Devotion

In an attempt to get caught up on a few movies that I missed last weekend, I opted for another double feature yesterday.  I started with Devotion and I loved this inspirational true story about the friendship between two navy fighter pilots during the Korean War.  When Lieutenant Tim Hudner (Glen Powell) is transferred to Fighter Squadron 32 at the Quonset Point Naval Air Station in 1950, he immediately tries to befriend Ensign Jesse Brown (Jonathan Majors), the first Black airman to complete the Navy's flight training program.  Brown has had a difficult time in the Navy, only able to achieve his position by being strong (he keeps a notebook of every racial slur used against him and repeats them to himself to psych himself up to fly) and occasionally by breaking the rules, so he keeps himself at a distance and initially rebuffs Hudner's attempts at friendship.  Brown eventually relents and invites him home to meet his wife Daisy (Christina Jackson) and daughter Pam.  However, as they are drawn into the conflict in Korea, Brown is angry when Hudner intervenes on his behalf after he disobeys orders in battle saying that he doesn't want Hudner to save him but to be his wingman when it really counts.  I really enjoyed the portrayal of friendship because it is incredibly poignant and Powell and Majors have great chemistry together so the emotion at the resolution feels very earned.  Both leads, as well as the rest of the cast, give great performances but Majors is especially powerful in several scenes which brought me to tears.  The action sequences, most of which involve practical effects with actual F4U Corsair planes, are absolutely thrilling!  I actually felt like I was in the middle of an aerial dogfight with anti-aircraft guns firing all around the planes (I found it comparable to the action sequences in Top Gun: Maverick).  Finally, it was really interesting to learn more about the Korean War because it definitely is America's forgotten war.  This movie got a bit lost in the shuffle over the long Thanksgiving weekend but I definitely think it is worth seeking out because it is really good!