“Devotion” remembers forgotten war
The movie “Devotion” (2022) takes place during the Korean war, a war that has largely been overlooked in history. That is why I am pleased to announce that JD Dillard’s new movie not only remembers the brave soldiers who served in the war, but also the hardships that some of them had to overcome. It is refreshing for me to see a new film tackle this major historical event.
The film, starring Glenn Powell and Jonathan Majors, tells the inspiring true story of Ens. Jesse L. Brown, the first African-American pilot in the United States Navy. Throughout the film, Brown faces difficulty and condescension from others, but he was a man who would keep going no matter what obstacles lay in his way. For example, I love how when a reporter interviews him about testing a new flight technique and continually tries to insert race into the conversation, Brown simply refuses to answer his questions and says “I don’t think I’m going to say what you want me to say.”
I was thrilled when Brown’s squadron finally saw action. When I was in the theater watching and the action started, I knew that he would finally show all those who belittle him what he was truly made of. It was also nice to see him rescue the same people who bullied Brown get rescued by him, making Jesse L. Brown the type of hero that anyone can root for.
One of my favorite aspects of the movie was the fact that only the latter half of the movie takes place in a war zone. Similar to Stanley Kubrick’s 1986 classic “Full Metal Jacket”, the first half of the movie focuses on training and life as a soldier, rather than jumping into the action straight away, which many war movies do. While there is nothing inherently wrong with the approach of nonstop action, having quiet parts in the movie away from the war zone as well makes the action stand out more than it would otherwise. I think that this decision is especially great for this movie, since when there is action, it isn’t a choreographed fight, but shows the reality of war: a deadly, chaotic mess.
This movie does a great job of retelling a true account of valor and bravery, as well as informing the audience of the characters’ postwar lives. While this may not be the best war movie out there, for me, it is certainly up there.
