Devotion

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.