REVIEW: ‘Devotion’ Soars High Above Other War Epics

Devotion is one of the few war films that also doubles as a character piece, and it excels thanks to its leading man. Based on the book of the same name by Adam Makos,  the film centers on the unlikely friendship between Jesse Brown (Jonathan Majors) and Tom Hudner (Glen Powell). Both men are assigned to pilot the Vought F4U Corsair during the budding days of the Korean War, but Brown also faces the challenges of being the sole Black pilot in the Navy.

This movie is a personal affair for many of the cast and crew involved. For director J.D. Dillard, he saw how his father faced a struggle similar to Brown’s as the sole Black man in a Naval setting. For Powell, who also serves as an executive producer on the film, it was the source material that moved him enough to get the film made. And for Majors, he also had a familial connection as most of his family served in the military. It’s those personal connections that let them give the film an emotional core, and stand out from the rest of the pack when it comes to war epics.

Most of the film lies on Majors’ shoulders, and it’s a task he’s more than capable of. He has a confidence that radiates off the screen, whether it’s in the cockpit of a Corsair or striking up a conversation with Elizabeth Taylor (Serinda Swan) during shore leave in Cannes. The scenes between Majors and Christina Jackson, who plays Brown’s wife Daisy, are utterly heartwarming as well. Whether it’s taking their daughter out on the beach or a late-night dance, it genuinely feels like the audience is watching two people in love. It’s enough to make me wish that the film had more of those scenes, though Jackson makes the most of her screen time.

However, one scene keeps coming back to me. It features Brown staring in the mirror, repeating a string of hateful comments that he’s endured during the years. Dillard chooses to stage this sequence so that Brown is looking right at the screen – making sure they can see his eyes well up with tears and then harden in anger. Majors pours his soul into this scene, making sure that each and every word has weight. And he does the same in another scene with Powell, where Brown & Hudner discuss when to follow rules. “You know how many people have told me to give up, quit, die even?” Brown says quietly, a silent rage underlying his words. “That’s why you can’t always do what you’re told.” Devotion serves as further proof that no matter what role he takes, Majors will give it his all.

Powell more than holds his own as Hudner. While most folks may point out that this is the second aviation-focused film that he’s been in this year, his role as Hudner feels much more approachable & human. Here’s a man who’s used to following the rules and doing things by the book – and over the course of the film, he learns that sometimes you have to step outside the lines. Powell and Majors’ chemistry is instant and magnetic: the two have a number of conversations over the course of the film, and learn more about each other. They’re also willing to fight for each other, whether it’s against a fellow soldier or in the thick of the Korean war.

And speaking of the war sequences, they are intense in the best way. Dillard makes the audience feel like they’re in the thick of war, with bullets flying everywhere and the Corsairs weaving in and out of the enemy’s fire. The third act has enough edge-of-your-seat moments to rival any blockbuster released this year, leading to an emotionally stirring sequence that left me in tears. Cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt brings Dillard’s vision to life with sweeping shots of Naval carriers cutting through the sea, as well as the Corsairs soaring through the snowy mountains of North Korea. And Chanda Dancy‘s haunting score will stick with viewers long after the credits roll.

Devotion is a stirring and soulful war epic that chronicles a lost piece of history and cements Jonathan Majors as a bonafide movie star. Though it may end up breaking more than a few hearts, in the end, it soars high enough to match its ambitions.

Devotion premieres in theaters nationwide on November 23.