Pressure: Powerful and Dramatic

With this film, I knew from the cast that I wanted to see it, especially with Andrew Scott and Brendan Frasier. However, I’m also a student of history and I was curious how the film would portray one of the pivotal moments of World War II. The film is powerful and dramatic, presenting this moment in time incredibly well. The performances are incredible and full of emotional scenes. I was riveted throughout the movie.

Pressure is a war drama film directed by Anthony Maras, written by Maras and David Haig, based on Haig’s 2014 stage play. The film focuses on the tense 72 hours prior to D-Day with the fate of the free world standing in the balance. It follows Dwight D. Eisenhower (Brendan Fraiser) as he prepares for the pivotal date of the largest seaborne invasion in history. Group Captain James Stagg, as a meteorologist is brought in to provide information on whether the weather will remain stable enough for the event. Will they be able to launch the invasion or face the impossible risk of losing the war entirely? Kerry Condon stars as Kay Summersby, assistant to Eisenhower, Chris Messina as Irving P. Krick, an American meteorologist, and Damien Lewis as Bernard Montgomery.

From the introduction, the film is riveting. Even though the decision must be made by science and data, the film focuses on the dramatic aspects of the moment and infuses even the science with excitement. What it does do is demonstrate how important the choice of date and weather will be to the invasion. It gives us the personality conflicts between Eisenhower and Stagg as well as Stagg and Krick. The story also shows us the costs to Stagg as he is unable to speak with his wife when she is due to give birth. All of the emotional factors and the human conflicts adds up to a powerful and emotional story.

Most of the special effects and cinematography belongs to the weather in this movie. A great deal of the film is inside going over charts and the above mentioned human conflict and dramas. But the film does a fantastic job of making weather exciting, not only the display of weather that we do see, torrential rains and beautiful blue skies but also how the weather is gathered. A lot of the drama of gathering the information is due to the limited time available to make a determination if the invasion can go on time but Andrew Scott is amazingly impassioned as Stagg in how powerful weather can be and how critical science is in the accuracy of weather predictions.

The performances are the highlight of the movie. The history of the time is known, what happened is past but it is in the presentation of that pivotal moment that context is given and the emotional weight is added. Andrew Scott is incredible as James Stagg, passionate about data and weather, emotional regarding his wife and gives a powerful performance that is balanced by subtlety and control. His dynamic with Brendan Frasier as Eisenhower is taut and demonstrates the stressful nature of the time. Brendan Frasier plays Eisenhower as intelligent and driven, concerned with the weight of the moment but also strategic in his planning. He demonstrates caring for his soldiers and Brendan Fraiser makes Eisenhower come alive. Kerry Condon as Kay Summersby is dynamic, playing her character as a calming force for Eisenhower and a help to Stagg. Chris Messina is pivotal as Irving P. Krick and his conflict with Stagg could cause a costly mistake but with his assistance, could benefit the invasion. Damien Lewis is outstanding as Bernard Montgomery, fiery and bombastic, a true soldier as presented by the writing but also an individual who questions Eisenhower and pushes him. Damien Lewis adds to the drama of the piece.

As a war film, this movie hits the right notes. It shines a light on a critical moment in World War II and shows how important the weather was to the whole operation. It demonstrates the logistics of the war effort and shows how the various actors of the time chose the date that won World War II for the allies. If you like history and war films, this one does have limited bloodshed but is powerful and dramatic. The personal conflicts and the drama are all heightened by the time limit for the invasion and the importance of the weather in going forward with the invasion. As the film shows, without the correct weather, the invasion would have failed. The performances by Andrew Scott and Brendan Frasier are skilled and passionate, both subtle but emotional. I found the film incredibly riveting and the weather has never seemed so exciting.