Sure, folks discuss the weather a lot, especially in Britain.
Still, it’s hard to imagine that a quiet chat about the weather — and why it isn’t boring — could be an emotional high point of a feature film. Especially when that film is about World War II, one of the most cinematic subjects in history.
But that’s before you watch Andrew Scott, who could make the phone book sound exciting — or at least, poignant and nuanced.
People often talk about whether it’s raining, his character, Capt. James Stagg, argues at one point in “Pressure,” the story of how meteorology saved D-Day. But do they consider WHY it’s raining? Or, what actually makes it windy? And how, he asks, can that be boring?
There are times when “Pressure,” directed and co-written by Anthony Maras, feels like a series of similarly elegant speeches. That makes some sense, since it’s based on a play — the 2014 drama by David Haig. Telling the relatively little-known story of how forecasters made the crucial call of when to land on Normandy’s beaches, the film pits two men against each other: Scott’s introspective, stubborn, even sour meteorologist, and none other than Dwight D. Eisenhower, celebrated general and future president, played by Brendan Fraser.
Fraser’s Eisenhower is physically imposing — much more than the real man — and stubborn too, though in a louder way. But he’s frankly less interesting than Scott’s multifaceted Stagg, a character and performance that elevates an otherwise efficient, well-made war movie into something more intriguing.
The film begins with soldiers lying dead on a seashore, near bloody waters — a reminder of the catastrophic rehearsal for D-Day called Exercise Tiger, which resulted in hundreds of deaths of American servicemen. It’s a way for Maras to remind us not only of the human toll, but also the potential for more catastrophe.
A few months later, in June, Stagg reports for duty at Allied headquarters. The Scottish meteorologist, unhappy to leave his pregnant wife at home, has been brought in to work on Eisenhower’s planned invasion, which will rely on the element of surprise. And also, crucially, on the weather.
Stagg is summoned to see Eisenhower, via his trusted aide Kay Summersby (an excellent Kerry Condon, bringing verve to a role that does not further speculate on her relationship with the general). Eisenhower tells him that the very fate of the war hinges on the operation. “We invade France Monday,” he says.
But the commander needs a good forecast. The operation will require a full moon and clear skies for air support, as well as calm waters. And Eisenhower wants a go-ahead — which his own trusted forecaster, Irving P. Krick (Chris Messina), is happy to give. Based on historical patterns, Krick insists that June 5, 1944, will be calm and sunny.
Krick is everything Stagg is not — outgoing, brash, confident. He even sings and dances. Stagg, though, begs to differ from the American’s assessment. “Get me the data,” he growls. Historical patterns mean nothing in this unpredictable region, he insists.
Demanding data from any weather station or balloon within 2,000 miles of Normandy, Stagg argues two storms are coming. A June 5 launch will kill countless men, he says. In fact, the right weather conditions may not emerge until June 18. Nobody wants to hear this — not Eisenhower, not Krick and definitely not Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery (Damian Lewis, leaning into the flamboyance). “My men are ready and primed,” Montgomery insists. “Get them onto the beaches, and leave the rest to me.”
As we know from our history books, D-Day was not June 5. Eisenhower ultimately chooses to postpone based on Stagg’s forecast, vindicated when Sunday’s sunny skies suddenly shift to stormy ones during morning church. But just when it appears the opportunity has been lost, Stagg detects a brief break in the weather. He recommends — spoiler alert — that the invasion proceed a day later, on June 6.
For action on the beaches, Maras turned to archival footage — he’s said he was inspired by Peter Jackson’s stunning World War I documentary “They Shall Not Grow Old” — colorizing it and blending it with his own scenes of terrified troops. There is, somehow, palpable suspense when Eisenhower and others gather in the command center.
Nearby, quietly, stands Stagg. Like his character, Scott does more with less. The actor may be known for acclaimed turns in “Fleabag,” “Ripley” and “Sherlock,” but he’s also a skilled stage performer, and his work here recalls the layered performances he gave in “Vanya,” the Chekhov update in which he played all eight parts. Among Scott’s most moving scenes: when he learns devastating news by phone at a key moment in war planning. His agony is obvious, but somehow he conveys little outward expression.
“The weather feeds us,” Stagg says a bit earlier, arguing his case that weather is nowhere near boring. In fact, it is meteorology itself that plays the starring role in “Pressure.” The film recounts an anecdote in which John F. Kennedy, on the way to his inauguration, asked his predecessor what had given the Allies their edge.
“We had better meteorologists than the Germans,” Eisenhower replied.
“Pressure,” a Focus Features release in theaters Friday, has been rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association for “war violence, bloody images, some strong language, and smoking.” Running time: 100 minutes. Two and a half stars out of four.
