Dallas Fisher

I never thought this day would come, but I have finally reached an age where I am interested in WWII content no matter how mundane it might look from the outside.

Pressure is the newest movie in the line of endless films focusing on this theater of war, except this time we are talking about the weather men that helped change history. Get it, it’s called Pressure because of the pressure of the atmosphere and the pressure the countries were feeling about making the decision on time. It’s a perfect title. Speaking of perfect, I might as well start with Andrew Scott. One of the all time, where did this guy come from guys. I am familiar with Scott as an actor just by name alone, but this performance has me wanting more of him. His eyes put on the best acting in the film. He had his own gravitational pull that brought a lightning bolt of seriousness to the screen that was unmatched.

If we’re sticking with the cast, which we are, Kerry Condon is once again on her own level. If Scott wasn’t in this movie, she for sure would be the main talking point. Does she bring similar vibes that she does to every role? Sure, but that doesn’t mean it’s not top notch. Her role as Kay Summersby may be an assistant to Eisenhower, but she was certainly the one in charge. Her existence in a movie always brings a responsible presence of humanity to the screen, which is once again needed. I’ll jump in here to say “I’m sorry” to Brendan Fraser as the aforementioned Eisenhower because this role was not for you. Maybe it’s my fault for not knowing he was playing him going in, or the marketing, but Fraser as a leader was not commanding in the slightest. It took the movie down a couple notches if we are being honest and strictly felt like I was watching a man wear a semi bald cap in a stage play.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out this was based on a stage play after the fact because I can clearly see it in the adaptation. Usually I’m put off by the claustrophobia of something like this but it works for the story at hand. The scale off the war might have been worldwide but they only needed the confines of a few offices to keep things as tense as I’m sure they were. This also mainly works since it is based on history. If this was, say, a prequel for Edge of Tomorrow, things wouldn’t have been as nerve wracking because the stakes aren’t the most poignant. Personally forgetting the exact dates and outcomes of D-Day certainly helped keep things interesting throughout this short runtime too. I had to keep second guessing myself on if what I was seeing was historically accurate because my memory was a little foggy.

At times Pressure can be cheesy as all hell, while also being the most harrowing thing put to screen in many years. We always get stories about the real “heroes” of the war (the soldiers), but seeing the behind the scenes was such an interesting and refreshing take for a war film. There are no real super highs or lows in this movie but everything is so solid, including most of the acting, that I think this is still one of the must see movies of the year, even if it’s just for the historical implications of the subject matter. I respect the choices made here by showing the war footage and not keeping it a secret. Not that it really was one. I’m not even sure if it was real war footage or recreations made to look like it was from the 40’s, but I was impressed.

It also goes without saying that this is a perfect movie to watch before what should be your next rewatch of Saving Private Ryan.

7/10