Devotion movie storyline. Set during the Korean War, this visceral film tells the story of the US Navy’s first Black aviator and his dedicated wingman, pilots who both confront geopolitical uncertainty and racist hostility with uncommon valour.
Lieutenant Tom Hudner (Glen Powell) is a naval aviator who has transferred to Rhode Island. He walks into the locker room and hears a stern commotion coming from the restrooms. Ensign Jesse Brown (Jonathan Majors) walks out and asks if he’s the transfer.
Hudner meets the other guys in the Fighter Squadron 32: Carol Mohring (Nick Hargrove), Bo Lavery (Spencer Neville), Marty Goode (Joe Jonas), and Bill Koenig (Darren Kagasoff), led by Lieutenant Commander Dick Cevoli (Thomas Sadoski) who shows them intel that Stalin and the Soviets tested their own bomb and it won’t be long until they strap it to a bomber. Cevoli assigns Hudner with Brown.
In the air, Brown flies without thinking about risks. He’s always in control, just not by the book. They take a detour on the way home. Hudner follows him because a wing-man never leaves his partner. The flying isn’t what Hudner is used to. Brown even nose dives in a residential neighborhood and if you look closely, a nice lady, Daisy Brown (Christina Jackson), stands in her front yard waving at them as they pull up at the last minute.
Back in the locker room, Hudner asks Brown what was up with that. Brown replies “the only way to find out about your wing-man is at 2,000 feet.” Hudner asks if he wants to grab a beer to get to know him, but Brown declines. He does not drink.
Cevoli has the squad over to his house for clams. Hudner tells Lavery he signed up with the Navy right after hearing about Pearl Harbor. He graduated one month after the war ended. Lavery says life doesn’t turn out like you plan, “I mean, did you ever think you’d be in a squadron with a colored aviator?” Hudner dodges the question and moves to the food.
Brown drives home. He waves to a neighbor who is not happy to see him. He tiptoes inside and scares his wife, Daisy, as she’s painting the hallway walls. They have a fun, loving relationship and a three-year-old daughter, Pam.
Cevoli briefs the team. A recon plane washed ashore with bullet holes underneath. The team will now prepare to be ready for the Russians in a new type of plane, aka widow maker. The engine is one of the most powerful things these pilots will fly behind. Throttle too much, and she’ll spin you over. There’s enough torque to flip a house. The pilots must go easy.
Devotion is a 2022 American biographical war film based on the 2015 book Devotion: An Epic Story of Heroism, Friendship, and Sacrifice by Adam Makos, which retells the comradeship between naval officers Jesse Brown and Tom Hudner during the Korean War. It is directed by J. D. Dillard and written by Jake Crane and Jonathan Stewart. The film stars Jonathan Majors as Brown and Glen Powell as Hudner, along with Christina Jackson, Daren Kagasoff, Joe Jonas, Nick Hargrove, Spencer Neville, and Thomas Sadoski in supporting roles.
Devotion premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in IMAX at the Ontario Place Cinesphere on September 12, 2022, and was released by Columbia Pictures through Sony Pictures Releasing in the United States on November 23, 2022. While it received positive reviews from critics and audiences, it was a post-COVID-19 box-office bomb, grossing only $21.8 million worldwide against a $90 million budget.This marked the final appearance of the 2014 cloud transition of the Columbia Pictures logo.
Devotion (2022)
Directed by: J. D. Dillard
Starring: Jonathan Majors, Christina Jackson, Joe Jonas, Thomas Sadoski, Glen Powell, Serinda Swan, Rossy de Palma, Daren Kagasoff, Hadije Aliu, Michael P. Walker, Christie McLendon
Screenplay by: Jake Crane, Jonathan A. Stewart
Production Design by: Wynn Thomas
Cinematography by: Erik Messerschmidt
Film Editing by: Billy Fox
Costume Design by: Deirdra Elizabeth Govan
Set Decoration by: Merissa Lombardo
Art Direction by: Danny Brown, Erik Louis Robert, Jeremy Woolsey
Music by: Chanda Dancy
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for strong language, some war action/violence, and smoking.
Distributed by: Sony Pictures Releasing (North America), STXfilms (International)
Release Date: November 23, 2022
Devotion, Devotion 2022, Jonathan Majors, Christina Jackson, Joe Jonas, Thomas Sadoski, Glen Powell, Serinda Swan, Rossy de Palma, Daren Kagasoff, Hadije Aliu, Michael P. Walker, Christie McLendon
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