Pressure is a war movie for nerds, and it works!
World War Wednesday - Film Review
Welcome to World War Wednesday, a weekly dive into the continuous, thirty-year epoch of global conflict from 1914 to 1945. Here, I strip away popular myths to analyze the dynamics of industrial warfare, institutional behaviors, and the ideologies that shaped the world we inherited. Today is a special movie review
Based on the play by David Haig, Pressure, from Working Title Films and StudioCanal, is a dramatic retelling of the preparation for the Normandy Landings using data. The movie opens with the disastrous D-Day rehearsal at Slapton Sands. You know immediately that immense, catastrophic consequences await, as small mistakes can compound into deadly failure. Will the Normandy landings fail if they get the weather forecast wrong?
This is the war movie to watch for those who value the office drama of Mad Men, mixed with the interpersonal rivalry of Thirteen Days and the cinematic style of Darkest Hour. Pressure is a war movie for nerds. And for those who want to experience the acting renaissance of Brendan Fraser who steals every scene as Ike.
Father Time and Mother Nature are almost characters in the story. Scene by scene, you feel their presence. Will the weather hold for the planned landings in early June, and what will happen if they are forced to delay? How long can you wait to make the final decision? How long can you wait before the Germans realize you are attacking Normandy and not Calais? The pressure is constant and earns the film’s title.
The plot revolves around two specific pressure points: General Eisenhower’s need to launch the invasion and manage the restless impatience of his subordinate commanders who are ready to storm Fortress Europe, especially his British allies; and that of the chief meteorologist, the Scottish weather expert Dr. James Stagg’s fundamental disagreement with his American counterpart, a flashy Hollywood weatherman who has Eisenhower’s ear. But it is Stagg who has to tell Eisenhower if the weather says “Go” or “Delay.”
The Normandy landing will determine the fate of the world. If the US, Canada, and Great Britain cannot liberate France, we might still “win” the war, but it will be a Communist Stalin who controls Paris. Truly winning the war means the forces of democracy must liberate Western Europe.
The film is subtle in its portrayal of the relationship between Eisenhower and his secretary, Kay Summersby, played by Kerry Condon, perhaps best known for her portrayal of Octavia of the Julii in HBO’s acclaimed historical drama series Rome. The nature of the relationship is disputed due to rumors that emerged long after the war—likely untrue—but the film does lean slightly in the direction of there being a “work wife problem.” However, the real drama is for the family of Dr. Stagg and for Eisenhower’s alliance.
The film is worth watching in theaters and definitely better than Ridley Scott’s 2023 film Napoleon.1
Pressure stars Andrew Scott as Group Captain James Martin Stagg, and Brendan Fraser as General Dwight Eisenhower. With Kerry Condon, Chris Messina, and Damian Lewis, and is directed by Anthony Maras.
