Pressure Review

James Stagg is one of many unsung heroes of the Second World War. His work as a meteorologist is shown in the film adaptation of David Haig’s Pressure.

Dwight D. Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser) is about to make one of the most pivotal decisions of the Second World War: whether to launch the largest amphibious invasion in history. James Stagg (Andrew Scott) is brought into Southwick House so he can forecast the weather on 5^th June 1944. Stagg is thrown into a tense situation and ends up in conflict with notable figures like Bernard Montgomery (Damian Lewis) and Irving P. Krick (Chris Messina), Eisenhower’s long-standing meteorologist.

Pressure is a film that joins a long line of British dramas about the Second World War. There are films like The Imitation Game, Darkest Hour, and Operation Mincemeat. All of them focus on stories about people on the home front and their contribution to the war effort. They showed that the war wasn’t just won on the battlefield.

The Imitation Game and Darkest Hour would be most appropriate comparisons. James Stagg was portrayed in a similar way to Alan Turing, a genius with the ability to annoy everyone. He was a serious fella who was so focused on the task at hand, even if he was blunt and acted as the fun police. His first action was to overrule Krick’s orders.

The Darkest Hour comparison was due to Eisenhower’s role. The responsibility and decision were his alone. If he made the wrong one, many people would have died and could have lost the Allies the war. He was in a similar position to Winston Churchill; he had an unenviable task, and both experienced the lonely weight of being in charge.

Pressure did live up to its title. The word had a double meaning. Besides referring to the weather conditions, it was about the environment within Southwick House being high-pressured. The film was set during a narrow window of time where everyone was working around the clock. People had little-to-no rest, and compared with the enormity of the job, tempers were frayed. The crammed environment and Stagg’s personal situation added to the tensions. Maureen Sweeney (Kerry Condon), the only major female character, did her best to defuse tensions and act as a comfort for Stagg and Eisenhower, but there was only so much she could do.

The tight location made Pressure an acting showcase. Pressure had a great ensemble with Scott and Fraser being the standouts. One of my favourite moments was when Eisenhower unleashed his temper on Stagg, and Stagg’s cold and calm demeanour broke for a second. Pressure showed a culture between the British and Americans because the British were serious and focused, whilst the Americans were more light-hearted. Even Eisenhower cracked a joke. Both nations had different experiences: the British suffered an existential threat whilst the United States was protected by an ocean.

When watching the film, I thought it could be a play, so it was embarrassing to find out it was already based on a play. Writer/director Anthony Maras made sure Pressure worked as a film. There was the tension that could snap at any moment, showing Stagg humiliated when the weather was nice and vindicated when it turned (although this played fast and loose with historical and scientific fact), and showing some of the wider picture through archive footage. There was a snippet of D-Day, but considering the 12A rating, don’t expect the violence and intensity of Saving Private Ryan.

Pressure was an effective war drama that showed the weight of information and responsibility on people making historic decisions. It was a snapshot of a monumental moment.