00:00Hi, welcome back to my channel. In this video, I will explain the ending of Devotion. So,
00:05let's begin.
00:07Devotion is a 2022 action drama film directed by J. D. Dillard. Spoilers for the film's
00:11ending follow.
00:13The war movie Devotion may not be a box office success, but the aviation drama's ending proves
00:18that feats of extraordinary bravery can occur in real-life conflicts.
00:22After the success of Top Gun, Maverick, Devotion seemed like a surefire box office success.
00:28After military drama starring Glenn Powell as a heroic naval pilot, Devotion seemed
00:32set to recreate the Top Gun sequel's box office impact, or at least manage a commendable performance
00:37of its own.
00:38Unfortunately, this was not meant to be. Devotion was a box office flop, losing millions upon
00:44release.
00:45However, while the latest Powell movie makes Top Gun, Maverick's success even more impressive
00:50in retrospect.
00:51The box office underperformance of Devotion isn't a reflection of its critical impact.
00:56Devotion's true story of Jesse Brown, the first black aviator in Navy history, and his
01:00relationship with his wingman Tom Hudner was met with largely positive reviews.
01:05However, the tragic Devotion ending, which sees Brown die in combat during the Korean
01:09War, might be to blame for the movie's underperformance.
01:13Brown endures a lot of prejudice in Devotion's runtime, but eventually he and Hudner emerge
01:17as a pair of heroes and true friends.
01:20What Happens in Devotion's Ending?
01:22The Devotion movie ending is true to the story that inspired the movie.
01:27After Brown disobeys orders and completes a mission by blowing up a bridge during the
01:30Korea War, Hudner writes up this incident.
01:34Brown is enraged by this, noting that this infraction will be worse for him because of
01:37racial prejudice.
01:39Glenn Powell's Devotion character Hudner is shocked to learn this and does what he can
01:43to make amends, but Brown insists that the best thing that Hudner can do to help is getting
01:47back to work as Brown's wingman.
01:49This proves true in Devotion's devastating ending when Hudner intentionally crashes his
01:53plane to try and save Brown.
01:55Tragically, Hudner is unable to help Brown escape from his aircraft and eventually has
02:00to leave the site.
02:01He is later rewarded for his bravery, but admits to Brown's widow Daisy that he still
02:05wishes he did more to save his colleague and friend.
02:09Daisy notes that his responsibility was not to save Jesse Brown but rather to stay with
02:13him during his last moments, and Hudner tells Daisy that her husband's last words were about
02:17how much he loved her.
02:19Devotion's ending avoids Hudner's post-war life since the movie is pointedly focused
02:23on Brown, Hudner, and their work together as two trailblazers for racial equality.
02:28Why Hudner Reported Brown's Disobedience
02:31Since Hudner and Brown were friends and close co-workers, it can be hard to see why the
02:35latter would have reported the former.
02:37The reasons for this are two-fold.
02:40One is that, as a by-the-book officer, Hudner saw no reason to falsify his report and wanted
02:45to ensure accuracy.
02:47The other, more important reason is that Hudner wasn't aware of how much worse Brown's infraction
02:51would be treated than those of a white aviator.
02:54Where Powell's top-gun, maverick character was a headstrong renegade, Hudner was a rule-abiding
02:59aviator who didn't realize that racial prejudice was such a big part of Brown's life and career.
03:04Why Did Brown Talk to the Camera in Devotion?
03:07While Hudner was clueless when it came to racism, Jesse Brown didn't have the same luxury.
03:12In a series of striking scenes interspersed throughout Devotion, Brown repeats racial
03:16slurs, degrading comments, and hateful rhetoric thrown his way throughout his career.
03:21These fourth-wall-breaking scenes allow Devotion to depict how much racism Brown endured from
03:25his naval superiors and allows viewers to experience the raw impact of this hate.
03:31It is a bracing, unusual directorial choice in an otherwise straightforward biopic and
03:36one that effectively forces viewers into the perspective of Brown, meaning that, by the
03:40time the Devotion ending comes around, no audience member could leave the theater with
03:44Hudner's naivete.
03:46Why Hudner Disobeyed Orders to Save Brown?
03:49Perhaps the most potent moment in Devotion's story comes in Hudner's decision to disobey
03:53orders and what it means for his arc.
03:56After Hudner almost derails Brown's career by reporting on his decision to bomb a bridge
04:00in an earlier mission, Hudner himself then later disobeys orders by intentionally crashing
04:05his plane to help Brown out of his crashed aircraft.
04:08While the rescue mission proved unsuccessful, it is still vital to note that Hudner still
04:12both disobeyed orders and risked his life for Brown.
04:16While Hudner was naive about race relations when he was shocked to learn that Brown would
04:19be reprimanded more than a white officer, for the same actions, his decision to down
04:23his aircraft and risk his life for his wingman proved how much he cared for Brown.
04:27While Glenn Powell's top-gun, maverick role was a smaller supporting part, even Hudner
04:32plays a secondary role in Devotion despite the actor sharing top billing.
04:36It is Jonathan Major's Jesse Brown that the movie revolves around and, as such, the most
04:41pivotal moment for Hudner in the Devotion ending is when he proves that he doesn't
04:44value his life above Brown's survival, what Devotion's ending really means.
04:49Particularly in an institution as regimented as the military, it can be difficult to call
04:54out or even identify racism.
04:56Historians have argued that the Korean War itself was a racist endeavor, thus muddling
05:00Devotion's inspirational message.
05:03However, among individuals who exist in a deeply racist system, instances of transcendental
05:08fraternity can shine despite a background of prejudice and inequality.
05:13Devotion doesn't ignore the real-life war, but its decision to ignore the imperial aspects
05:17of the real Korean War complicates its message about Brown and Hudner's bond.
05:21Nonetheless, the friendship and camaraderie shared by Jesse Brown and Tom Hudner is the
05:25focus of Devotion's story.
05:28Regardless of the racism underpinning the war they fought, Brown and Hudner forged a
05:32bond that managed to survive the racism that Brown faced in the Navy.
05:36The pair were colleagues until Brown's tragic death, and Hudner even got over his devotion
05:40to the rules to try and save his friend.
05:43While the Devotion ending saw Jesse Brown die, the memory of his bond with Hudner lives
05:47on today.
05:48That's all for now folks.
05:50I would appreciate it if you could give the video a super thanks with a thumbs up and
05:53subscribe to the channel, so you can see more content like this every day, take care, bye!
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