A recommendation: Devotion
One of my favorite underrated movies from 2022 is titled Devotion, the "other" fighter jet movie this year (Top Gun: Maverick is great, but so is this one). After originally opening in theaters back in November, it will be available to watch on VOD and home video soon. Make time to enjoy it! I finally caught up with it a few weeks ago and it really moved me. Devotion is much more emotional than I was expecting, it really got me god. A gorgeous film about friends and daring pilots, not so much about flying as it is about who is flying (and what drives them). It has a number of amazing shots and sequences that are complimented by the deeply felt story of connection and bravery. It's right up there with Top Gun: Maverick with a few of its own breathtaking aerial sequences and I'm a bit sad it got lost in that shadow of that one. I hope that it will get the attention it deserves with time once more people give it a look when it's available to watch at home. Doing my part in spreading the good word about Devotion.
Devotion, an aerial war epic based on the book of the same name (Si apre in una nuova finestra), tells 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. Directed by filmmaker J.D. Dillard (also of Sleight and Sweetheart previously). Similar in many ways as a story about pilots, it's grounded in realism and deeply felt emotions, focusing on the relationship between the two heroes.
The three major aerial sequences in the movie are phenomenal, even with CGI touches. Yes they're up there with Top Gun in terms of exhilaration, but they're also real - actual missions they flew during the Korean War. Intense, harrowing, emotional. I was moved to tears by Jonathan Majors performance as Ensign Jesse Brown. Even Glen Powell is better in this than in TG:M, because he's actually allowed to cry, he's allowed to dig deeper into the truly deep feelings of someone who came to love his wingman. It's so beautiful. I wish everyone could have the chance to experience this properly in theaters. It's the right way to enjoy this story, but nonetheless I'm thoroughly impressed by Dillard's filmmaking flourishes and attention to detail. Devotion is 100% worth a watch.
