Rating: PG-13 | Runtime: 139 minutes
Release Date: November 23rd, 2022 (USA)
Studio: Columbia Pictures / Sony Pictures Releasing
Director(s): J.D. Dillard
Writer(s): Jake Crane & Jonathan Stewart / Adam Makos (book Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice)

That’s why you can’t always do what you’re told. If I did, I wouldn’t be here.

It’s not easy to tell stories centering a relationship between a Black man and a white man wherein the former is constantly having to teach the latter how not to fly so far beyond anti-racism that he starts adopting the role of white savior as an identity trait. It’s difficult because such depictions can’t help but come off as pandering no matter how earnest the delivery or true to life the events. That director J.D. Dillard and stars Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell are able to allow Devotion to speak from the heart despite this reality says volumes.

Majors plays Jesse L. Brown, the first Black aviator to complete the U.S. Navy’s basic flight training program—an extraordinary feat considering the gauntlet of racially-motivated challenges his character describes throughout the film. Powell plays his wingman Tom Hudner, a Lieutenant transferring into his squadron shortly before they are deployed for real action. None of them have been to “the show” before. Too young to fight in WWII, they wondered if they’d ever do more than drills and exercises when the Korean War begins. They prove up to the task.

While the firefights are obviously a draw in a blockbuster such as this, Devotion is never better than when it dials things back to portray the dynamics behind the scenes. Whether an impromptu invite to a party at the behest of Elizabeth Taylor or small moments such as Jesse discovering his impact with old acquaintances (Joseph Cross’ ‘Alabama’ Ward) or the Black navalmen on his aircraft carrier who see him as a hero in the sky, Majors shows off his expansive range alongside a never better Powell. The drama can get pretty heavy-handed and expose just how sanitized and corny Hollywood productions are compared to grittier indies, but the emotional impact at its back is undeniable.

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Jesse Brown (Jonathan Majors), Tom Hudner (Glen Powell), Dick Cevoli (Thomas Sadoski), Carol Mohring (Nick Hargrove), Bill Koenig (Daren Kagasoff), Marty Goode (Joe Jonas) and Bo Lavery (Spencer Neville) in Columbia Pictures’ DEVOTION. PHOTO BY: Eli Ade COPYRIGHT: © 2022 CTMG, Inc. All Rights Reserved. ALL IMAGES ARE PROPERTY OF SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT INC. FOR PROMOTIONAL USE ONLY. SALE, DUPLICATION OR TRANSFER OF THIS MATERIAL IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.