“Pressure” Has Both High and Low Points

Pressure (Anthony Maras, 2026) 3 out of 5 stars

Barometric pressure may not be an exciting topic for everyone, but as the principal character in the new movie Pressure states, weather itself can be very dramatic. Storms are never static. Based on a play by actor/writer David Haig (who played the protagonist in the original theatrical run), who co-wrote the screenplay with the director, Anthony Maras (Hotel Mumbai), the film is also quite lively and engaging. Who knew meteorology could prove such a thrill?

Captain James Stagg, for one, a Scottish pioneer in the field, here incarnated by Andrew Scott (Wake Up Dead Man). Determined to update the science used to make predictions, he eschews the fun and games with which his fellow officers distract themselves from the dangers of war. Dour though he may be, however, he is roused by the prospect of gathering data and forecasting the near future.

The time is June 1944, just 72 hours before the planned Allied invasion of Normandy. D-Day, as it would come to be called, is set for June 5. Supreme commander Dwight David Eisenhower (aka Ike)—played by Brendan Fraser (The Whale)—wants the newly arrived Stagg to tell him whether or not the planned date will provide calm-enough conditions for the short trip across the English Channel. Correction: at least according to what we see on screen, Ike really just wants someone who will confirm that all is good. There are too many other moving pieces to consider. Make it be sunny!

Unfortunately, that’s not how nature works. And so Stagg must confront an array of yes-men—including Ike’s longtime meteorologist, and fellow American, Colonel Irving Krick (Chris Messina, The Aviary)—who just want him to say, well, yes. Which he won’t do. This conflict proves surprisingly compelling. I thought I had seen enough World War II films already and that Pressure would therefore fail to hold my interest. I was wrong.

Scott, as he always does, proves himself an actor of great power, his character’s commitment to the truth oozing out of every pore. Haig has given him an additional source of anxiety that further elevates the emotions roiling just below the surface of his marvelously understated (until one crucial moment) performance: his wife is pregnant and he is not allowed to place a call from the military base. In a particularly poignant scene, he attempts to continue a conversation with Ike after receiving some potentially tragic information, all the while shedding a single tear. It’s very moving.

Unfortunately, all of the above strengths notwithstanding, there is one serious problem that plagues the movie: the casting of Fraser as Eisenhower. Though, like Ike in real life, he is a big man who towers over everyone else, Fraser is just wrong for the part. Where he should project diplomatic charisma and gravitas, he instead chooses to yell and swing his arms around.

I would be very curious to see the original stage play to know whether this version of Eisenhower is a product of Haig alone or if he was changed in the course of adaptation. Whatever the truth of it, Fraser makes him all bombastic caricature, insecurity driving his every move, all thanks to the disastrous and deadly April 1944 D-Day rehearsal, known as Operation Tiger (he doesn’t want to repeat those mistakes). No wonder that British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery (Damian Lewis, Dream Horse) shows him no respect. I don’t see how anyone could … to this version of Ike, anyway.

The movie opens with a declarative onscreen statement: “This is a true story” (no “based on”). Sure. At least what’s there is pretty riveting (leaving Eisenhower aside). In our current moment, when science-driven thought is being increasingly denigrated, the central message of Pressure is an important one (all that counts is the data, which you can’t magically wish away). With a mostly strong ensemble—including Kerry Condon (The Banshees of Inisherin) as Kay Summersby, Ike’s aide (and possibly lover)—the movie moves along at a brisk pace and shows that even well-worn subjects can be made fresh again through a new angle.