Devotion
Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) | Release Date: November 23, 2022 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
66
METASCORE
Generally favorable reviews based on 30 Critic Reviews
Positive:
21
Mixed:
9
Negative:
0
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
88
RogerEbert.comRobert DanielsNov 23, 2022
Devotion walks the tightropes between discord and harmony, hard lessons and heroic triumphs, and full-throated allyship and useless white guilt with aplomb. Read full review
88
Boston GlobeOdie HendersonNov 22, 2022
Though it hits all the expected beats, it’s the attention to the little details that makes Devotion take flight. Read full review
83
ColliderMaggie LovittNov 23, 2022
While Devotion may not look to reinvent the genre, it does carve out its own space in this year’s impressive slate of war films. It’s a solid, straight-laced story, that doesn’t shy away from the realities of war or the 1950s. Once it finds its wings in the final act, it soars to a place of real power. Read full review
83
The PlaylistJourdain SearlesSep 17, 2022
The film comes to life when Majors and Powell are in the air. Dillard and cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt make the sky feel vast and alive, threatening to swallow up Jesse and Tom at any moment. Along with the film’s thrilling flight scenes, Majors is the biggest draw of Devotion, showcasing his distinctly masculine vulnerability to portray a man as strong as he is silent. Read full review
80
EmpireKelechi EhenuloJan 27, 2023
With plenty of heart and soul, Devotion is an emotional spectacle, packed with soaring highs and gut-wrenching potency. It's another compelling performance for Jonathan Majors' increasingly impressive resume. Read full review
80
Christian Science MonitorStephen HumphriesDec 8, 2022
The one thing Devotion does bring home is the true meaning of courage. Read full review
80
IGNRo MooreNov 23, 2022
Devotion’s a respectful introduction to heroes the world should know and celebrate. Between J.D. Dillard’s thoughtful direction, the shocking clarity of Erik Messerschmidt’s cinematography, a rousing soundscape, and the tight editing, it’s a riveting drama ready to give even the best aerial war story a run for its money. Read full review
80
Los Angeles TimesKatie WalshNov 23, 2022
Tonally, Devotion remains steady, never going for over-the-top emotion or sensation, simply seeking to express something authentically moving and human. It unmistakably achieves that, delivering a stirring story of friendship during war, and beyond, that is both rare and real. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleZaki HasanNov 18, 2022
Devotion earnestly tells that story in a stolid, straightforward manner, flying admirably high while knowing when to remain grounded. Read full review
72
TheWrapWilliam BibbianiNov 22, 2022
If you can get swept up in a big old-fashioned war picture, Devotion has some of the goods. It’s an incredibly handsome production, and the central performance by Jonathan Majors, as real-life aviator Jesse L. Brown, is layered and impressive. Read full review
70
PolygonJesse HassengerDec 3, 2022
This film isn’t a particularly astute portrayal of war, but it does ably depict sacrifice — something ultimately missing from the movie-star restoration of Top Gun: Maverick. Comparing the two movies isn’t especially fair, but it’s still worth noting that this smaller production is doing more with less. Read full review
70
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Radheyan SimonpillaiNov 23, 2022
Dillard takes every opportunity to interrogate Hudner’s narrative and what it means to be an ally. Whenever Hudner speaks up for Brown or throws a punch on his behalf, we get a revelatory moment observing how self-serving those actions can be. Read full review
70
Screen RantMatthew CreithSep 26, 2022
Devotion soars when least expected and is brought to life by its talented ensemble cast. Read full review
70
VarietyPeter DebrugeSep 22, 2022
Director JD Dillard dazzles with see-it-in-Imax airborne sequences, but the meat of the film focuses on the friendship between Brown (“Da 5 Bloods” star Jonathan Majors) and his white wingman, played by Glen Powell, the “Hidden Figures” actor who most recently appeared in “Top Gun: Maverick.” Read full review
70
Film ThreatAndy HowellSep 22, 2022
This drama is about a real war, actual people, and things that matter. While it probably won’t make a billion dollars at the box office, for my money, a true story well told in a heartfelt way is invaluable and important. Read full review
70
Vanity FairDavid CanfieldSep 17, 2022
Devotion is thoroughly well-executed, but it’s rousing when Majors gets to play outside the box and show you something new. Read full review
67
The Film StageMichael FrankDec 8, 2022
The built narrative struggles against the facts of its plot, unable to find rhythm in a fictionalized version of events. But none of it matters—Brown remains a remarkable figure, a complicated character to study, and impossible not to root for. Read full review
67
Entertainment WeeklyLeah GreenblattNov 23, 2022
Powell and Majors, both born with surfeits of natural charisma, strain mightily to imbue their scant dialogue with deeper meaning, but Devotion, earnest and determinedly earthbound to the end, never really captures the air up there. Read full review
67
Austin ChronicleTrace SauveurNov 22, 2022
Though undeniably sincere and crafted with a sturdy visual sense from cinematographer Erik Messerschmidt, there’s as much rote storytelling here as there is surprisingly thoughtful character work. Read full review
65
Paste MagazineAbby OlceseNov 16, 2022
That it was made with some sense of care for the real-life figures at its center makes it slightly more admirable than other movies of its type. So also does the welcome depth that Majors, the script and director J.D. Dillard give Brown. But outside that sense of commitment, Devotion is an unremarkable experience. Read full review
63
Washington PostMark JenkinsNov 21, 2022
The movie’s climactic sequence is less expected, and a bit messier than the other episodes. It’s powerful because it effectively evokes the chaos and cost of war. Most of the rest of Devotion just apes clunky old war movies. Read full review
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