Pressure (2026)

A solid, engrossing war film with a sensational central performance from Andrew Scott.

Anthony Maras’s new film, adapted from his own stage play by David Haig, might well end up being something of a footnote in the annals of war time drama features. But Pressure tells a fascinating story that until now has escaped the big screen; that is, how Scottish meteorologist James Stagg (Andrew Scott) persuaded allied commander Dwight Eisenhower (Brendon Fraser) to postpone the planned D-Day landings, initially planned for 5th June 1944.

Stagg arrives at the top-secret allied base of Southwick House in Hampshire, having left his heavily pregnant wife at home, unable to tell her when he might return. All this happens very swiftly in the opening few minutes, and although the Stagg’s family set-up is extremely brief, it says everything about how good Scott is in this film that you feel emotionally engaged already. Stagg is pitted against Col. Irving P. Krick (Chris Messina), a swaggeringly arrogant American meteorologist whose insistence on predicting the upcoming weather almost exclusively on past forecasts of the same dates seems foolish even by 1940s lacking technology.

To accuse Pressure of being historically inaccurate is almost beside the point. The film has its critics in this regard, and there’s no doubt that Maras plays loosely with some aspects of the story. But this is ultimately an account about the weather over Northern France for a few days in June of ‘44, which changed the course of history. It’s also an incident I knew nothing about. This is a solid, well made, very well acted war film that tells a tale that was absolutely key to the success of the D-Day mission; we also learn in the film’s opening scene about the disastrous pre D-Day rehearsal six weeks earlier.

So Brendon Fraser’s Eisenhower is hell-bent on getting it right for the real thing, yet he’s surrounded by people who need no excuse to march straight into war, most notably Damien Lewis’s General Montgomery, whose contemptuous attitude towards Stagg and the idea of not going on the 5th June is as enjoyable as it is worrying. Kerry Condon is her usual terrific self as Eisenhower’s private secretary Kay Summersby, whose job is to sympathise with both Stagg and “Ike” Eisenhower, but mainly to do every possible job imaginable. She’s excellent, and pulls all the emotional threads of other characters together.

This is Scott’s film, though, and Pressure sees him at the height of his powers. It is a sensational performance, with every slight physical movement telling you just what exactly is going on in his head. When he’s informed by phone that the hospital his wife is in has been bombed, there’s nothing he can do; and the few seconds that play out after he receives the call are heartbreaking- he’s got to make a decision that could affect the fate of the world right there and then, with everyone around him refusing to accept that the storms he speaks of will actually hit the French coast.

Ultimately, we know how it all panned out, and there’s not quite enough jeopardy within Pressure to make it an all time great. Just because we all know the ending to a film, it doesn’t mean getting there can be any less enthralling; just look at the work of Paul Greengrass. It would have been interesting to see what Pressure looked like in his hands. But Haras’s film is a very solid, hugely enjoyable, and constantly engrossing film that contains characters you want to spend time with. Even if that time involves you becoming increasingly irritated with them, it’s intriguing to see how this all might have played out.

Just like the true story this is based on, Pressure might well be forgotten about down the line in terms of WWII cinematic behemoths. But this is not only a rather incredible tale, but it’s one that’s been adapted very astutely. And while it might be slight, it’s more than good enough to keep you gripped and entertained for a couple of hours. ★★★½  7.3/10