- PRESSURE
- Starring: Brendan Fraser, Andrew Scott and Kerry Condon
- Directed by: Anthony Maras
- Rated: R
- Running time: 1 hr 40 mins
- Focus Features
Our score: 4 out of 5
Most people get mad if a weather forecast is wrong before a cookout or a football game.
It’s another matter if a storm could crush civilization.
That’s what almost happened on June 3, 1944, and as a result two hours of people arguing about weather makes for remarkably good cinema in Anthony Maras’ new offering Pressure.
His previous movie Hotel Mumbai, which is readily available on Netflix, expertly recalled the 2008 terror attack on India’s financial capital and made both the victims and the perpetrators seem remarkably human.
He achieves a similar feat with a similarly iconic historical event. The date might seem familiar, but the Maras and co-screenwriter David Haig (who also authored the play) reveal why a force of primarily British and American troops almost chose that day to invade Normandy.
As of this writing it is still the largest assault of its kind in the history of the world, but Haig and Maras almost make us forget it succeeded.
As the movie opens, we find out a test run ended with fatalities. The Allies led by Gen. Sir. Bernard L. Montgomery (Damian Lewis) and Gen. Dwight D Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser) have spent months assembling hundred of thousands of troops and creating clever diversions so that the invasion will have as few casualties as possible.
Even with all the preparations, getting all the people and equipment to the other side of English Channel offers a host of challenges.
One of them is Mother Nature.
If the wind and the sea refuse to cooperate, the troops will perish before boats and planes reach the French coast.
To ensure success, Eisenhower relies on both his usual meteorologist Col. Irving Krick (Chris Messina) and Capt. James Stagg (Andrew Scott, Ripley), a gruff Scotsman Winston Churchill has recommended.
The two scientists instantly clash. Krick has had a lucky streak in the Sahara, but Stagg knows Europe and current forecasting technology far better. Krick has apparently no idea how mercurial the north seas can be and relies too much on old maps. Unfortunately, his cheery disposition ingratiates him to the generals when they might be wiser to listen to the gloomy Stagg.
Fortunately, Scott manages to make Stagg more than a dour voice of reason. As the film progresses, we learn that he has more on his mind that simply ensuring the wind and the rain don’t stop the mission.
Scott ably conveys Stagg’s struggle to negotiate the hard facts of science with soft skills he has to learn if he wants to save lives. He often looks as if he hasn’t slept in days.
Similarly, Fraser carries a tone of authority and a sense that he has to listen to both advisors even if they are getting on his nerves. His boyish features seem a little distracting at first, but once he starts issuing orders it’s easy to believe he could lead a massive amphibious invasion. He also consistently makes the general seem like a commander instead of a face on currency.
As with Hotel Mumbai, Maras keeps the pace taut and prevents the familiar events from feeling etched in stone. Considering what Eisenhower and his troops did on D-Day, an indifferent, stilted film would be a disservice.
On a scale of zero to five, Pressure receives ★★★★
Not to diminish the role of all other nations who contributed to D-Day, to summarize D-DAY as a battle of mostly American and British forces completely ignores that Canada had a huge role in being assigned Juno Beach , and was the only one force to capture all of its objectives on Day 1. Canada moved further inland , under heavy resistance, than anyone one else and further than Allied command thought possible.
Rather than acknowledging Canada as one of the Big 3, whoever wrote this thought it was more efficient to overlook a major contributor. That’s sloppy review work.
I’m glad you liked the movie. I’m sorry your understanding of what you were watching is so weak.