This movie is about war and love. It is about struggle and victory. And above all else, it is above racism and brotherhood. And the latter doesn't only come from same coloured brothers, but from two wingmans that are black and white.
After the hugely successful second installment of "Top Gun", Paramount treats us with another excellent aviator movie. This time it is not about modern jet powered fighter planes, but instead it is 1950's piston driven aircraft that fight in the Korean war. This where they are even faced against hard-to-battle MiG jet aircraft that have vastly superior flight characteristics.
Above all, this movie is about the struggles of a black aviator. Like a MiG, this man is vastly superior in flying planes. But we see him struggle - as a pilot - not only with his upbringing in a racial America, but also with the racial tensions that still exist in 1950's America: specifically in the military.
And last but not least, this movie is about the inhumane struggles of the military ground troops in the 'hell on earth' of the ground warfare in Korea.
Rich with stunning visual detail and effects, this movie makes one remind of such blockbuster movies like "Pearl Harbor". Combine that with the excellent "Men of Honor", and you have the inspirational ingredients that I found back in "Devotion". And with its relative long length for a feature movie - around 130 minutes - it is by no means too long. The events in the movie developed in such a pace, whereby there is a good mix of action and drama, that the movie is over before you know it. When one comes to think of it, this movie could have easily been extended with some additional content - e.g. From flight school - which could have resulted in a 4-part mini-series.
And let's not forget that this is all based on true events, which gives it all a special dimension.
Overall, this movie deserves a rating of 7.6/10, thereby resulting in an IMDb score of 8 stars. A special note is to be made of Paramount, whom is clearly producing some very excellent (best-in-class) movies/shows since the second half of 2022, whereby this specific movie is rated in january 2023.
