It is a shame that Devotion was somewhat overshadowed with another somewhat popular aviator movie this year... but, it separates itself with a more grounded and dramatic approach.
Devotion follows the first Black aviator, Jessie Brown, (Jonathan Majors) and his friendship with fellow pilot Tom Hudner, (Glen Powell). At first, the two are at odds with each other, trying to gauge what type of man they were. Overtime the two grow an incredible bond that is extremely genuine as they persevere the struggles of the war and the constant racism Brown endures.
The main relationship of this movie worked incredibly well, the chemistry between Majors and Powell was infectious. Hudner displays a genuine desire to be a good person and stand up for Brown, but his naiveness gets in his way as he does not see his actions are causing more harm than good. This film does a great job of portraying the nuances of racism, some old and some that still are relevant today. It did so very soft handed and as a backdrop of the film, which worked well in delivering the main narrative of this emotional story.
I would have to argue that the action in this film is almost better than Top Gun: Maverick. Almost every action scene is in combat with enemy fighters and anti-air tanks, as opposed to training sessions and montages. This creates a much more tense experience as at any second our main characters could get shot down or killed. The high stakes mixed with great cinematography created a very riveting action experience.
Overall, I had a really great time with this film. It is great balance of action and drama with an ending that brought tears to my eye.
Score: 79% Verdict: Great