Starring: Jonathan Majors, Glen Powell, Christina Jackson, Thomas Sadoski, Joe Jonas, Serinda Swan
OUR RATING: ★★★½
Story:
Action war drama directed by J. D. Dillard. Based on a true story, Devotion (2022) centers on two elite US Navy fighter pilots, Jesse Brown and Tom Hudner (Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell), during the Korean War, who due to their heroic sacrifices and heroism would earn the recognition of some of the Navy’s most celebrated wingmen.
Our Favorite Quotes:
'The real battle in all of life is being someone that people can count on. And that isn't defined in a single moment. You earn that with a lifetime of showing up.' - Dick Cevoli (Devotion) Share on X
Best Quotes
Tom Hudner: Lieutenant Tom Hudner.
Jesse Brown: Jesse Brown.
Tom Hudner: It’s good to meet you.
Jesse Brown: You fly in The Big Show?
Tom Hudner: I did not.
Jesse Brown: Then you’ll fit right in.
Bill Koenig: Gents, this is Tom Hudner. We were in Pensacola together. Hell of a stick.
Marty Goode: Hell of a pretty face too.
Bo Lavery: Almost too pretty.
Tom Hudner: You boys sound lonely.
Dick Cevoli: Fellas, you’re not just here to fly and screw. Because they’re not sitting idle. But with practice, there is not a pilot on this planet who can wipe the a** of a United States naval aviator, and I truly believe that.
Jesse Brown: [over radio] We’re taking a slight detour on the way home. Try to keep up.
Tom Hudner: Say again?
Jesse Brown: Helps to know the plane. You can’t learn everything from a book. Or at the Academy.
Tom Hudner: Well, there’s knowing the plane, and then there’s flat-hatting.
Jesse Brown: [to Tom] What are you going to find out about your wingman cruising at ten thousand feet, Lieutenant? Put him in a little bit of trouble. Who knows, you might get a peek at who he really is.
Bo Lavery: Wait, you ain’t married, are you?
Tom Hudner: No. I’ll start with the Navy, figure out the rest later.
Bo Lavery: Smart man.
'Teamwork, coordination, cooperation, call it what you will, gives the fighter its greatest value.' (Devotion) Share on X
Tom Hudner: You know, I suppose we were born a few years too late.
Bo Lavery: Or too early. The whole world’s looking different. Hell, did you ever think that you’d be in a squadron with a colored aviator?
Dick Cevoli: Now, this is a plane that will get your hands dirty. You’re going to be so close to the action, you’re going to start to think that you made the mistake of joining the Army.
Bill Koenig: And I got to mention, she’s got a rather unfortunate nickname. The Widow-maker.
Marty Goode: Good thing I ain’t hitched.
Bill Koenig: Well, they also call her the Ensign Eliminator.
Tom Hudner: I was supposed to take over my old man’s grocery stores. But I was called to adventure. What about you? What brought you here?
Jesse Brown: Always wanted to fly. Wanted to fly where the best pilots flew. That’d be the Navy.
Carol Mohring: You know what’s not in the manual? How big this damn nose is. How the hell are you supposed to land on a carrier if you can’t see it?
Jesse Brown: Not everything’s in the same place, Carol, but everything’s the same. Just in different places.
Narrator: [over radio] The keynote of fighter tactics in the United States Navy today is teamwork. Teamwork, coordination, cooperation, call it what you will, gives the fighter its greatest value in escorting bombers and torpedo planes on their missions. In enabling fighters to protect other fighters, in winning engagements that may mean the losing, or the saving of a carrier.
'You have to fight them with your head, using your judgment, your skill in plane-handling, and your superior gunnery to turn the odds in your favor. It's a matter of life insurance to make every split-second count.' (Devotion) Share on X
Narrator: [over radio] You have to fight them with your head, using your judgment, your skill in plane-handling, and your superior gunnery to turn the odds in your favor. It’s a matter of life insurance to make every split-second count.
Dick Cevoli: You remember when I told you to get up to speed, and fast? I meant speedier and faster.
Dick Cevoli: You can’t land a Corsair on the Leyte, you get yourself a nice dry-land job in Topeka, or some place even s**ttier, God help you. Either way, start settling up your bar tab, boys. We are leaving Rhode Island.
Jesse Brown: Just because I’m going doesn’t mean I’m fighting, Daisy. That’s the deal, darling. Remember? We knew this day might come.
Daisy Brown: And yet it doesn’t make it any easier. But we’ll be okay. Mad, but okay.
'It's good to know the men you're flying with. See what they're fighting for.' - Tom Hudner (Devotion) Share on X
Daisy Brown: You never met a plane you couldn’t land, Jesse.
Jesse Brown: This plane will be the death of me.
Daisy Brown: [to Jesse] Your instincts are one of the few things in this world that I trust. And if you can’t trust that plane, you got to put it in whatever will get you down safe.
Jesse Brown: [to himself] You ain’t s**t. You ain’t never land in that plane.
Dick Cevoli: Top marks go to Lieutenant Hudner with the only perfect grade. Which brings us to Ensign Brown.
Marty Goode: D-N-K-U-A!
All: Damn near killed us all.
Tom Hudner: Your husband’s quite the aviator.
Daisy Brown: Well, he must feel the same way about you. Because you and Carol Mohring are the only boys from Fighting 32 that he has ever invited over.
'Just because you think you know better doesn't mean you have to say anything.' - Jesse Brown (Devotion) Share on X
Tom Hudner: It’s good to know the men you’re flying with. See what they’re fighting for.
Daisy Brown: I like that. And what about you, Tom? What are you fighting for? God, country, and honor aside.
Tom Hudner: You know, Mrs. Brown, I’m hoping to find that out.
Daisy Brown: [referring to Jesse] Don’t be fooled by his strong, silent act, by the way. He trusts you, I swear, he’s the funniest man you’ll ever know.
Tom Hudner: I can’t say he’s shown me that side yet. Something to look forward to.
Daisy Brown: Well, you’re about to spend a lot of time together.
Tom Hudner: Lot of time in very small spaces.
Daisy Brown: [to Tom, referring to Jesse] Second he steps on that ship and into that plane, I can’t protect him anymore. So I need you to be there for my Jesse.
Daisy Brown: Just be careful.
Jesse Brown: Worst thing that can happen to me is a bad sunburn.
Daisy Brown: You come back as black as you like, as long as you come home.
'I can't tell you how many times people have told me to give up, quit. Die even. That's why you can't always do what you're told. If I did, I wouldn't be here.' - Jesse Brown (Devotion) Share on X
Daisy Brown: [to Jesse] You’re the only person I ever met belong in the sky. Just remember, you belong down here with us too. Okay?
Bill Koenig: I am getting tired of getting ready.
Marty Goode: I’m tired of living in this floating sardine can.
Bill Koenig: I’m tired of you smelling like one.
Bo Lavery: That’s what men smell like. Something to look forward to one day, Fritz.
Journalist: Your commanding officer called you one of the best pilots he’s ever seen, regardless of color.
Jesse Brown: That’s kind of him to say, but I can’t say I’m special.
Journalist: Well, it must be hard, right? It must be hard being the only…
Jesse Brown: A naval aviator? Absolutely. Landing planes on carriers, it’s the toughest job there is for anyone wearing wings.
'Most wars are forgotten. All the men who fought in them, and all the medals they won. Heroes and hardware fade to the back of the history books because it's not about war.' - Dick Cevoli (Devotion) Share on X
Jesse Brown: I worked hard to fly these planes. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. Harder than I can put into words.
Dick Cevoli: [referring to Mohring] Some people are going to tell you that this is what you signed up for. It’s not. Let’s be real clear. We lost a friend. And that is not easy.
Tom Hudner: Mistakes get us killed, Jesse. You don’t die if you do what you’re told.
'My heart hasn't been to the earth since the first time you kissed me. And when you love me, you send it clear out of this world.' - Jesse Brown (Devotion) Share on X
Tom Hudner: We’re not even at war, and we’re losing men. Good men. It’s just a tough pill to swallow when there’s nothing to blame.
Jesse Brown: I can’t tell you how many times people have told me to give up, quit. Die even. That’s why you can’t always do what you’re told. If I did, I wouldn’t be here.
Trailer: