Devotion

"In America’s forgotten war, they made history."

2022 2h 19m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

★7.0TMDB · 865

WarDramaHistory

Synopsis

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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.

“In America’s forgotten war, they made history.”

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Cast

Jonathan Majors
Jesse Brown
Glen Powell
Thomas J. Hudner Jr.
Christina Jackson
Daisy Brown
Thomas Sadoski
Dick Cevoli
Daren Kagasoff
Bill Koenig
Joe Jonas
Marty Goode
Spencer Neville
Bo Lavery
Nick Hargrove
Carol Mohring

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: J.D. Dillard
Writers: Jake Crane, Jonathan Stewart
Languages: English, Italian
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Mid-budget at $90M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 24% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 4 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Italian.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by J.D. Dillard, shot by Erik Messerschmidt. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Chanda Dancy. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Billy Fox shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell and Christina Jackson carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

J.D. Dillard directs. Erik Messerschmidt behind the camera. Chanda Dancy scores. Billy Fox cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Italian.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Mid-budget at $90M — the now-extinct middle tier of Hollywood.
2Earned back only 24% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 4 years ago.
4Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Italian.
5Directed by J.D. Dillard, shot by Erik Messerschmidt. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
6Original score by Chanda Dancy. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
7Editor Billy Fox shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
8Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell and Christina Jackson carry the top of the cast.
9Marketing tagline: "In America’s forgotten war, they made history.".
10IMDB entry: tt7693316 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Released under 17 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Erik Messerschmidt
Original score: Chanda Dancy
Editing: Billy Fox
Production design: Wynn Thomas
Makeup / hair: Nancy Cummings
VFX supervisor: Hitesh Bharadia
Sound: Joel Dougherty
Stunt coordinator: Keith Woulard
Runtime: 139 min · 2h 19m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $90,000,000
Box office: $21,768,133
Return: 24% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): PG-13
IMDB: Devotion (2022)

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J.D. Dillard

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Manuel São Bento2022-11-29
★ 7/10
FULL SPOILER-FREE REVIEW @ https://www.msbreviews.com/movie-reviews/devotion-spoiler-free-review "Devotion tells a character-driven story with emotionally complex protagonists, proudly focusing on honoring forgotten heroes and interestingly developing moral themes despite the somewhat repetitive structure. It may not have the energetic, intense action of "that other planes flick", but it doesn't need to either, as the film's engine is found in the in-depth arcs of each character. Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell are phenomenal, bringing tremendous authenticity to their roles and interactions. A character study that won't have the success of its genre counterpart but that deserves to be seen on the big screen." Rating: B
Nathan2023-02-01
★ 8/10
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
CinemaSerf2023-02-13
★ 6/10
Glen Powell again dons his flying suit for this passable tribute to two fighter pilots who fought during the Korean war. He is Tom Hudner, whom together with Jesse Brown (Jonathan Majors) became joined at the hip as the latter became the former pilot's wingman. They both joined the US Navy at around the same time and their bond is little short of brotherhood as they undergo combat training and then combat itself together. It's on one such mission that that friendship is tested to the extreme... This is a well produced and good looking film that illustrates well the extent of loyalties and inter-dependencies of these men on each other and on their equipment. It also demonstrates the dangers of warfare, even for those flying at great speed several hundred feet up in the air, and it does both quite well. The acting, though, is a little dry with there actually being little chemistry between the two men here. The writing is adequate and there is plenty of airborne photography to bring it alive, but somehow that sense of brotherhood is just lacking. History tells us that this is true, and like so many wartime stories serves to illustrate that racism has no place in anyone's heart. It is way less gung-ho and ye-ha than many of this genre which is good - I just wish they had cast it a bit more strongly.