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Initial Thoughts

(L to R) Brendan Fraser as “General Dwight D. Eisenhower”, Andrew Scott as “Captain James Stagg” and Kerry Condon as “Captain Kay Summersby” in director Anthony Maras’ ‘Pressure’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Alex Bailey/Focus Features/Studiocanal. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

‘Pressure’ reminds us of movies that Focus Features and Miramax used to release in the 1990s. It’s rather staid and low-energy, with one solid performance surrounded by a number of overheated ones. It comes with a strong sense of gravitas and seriousness. It zeroes in on a forgotten aspect of an otherwise well-known historical event – in this case, D-Day – and elevates that element to an almost outsized level of importance.

In this case, that element – the Allies’ attempt to determine what the weather conditions will be on the day of the invasion – does merit its placement, seeing how the entire operation could have turned into a disaster that might have sent World War II in the wrong direction. But in the end – and not to sound too facetious about it – we’re still talking about a weather forecast, and it’s hard to make exciting cinema out of that.

Story and Direction

(L to R) Actor Andrew Scott and director Anthony Maras during production of ‘Pressure’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Alex Bailey/Focus Features/Studiocanal. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

With General Dwight D. Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser) and Field Marshal Bernard ‘Monty’ Montgomery (Damian Lewis) set to launch the D-Day invasion on June 5, 1944, Ike summons highly-touted Scottish meteorologist James Stagg (Andrew Scott) to Allied headquarters at Southwick House. His mission: give Eisenhower the most accurate weather forecast possible for the day of the invasion, which could determine whether the operation will proceed.

The unemotional, terse Stagg gets straight to work and soon delivers news that Ike and Monty don’t want to hear: he predicts two major storms will lash the coast of France on June 5, making both air and sea landings nearly impossible. The next window he sees for good weather is two weeks later, which increases the chances of the Germans learning of the plan. Meanwhile, American meteorologist Irving Crick (Chris Messina) calls for nothing but clear skies and says the invasion should forward on the 5th. With the possible outcome of the war at stake, who should Eisenhower believe?

Director Anthony Maras during the production of ‘Pressure’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Alex Bailey/Focus Features/Studiocanal. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

Directed by Anthony Maras and co-written by Maras and David Haig from Haig’s play, ‘Pressure’ feels stagebound. Aside from a climactic sequence during the invasion (no spoilers, we all know D-Day was a success), most of it takes place within a small warren of rooms at Southwick, with people bustling back and forth with long sheets of paper covered in numbers. As crucial as Stagg’s forecast was and is, it’s difficult to bring this to life on film in a truly compelling way.

So ‘Pressure,’ while intermittently interesting and not a ‘bad’ film by any degree, feels rather stale. The actual weather, when it comes, arrives right on cue as the score swells in the background for maximum melodramatic effect. A subplot involving Stagg’s wife seems written into the film for the same purpose, although it’s hard to verify whether it really happened. The film works best when Stagg stands alone, convinced of his forecast, with Ike, Monty, and the other military brass ready to verbally fire on him like a battery of missiles. But otherwise there’s decided lack of tension and suspense even as D-Day itself gets underway.

Cast and Performances

(L to R) Andrew Scott as “Captain James Stagg” and Kerry Condon as “Captain Kay Summersby” in director Anthony Maras’ ‘Pressure’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Alex Bailey/Focus Features/Studiocanal. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

‘Pressure’ is anchored by an intense central performance from the great Andrew Scott, whose James Stagg is not an easy person to know or like – he is almost actively hostile to his teammates and gradually begins to show a more human side, losing control only during one emotionally fraught moment in the movie.

Also reminiscent of those ‘90s period piece movies we mentioned earlier, everyone else around Scott swings for the fences. Brendan Fraser – taller, broader, and deeper-voiced than the real Eisenhower – chews the scenery ferociously, shouting and bellowing at Stagg, while Damian Lewis is not far behind while somehow keeping his lips permanently pursed. They’re acting in a different movie than Scott and the always excellent Kerry Condon, whose Kay Summersby – Eisenhower’s secretary – is a potentially thoughtful character whose main role seems to be dispensing bits of wisdom to both Ike and Stagg.

Final Thoughts

Brendan Fraser stars as “General Dwight D. Eisenhower” in director Anthony Maras’ ‘Pressure’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Alex Bailey/Focus Features/Studiocanal. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

As we said above, ‘Pressure’ is not a bad movie by any means. But it’s not a very good one either. It’s just there – a true-life drama whose focus on a lesser-known detail of the events it’s covering is undermined by the fact that the outcome is one of the most well-documented events in modern human history.

The character and story of the real James Stagg might be interesting to chronicle on its own, seeing that less is known about him than his contributions to the launch of D-Day. But by dutifully dramatizing those events instead, ‘Pressure’ travels backward in history in ways that it probably didn’t intend.

‘Pressure’ receives a score of 65 out of 100.

‘Pressure’ opens in theaters on May 29th.

What is the plot of ‘Pressure’?

In the tense 72 hours before D-Day, with the fate of the free world hanging in the balance, General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Captain James Stagg face an impossible choice: launch the largest and most dangerous seaborne invasion in history or risk losing the war altogether.

Who is in the cast of ‘Pressure’?

Brendan Fraser stars as “General Dwight D. Eisenhower” in director Anthony Maras’ ‘Pressure’, a Focus Features release. Credit: Courtesy of Focus Features/Studiocanal. © 2026 All Rights Reserved.

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