had recorded in a notebook since childhood. With each passing affirmation, the officer tries but fails to hold back tears from descending onto the bathroom sink. After the verbal beating, the grown man regains his composure and heads out to fly his new plane, the Vought F4U Corsair.
Jesse’s three-minute monologue will make the most hardened viewer squirm in their seat. However, this scene is critical as it explicitly shows the anxiety and pressure marginalized people feel when they are the only ones in the room. Devotion may play all the familiar beats of a classic war movie. Still, the film sticks the landing when it devotes its screentime to Jesse’s complicated experience as the first Black United States naval aviator.
Devotion captures Jesse’s partnership with naval aviator Tom Hudner (Glen Powell) during the Korean War. The film opens at the Quonset Point Air National Guard Station in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. It is Tom’s first day on the base, and he must prove his mettle to his new squadron, especially to his wingman Jesse. As the only Black fighter pilot in the Navy, Jesse only knows how to fight his battles alone. So. it makes sense for him not to warm up to Tom immediately. Yet, the two slowly form a budding comradery due to their commitment to becoming the best aviators in their field.
Unfortunately, the cold war between the United States and Russia escalates to new territory as their beef hits Korea. To make matters worse, Lieutenant Commander Dick Cevoli (Thomas Sadoski) commands his team to learn how to fly a new fighter aircraft called the Corsair, aka The Widow-maker, before they take off for battle. Fortunately for Jesse and Tom, they head out on the dangerous mission with their fellow airmen, Marty Goode (Joe Jonas), Bo Lavery (Spencer Neville), Carol Mohring (Nick Hargrove), and Bill Koenig (Daren Kagasoff).
Devotion is a standard “war movie for dads.” That is not a detriment to the film per se, as plenty of great movies cater to middle-aged men’s sensibilities, including but not limited to Top Gun: Maverick, Pearl Harbor, and The Tuskegee Airmen. However, the biopic does not take the genre to new heights. Instead, it applies the same generic tropes that are in many war flicks, such as the difficulties of maintaining a romantic relationship during wartime and the tight bonds men form while on the front lines. With that said, Dillard’s familiarity with the US Navy is an asset to the war picture. As a son of a naval aviator, the seasoned director adds specificity to Devotion, like when Dick lightheartedly labels Jesse a D.N.K.U.A, shorthand for Damn Near Killed Us All, for nearly missing his landing during a test run on the USS Leyte.
Although Devotion stays within the lines of its genre, writers Jake Crane and Jonathan A. Stewart avoid turning the film into another Green Book situation. Certainly, there are times when Jesse spells out to Tom what systematic racism looks like in the military. Yet, what the war movie does differently is that it never treats Jesse as a “magical negro” or transforms Tom into a benevolent “white savior.” Rather, the film portrays the two leads as fully dimensional human beings with warts and all. Jesse may be one of the best pilots in Fighter Squadron 32, but like Maverick from the Top Gun franchise, he has a reckless streak. On the other hand, Tom is a stickler for the rules, even when it does not work in his team’s favor.
There is a moment in Devotion where Jesse and Tom’s dueling personalities collide. In this tense sequence, Jesse confronts Tom about the mission report he submitted to their lieutenant. Jesse argues that their superiors consider him insubordinate because Tom stated in the document that Jesse disobeyed orders (even though Jesse’s actions saved lives). Tom retorts that it does not matter what he wrote down because their battle at the Chosin Reservoir in North Korea was a success. Though the commanding officer includes positive testimonies about Jesse from their peers, the Black pilot tells Tom he let him down. No matter what Jesse does—good or bad—people will always judge him harsher than Tom. Simply put, Jesse expects Tom to be his wingman, not a leaking life preserver.
The argument between Jesse and Tom works on all levels, thanks partly to Majors and Powell’s performances. For one thing, Majors has this innate ability to elevate any scene he is in, even if the material is not up to par (sorry, Lovecraft Country). The actor deposits so much complexity into Jesse by presenting him as a devoted family man, soldier, and friend. It may be intimidating to share the same screen with Majors, but Powell also holds his own against the titan. Sure, he is playing a rehash of his character Hangman from Top Gun: Maverick, but as the old saying goes, “If it ain’t broke, why fix it?”
Ultimately, Devotion is the spiritual prequel to the Top Gun franchise. Not only does the historical biopic include some of the same cast and crew members from the Tom Cruise joint, such as Powell and aerial stunt coordinator Kevin LaRosa, but it also borrows many of its story beats. Nevertheless, the stellar characterizations and performances prevent the film from becoming an exact carbon copy of its predecessor. Though history considers the Korean War as “the forgotten war,” Dillard and his team ensure that Jesse’s life story as a naval aviator will never disappear from history.
