The mark of a great war movie isn’t in how the battles are depicted, the sheer spectacle of the firefights on the battlefield. It’s in capturing the global consequences of victory or defeat, the struggle of the men and women who fight, and the heavy burden placed on those in command. Movies about World War II capture this better than most because it was truly a battle of good vs. evil. To lose to the Nazis would be unthinkable. For those who are charged with carrying this responsibility, no decision is too small or inconsequential. On the surface, Pressure, about a meteorologist tasked with forecasting the weather on D-Day, might seem like a minor entry. But rarely has a WWII movie with such little focus on the action managed to express the tension behind every life-and-death choice ahead of the war’s most significant conflict.
Andrew Scott stars as British meteorologist James Stagg, with Oscar winner Brendan Fraser as Dwight D. Eisenhower, at the time the supreme commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force. Stagg, a family man with a pregnant wife, is called away from home at the recommendation of Winston Churchill, to aid the Allies in forecasting the weather ahead of the storming of Normandy, France, known as D-Day. Eisenhower doesn’t understand why they even need Stagg when he has his own trusted forecaster, Irving P. Krick, played by Chris Messina. Making matters worse, Stagg doesn’t play well with others. He’s rather off-putting, actually. And if that wasn’t bad enough, Stagg sees a storm brewing that will disrupt the mission, while the other military officials want the attack to proceed as planned, weather be damned.
The title Pressure couldn’t be more appropriate. The stress to do what’s right is seen from multiple perspectives, and all of them gripping. Stagg must decide whether to set aside his principles in order to fit in and get with the program. We see him grapple with compromising his ideals, taking heat from some of the most powerful men in the world, including the grandstanding British commander Bernard Montgomery, played by Damian Lewis.
However, the responsibilty is felt most by Eisenhower. The lives of thousands of young men depend on him making the right choice. Indeed, the fate of the entire world depends on him making the right choice. With the military breathing down his neck, can he trust that Stagg’s forecast is accurate, when Stagg himself can’t even say for sure that it is? The anxiety manifests in a lot of angry outbursts from Eisenhower, and callous treatment of the people around him. That includes Kerry Condon as his loyal aide, Kay Summersby, who acts as a bridge between Eisenhower and Stagg. She’s always there to say whatever these influential, headstrong men need to see this moment through.
Somehow, director Andrew Maras and screenwriter David Haig, adapting his own stage play, manage to make a lot of weather talk extremely exciting. That’s because Haid’s script never keeps the high stakes too far out of mind. We are always well aware of the impact of every meeting, every conversation, every choice that is made. It helps that Pressure also has an incredible ensemble, and this is truly an ensemble. While Scott and Fraser are the big names, every performance works in concert with the others. Scott’s Stagg plays it close to the vest, as if he’s always calcuating, or forecasting, the next thing to say or do. Like Eisenhower, the stress causes Stagg to lose control, too, and those moments hit hard.
Admittedly, I went into this unsure about the casting of Fraser. He struck me as too soft-spoken to play the commanding Eisenhower. I’m still mourning the way he was overlooked for such a subtle performance in Rental Family. But maybe I need to stop underestimating Fraser, because he’s shockingly good as Eisenhower, both in the moments when his temper flares, but especially in the quiet moments of reflection. Fraser and Kondon are great together, as well, and I’d love to see a movie where they can share the screen even more.
Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan has been the blueprint for movies about D-Day for so long that every film just sort of emulates it. And to be fair, Pressure does as well in the way it captures the beach landing at Normandy. In just about every other way, Pressure stands apart as not only one of the most unique movies about D-Day, but also one of the best.
Focus Features releases Pressure in theaters on May 29th.
