Devotion
review by Bobby Blakey
Fresh off the heels of his fighter pilot status in Top Gun: Maverick, Glen Powell is stepping back into the cockpit, but this time in a Corsair during the Korean War in Devotion. The film co-stars Jonathan Majors who is already taking Hollywood by storm with his upcoming roles in Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Creed III as well as Christina Jackson, Thomas Sadoski and Joe Jonas from director J.D. Dillard at the helm. Could this film do the story of these men justice or will it fail to protect its wingman?
Devotion follows the harrowing true story of two elite US Navy fighter pilots during the Korean War. Their heroic sacrifices would ultimately make them the Navy's most celebrated wingmen.
I must admit when I first started seeing things about this film the trailer and the poster kind of made it feel like a straight to home release so kept my expectations low. Thankfully I was way off and the film is really good with more depth than expected. Obviously when you are dealing with this time period and this cast we will be dealing with elements of racism and things they had to endure just because of the color of their skin.
The cast are all great with Majors and Powell leading the charge on two different fronts that meet in the middle to form a bond that goes beyond the sky. I was surprised the direction it went as it does deal with the discrimination elements, but not in the way you might always think. One of the most powerful moments for me was Majors himself speaking to himself in the mirror and when you hear the explanation is heartbreaking.
Powell is great in the film, but this is yet another performance from Majors
showcasing his star power. Both bring their A game, but its Majors that really steals the show once again. Of course in a movie like this you also want some great dog fight plane action and while it wasn’t as intense as I had hoped it is still really well done. The focus here isn’t just on this aspect so they have balanced it out well and kept it exciting when necessary.
I really enjoyed this film way more than I had expected heading in. It’s a bummer that this film didn’t get a bigger push that is deserved, but hopefully it will still find the audience as it should be seen if for no other reason than to learn the story of these two men and their contributions.
In addition to the film this release offers up bonus content including behind the scenes featruettes and more. Join the dogfight and grab your copy of Devotion available now on digital and then on 4K, Blu-ray and DVD on February 28th from Paramount Home Entertainment.