Pressure
review by Bobby Blakey
There have been many films focusing on the D-Day invasion of Normandy Beach over the years. Most of the time it just focuses on the battle itself, but the latest film Pressure takes a different approach. The film stars Andrew Scott, Kerry Condon, Chris Messina, Damian Lewis and Brendan Fraser as General Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower from Hotel Mumbai director Anthony Maras leading the charge, but does it capture the tension and pressures of this planned attack, or will it get blown away by its own storms?
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Pressure follows General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Captain James Stagg as they face an impossible choice—launch the largest and most dangerous seaborne invasion in history or risk losing the war altogether in the tense 72 hours before D-Day, and the fate of the free world hanging in the balance.
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I love historical war films, especially when they find a way to tell the story from a compelling place. I love the recreations of the battles on film, but I want to delve deeper into the history around it leading into it, after it and everything in between. This story instantly made me intrigued as it just didn’t seem like something that would be all that compelling dealing with the weather, but it’s also such an important part of planning and historically known as part of this massive mission.
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Knowing the history here made me concerned about what compelling aspects they could bring to the table to make the research of weather conditions more interesting than the battle itself. To my pleasant surprise they managed to do just that, but more in the way the characters interact both working together and infighting. The film truly hinges on Andrew Scott to carry much of the burden, and he gives an outstanding performance. He is initially unlikable and kind of an
ass as Stagg, but as his expertise and dedication to perfection makes you start to understand him.
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There is a lot to be said for this idea of standing your ground even when everyone around you disagrees, but here lives hang in the balance, and one wrong decision would be horrific. The moments of infighting are the strength of the film, but it’s when he faces off with Eisenhower that really stands out. This is also thanks to a great performance from Fraser who continues to showcase his brilliance as an actor. He embodies the iconic General and future President as a no-nonsense man but also seeing his own inner struggles with the weight of his decisions.
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The film isn’t breaking any ground in the war genre, but it’s a different kind of story that delivers more tension than I expected and takes a deeper dive into history behind the thing we all know of. I am sure there are liberties with the story for the film, but I found it to be a great way to bring an element of the story we know to audiences like we haven’t seen before. The film does focus mostly on just the lead up, but it does have a payoff of sorts with the battle itself in the final act. It is shot well and gets the impact across effectively making you feel like the true ending to the journey we have been on.
Decide for yourself and check out Pressure in theaters on May 29th from Focus Features.