'Pressure' Is Clever Enough For Yet Another Revisit to WWII
I miss the History Channel. It still exists in name, but in content, World War II historical reenactments are replaced by recreations of the guy who invented the KitKat Bar. Or, endless reality shows. The production values and (just okay) performance by Brendan Fraser as Dwight D. Eisenhower are the closest thing a Hollywood movie has come to reminding me of an episode from a special on a channel that no longer exists. Is the movie accurate? Take a wild guess, it’s a Hollywood Production. Yet, it is entertaining. The film is formulaic, but it’s far more engaging than a forgettable film like Greyhound.
Where most war movies focus on combat, Pressure focuses on the strategy behind the war by examining one of the most tedious aspects imaginable. The weather. In a corny yet true monologue from the movie’s protagonist, the weather is the furthest thing from boring. “It’s what feeds us.” And also, what will eventually kill us. Dramatically, an American GI flanking a Nazi hornet’s nest in Normandy is more dynamic than an office full of people debating if it’s going to rain or not. The stakes behind the outcome of the weather are not to be scoffed at. It was the deciding factor in one of the biggest ground invasions in human history. The difference between a clear sky and a downpour can mean the difference between victory and humiliation.
In preparation for D-Day, Operation Tiger served as a rehearsal for that invasion. It ended in catastrophe, leading to countless casualties. To ensure success on the actual Day, Dwight D. Eisenhower assigns a Scottish Meteorologist from the Royal Air Force to try to avoid a repeat of the same mistake. Pressure serves as a clash of personalities piece, where ultimately, it’s the guy who nobody initially likes that everyone ends up respecting in the end. James Stagg (Andrew Scott) is the reserved protagonist. As a man of science, he doesn’t rely on emotion to drive his decisions, rendering him a bit cold. Stagg understands the meaning of importance. He has 72 hours to make one of the most historic decisions in warfare. Where he believes in intentionality to get results, any tomfoolery around him will not be tolerated. Playing a joyful piano on the cusp of thousands of men losing their lives isn’t appropriate.
Dwight ‘Ike’ Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser) shares the same persona, yet their methodologies differ. Despite his military expertise, Ike follows his longtime key meteorologist, Irving Krick (Chris Messina), to the point where we question why he even has Stagg around. Krick is kind of a p***k. He has an arrogant American attitude, yet he’s never steered Ike wrong. Then comes along James Stagg to dampen Krick’s integrity. Since James has to be the bearer of bad news that directly conflicts with Krick's undefeated opinions, Stagg has a long ladder of egos he must get on top of. If you’re living as a free American today, then you can guess that this movie’s underdog wins.
Among all the men fighting each other, Kay Summersby (Kerry Condon) is one of the people Eisenhower trusts most. She doesn’t have to act tough or emotional like the other men in the room do. Men already do a good enough job of labeling women as unstable when it’s they who resort to violence. There’s an empathetic, intelligent value in Kay that Eisenhower sees in no one else. She can see the correct strategic course of action and how to handle a room that’s about to blow.
Although the movie pulls no surprises, it has enough differences between its personalities to make a picture about the weather engaging and nostalgic. There’s not much that's very different about Pressure other than the cleverness of its double-meaning title, well-rounded characters, and unexpected entertainment value. It’s a perfectly safe movie you can take your grandma to that reminds us of the importance of the chain of command. Thank God Donald Trump doesn’t actually physically contain something where he can instantly press a button to obliterate an entire civilization. If not for Presidents like Dwight D. Eisenhower, who understood the importance of distinguishing between opinions and the value of human lives, the world would all be speaking German. Hopefully, one day, they won’t make movies about World War III where the Americans are depicted as the Germans. In the meantime, bring films like this back to television as documentaries so we can make the History Channel great again.
