I had no idea, going in, that Devotion was a film based on the Korean war… looking at the poster, I figured WWII so that was a nice surprise for a fairly nice movie. And if I spent a few too many minutes playing “who IS that guy?” at costar Glen Powell, that’s only testament to how good he was in Top Gun: Maverick.

The film’s real star though is Johnathan “eek, it’s Kang” Majors who plays a black aviator in an all white squadron. It’s the malaise following WW2 where everyone seems to be missing the big air battles… but Communism is on the rise and our fly boys are ready to face it. And, you know, have the usual war movie interludes while at it.

This is a basic, nearly by-the-numbers aviation/war flick with the usual squad of characters (including the guy from Brooklyn… there must always be a guy from Brooklyn). It avoids some of the stereotypes at least. And that includes the depiction of racism in the ranks… yes, some people are, most aren’t, and it’s clear the man in question knows the difference. He’s heard much worse before and wants to deal with things on his own terms… and I admire the movie for not pausing to have eloquent Hollywood speeches with a soaring soundtrack.

It’s based on a true story and apparently most of the details are accurate to history. And I have to imagine they are since no screenwriter would have written this ending… and credit to them for telling it true, even if it wasn’t the kind of Hollywood ending the suits could have demanded.

I rather enjoyed this film. It’s a nicely told military film set around a war that usually doesn’t get the attention. Its depiction of race is well managed, earnest, and not Hollywood. Just like most of this flick. I was pleased and surprised.

Score: 82