Film tells the heroic story of Ensign Jesse Brown, the U.S. Navy’s first black aviator, and fellow pilot Lt. Tom Hudner
From left, “Devotion” tells the story of U.S. Navy pilots Jesse Brown (Jonathan Majors), Tom Hudner (Glen Powell), Dick Cevoli (Thomas Sadoski), Carol Mohring (Nick Hargrove), Bill Koenig (Daren Kagasoff), Marty Goode (Joe Jonas) and Bo Lavery (Spencer Neville). Ensign Brown and Lt. Hudner became close friends., and the friendships between their families have continued to this day.
Jesse Brown, the U.S. Navy’s first black aviator, demonstrated his courage during the Korean War.
Another part of that true story is Ensign Brown’s friendship with Lt. Tom Hudner, a Navy aviator. The two worked together to serve America, and their inspirational story is told in “Devotion.”
The Columbia Pictures movie is based on the book by Adam Makos. In their adaptation of “Devotion,” writers Jake Crane and Jonathan A.H. Stewart tell a straightforward narrative from Ensign Brown’s and Lt. Hudner’s points of view. Director JD Dilliard, who’s also one of the film’s executive producers, stays true to that approach and makes the film compelling.
first black aviator.
Most of all, stars Jonathan Majors and Glen Powell do a great job. As Ensign Brown, Mr. Majors shows the pilot’s love for his country and family, and the film deals with the racism that Ensign Brown faced in the world at large and sometimes within the Navy.
Mr. Powell previously showed his talent for playing heroes when he portrayed astronaut John Glenn in “Hidden Figures,” the 2016 film based on Margot Lee Shetterly’s book about Katherine G. Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) — the brilliant and heroic black women whose mathematical skills helped to put Mr. Glenn in Earth’s orbit and bring him back safely.
In “Devotion,” Mr. Powell uses a similar approach to playing Lt. Rudner and, with a bigger role than what he had in “Hidden Figures,” shows how much Lt. Rudner cared about his friend. In fact, as the movie later explains, the families of Lt. Rudner and Ensign Brown have remained close friends to this day.
“Devotion” shows Ensign Brown’s family life in careful detail. He had a wife and young daughter. Christina Jackson does a great job in showing the emotions and personal strength of Daisy Brown, Ensign Brown’s wife.
Thomas Sadoski (HBO’s “The Newsroom”) stands out among the supporting cast as Dick Cevoli, the division leader for Lt. Hudner and Ensign Brown. Cmdr. Cevoli served as the executive officer in Fighting Squadron 32 on the USS Leyte aircraft carrier. The squadron provided air support for the American ground troops fighting the Chinese during the Korean War.
The film demonstrates the heroism of Ensign Brown and Lt. Rudner with clarity and accuracy. By the end of “Devotions,” it’s easy to see why Ensign Brown became such a great inspiration for the many other black individuals who followed him into the air as pilots in the American military.
email: dmason@newspress.com
FYI
“Devotion” is now screening at Paseo Nuevo Cinemas on lower State Street, Santa Barbara (metrotheatres.com), Camino Real Cinemas, 7040 Marketplace Drive, Goleta (metrotheatres.com); Regal Edwards Santa Maria, 100 Town Center East, Santa Maria (regmovies.com); and Movies Lompoc, 227 W. Barton Ave., Lompoc (playingtoday.com).
For more about Ensign Jesse Brown and Lt. Rudner, read “Devotions” by Adam Makos, which is available at bookstores and amazon.com. You also can find a summary of Ensign Brown’s life and naval career at 1dayforthekia.org/ensign-jesse-l-brown.
