Devotion review: A real-life action-drama takes on Top Gun: Maverick

At first it seems very unlucky dedication released in the shadow of Top Gun: MaverickIt’s completely dominating the 2022 box office. dedication is another film about elite naval pilots, featuring training sequences, plenty of practical effects, and a climactic snow rescue. Also starring Glenn Powell. maverickThe cynical, villainous Ace Hangman. So the real-life pilot Jesse Brown (MCU’s Kang, Jonathan Majors) is overshadowed by super-powered nostalgia over Tom Cruise’s return to one of his most famous roles. It’s easy to imagine a movie story that dedication‘s Korean War-era hardware isn’t nearly as energetic as the jet that became the biggest hit of the year.

on the other hand, Top Gun: Maverick It has reached such a tenuous level of success that it has been able to create a desire for similar material rather than pale in comparison to photographs of other fighter pilots. dedication informal top gun In some ways, it’s a finer, more emotional experience than the calculation of a cruise turned into a winning lap.

dedication It is sometimes called the “forgotten” war because it received less attention than World War II and the Vietnam War that followed. dedication Pilots Tom Hudner (Powell) and Jesse Brown (Major) are members of the Silent Generation more spiritually than technically. Finished. They are eager to serve, but they both understand the gravity of the duties they undertake.

This is especially true for Jesse, the first black pilot to complete the U.S. Navy’s training program. His wife, Daisy (Christina Jackson, who in this story plays a woman who might be called a concerned supporter), is waiting at home with a toddler. Assigned to work with Tom Jessie, who is caught, is initially guarded. Some of the film’s best moments occur during pauses, when Jesse is clearly deciding what and how much to say to his co-workers. He prides himself on his submissiveness, but is too controlled by physical confrontation, and the film argues that Tom’s Ramrod straight-up decency necessarily gives him a complex understanding of racial dynamics. His efforts to help his new co-pilot are not always welcome. His character arc is about his tacit realization that he isn’t actually going to serve as Jesse’s designated white savior.

Most of the time nothing particularly earthquakes or anything unpredictable happens dedicationTom and Jesse are not inseparable, but they do get closer. Their squadron undergoes training and sets sail as the Korean War rages on. The only other notable figure is squad commander Dick Sevoli (Thomas Sadoski), who at one point tells Tom candidly about the lifetime value of “appearing” rather than flamboyant heroism. talk to

Still, the film’s combination of perpendicularity and relative understatement is courtesy of director JD Dillard (Slight), accumulating quiet power. Not everyone grew up idolizing Tom Cruise’s smug Hotshot Maverick, and this is a Navy aviator movie that doesn’t need much speed. It’s not a big canvas. maverickBut it’s compelling, and there’s something satisfying about the way it emphasizes accuracy over power. Find graceful notes, such as the moment you stay pinned to the nose of the plane, or the striking look on Jesse’s pre-flight ritual. He stares at himself in the mirror, reciting every ugly dismissal ever thrown, and Dillard films this with Majors facing directly into the camera while at the same time torturing himself and turning himself into steel.

Photo: Eli Ade/CTMG

That’s much stronger than the film’s occasional attempts to insert modern terminology into its procedures. Most notably, a black military man on behalf of a group working on an aircraft carrier approaches Jesse and tells him: ’” At least the movie doesn’t get to the point where someone tells Tom to confirm his privilege. Something like this works best if the film doesn’t restate the conflict in more modern terms.

dedication It doesn’t feel like a textbook on history or sociology or anything like that. With the help of cinematographer Eric Messerschmidt, he gives the film’s visual tone a quieter, sombre quality and lessens the rough elements inherent in films depicting military conflicts out of context. The film isn’t a particularly sharp depiction of war, but it does a good job of portraying the casualties. Top Gun: MaverickIt’s not particularly fair to compare the two films, but it’s worth noting that this smaller production does more with less effort.

dedication It will debut in theaters on November 23rd.