Devotion

We've all seen war films including WWI, WWII, the Vietnam War, the Middle East War, but other than the film "M*A*S*H" '70, "Devotion" is really the only other film that has the Korean War, or otherwise known as the forgotten war, as its backdrop. Based on a true story, it's a riveting film about comraderie, teamwork and the devotion involved in order to combat any mission.

This story is an aerial war epic based on the best selling book of the same name about the harrowing true story of two elite US Navy fighter pilots, Ens. Jesse Brown (Jonathan Majors) and Ens. Tom Hudner (Glen Powell) during the Korean War. Their heroic sacrifices would ultimately make them the Navy's most celebrated wingmen. It all starts with their training under the command of Lt. Comm. Dick Cevola (Thomas Sadoski) aboard a USS aircraft carrier. Most of the men are single except Brown who has to be concerned for his wife Daisy (Christina Jaxkson). With the comraderie of other pilots including Marty Goode (Joe Jonas), Bill Koenig (Daren Kagasoff), Ed Lavery (Spencer Neville) and Carol Mohring (Nick Hargrove), these guys put together an incredible team that excels in their missions.

Others to round out the cast are Boone Platt as Buddy Gill, Dean Denton as Captain Sisson, Thad Luckinbill as Peters, Joseph Cross as Charlie Ward, Serinda Swan as Elizabeth Taylor and Matt Riedy as Hudner Sr

It was directed with such pathos and determination by J.D. Dillard ("Quick Change" .05, "Judy Goose" '06, "Overheard in NYC" '08, "Mariah" '09, "Sleight" '16, "Sweetheart" '19) plus TV. There was such a chasm of emotion between these pilots in that they'll be like regular guys having comaderie, to seeing another and breaking down with a buddy because they're extremely hurting and anywhere in between. These characters simply cared about each other and this director saw fit that we, the audience could see this. It was surprisingly written well from Jake Crane (shorts) and Jonathan A.H. Stewart (1 short), based on the book by Adam Makos. When I was prepping for this review before viewing the film, I noticed that these writers had virtually no experience in the feature film biz, so I went to see the film with great trepidation. However, after seeing this film, I was amazingly surprised how well thought out this story was as it unfolded before my eyes. it was concise, cohesive, and its sequence was especially spot on. These writers have obviously honed their talent on TV and shorts, and with that have proven themselves as the writers they are. What is interesting is that if this is the quality of their first feature film screenplay, it should be interesting to see what they produce next. The aerial coordination by Kevin LaRosa II was incredibly shot well and looked amazing on the large screen. 

Certainly, if you like war films, this will be a treat for you, however, if it's not your cup of tea, the aerials, acting and photography was incredible. This was exhaustive in its research, so much so, that the audience felt like that could keep them glued to the screen.

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                           Rated: PG-13                                              139mins.