On Memorial Day (Monday), I had the honor of seeing a preview of "Pressure," the new movie based on the real events surrounding D-Day, in the theatre. I caution anyone normally turned off by slow, by-the -numbers historical dramas to hear me out on this one. It pulls you in and keeps you focused in by showing real human beings with real things they could lose - some of which have nothing to do with June 6, 1944.
"Pressure" brings us a new intense, behind the scenes view of Operation Overlord/D-Day, appropriately just days after Memorial Day and of course, just before the anniversary of the largest amphibious invasion in military history.
The History
The beach assault, on land, and by sea and air, according to the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library:
...delivered five naval assault divisions to the beaches of Normandy, France. The beaches were given the code names UTAH, OMAHA, GOLD, JUNO, and SWORD. The invasion force included 7,000 ships and landing craft manned by over 195,000 naval personnel from eight allied countries. Almost 133,000 troops from the United States, the British Commonwealth, and their allies, landed on D-Day. Casualties from these countries during the landing numbered 10,300. By June 30, over 850,000 men, 148,000 vehicles, and 570,000 tons of supplies had landed on the Normandy shores.
Those stats were part of an impressive line of dialogue in the movie, spoken by Brendan Fraser's character, General Dwight "Ike" Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force (SCAEF). That is, he was in charge of making the final call on everything happening in the European theater in World War II, including D-Day.
Our screening was prefaced by a touching personal introduction by Fraser, who thanked us for seeing the movie in a theater. He also suggested that as it was Memorial Day, it was a great way of honoring the men and women who lost their lives defending our freedoms.
My only regret is that my late dad Charles, a massive history/war movie buff who served in the National Guard during the Vietnam era, didn't get to see this movie about the waning chapter of WW II. He passed away in 2015. After seeing "Pressure," I told my mom he would have gotten a kick out of it.
This might be the clearest description of the kind of movie it is. "Pressure," which stars Fraser, Andrew Scott as Group Captain James Stagg (and Damian Lewis as British General Bernard "Monty" Montgomery), would make a fitting double feature with the recent, award-winning "Darkest Hour" (2019) about Winston Churchill during WW II. Some might recall that Gary Oldman took home some shiny awards for it. There is a simple reason it has a similar structure/tone; the same producers who made that movie made "Pressure."
Back to this movie. Ike needs to get the planning exactly right in the last 72 hours before the Normandy invasion. But there's a surprise twist (at least to someone like me who is a novice about the details of this day). The Allies were planning to make D-Day happen in the early morning hours of... Monday, June 5.
Conflicts of Interest
Ike invites the meteorological guru who Winston Churchill trusts, Group Captain Stagg, to give him a final report on what the weather will look like along the coast of France on the 5th. Ike's dutiful secretary Kay Summersby, played here with delicacy and toughness by Kerry Condon, is the go-between for the new guy and the sometimes stern, four-star general.
Almost as soon as Stagg arrives at headquarters, though, he learns that someone might be standing in his way of giving his best advice to the Allied commanders; Ike already has a weather expert on staff, American meteorologist, Irving Krick (Chris Messina), and he is convinced the skies will be clear on June 5.
Eisenhower has an unyielding trust in Krick; the forecaster, after all, has been nearly perfect on calling conditions during the war. Krick would be the first to tell you. And that's a long time to trust someone with the lives of troops. On top of that, you have Gen. Montgomery pressing Ike for approval of the invasion for the 5th as planned.
Ike's secretary has also earned his respect. But Kay, who is British, gets to know the new scientist better, and does her best to buffer the simmering tensions. And thank goodness. We learn early in the film Stagg is also suffering from a personal burden, and as the secretary warns her boss, "he could crack."
Fraser will earn accolades for his stellar, sympathetic take on General Eisenhower. But I think Scott and Lewis (and even Condon) could get strong consideration for plaudits during awards season, too. They're just that solid.
This moment with the movie's cast was sweet:
Operation Photo-Op: Brendan Fraser Channels His Inner Eisenhower to End Cast Photo 😂
— New York Mickey (@MickmickNYC) May 27, 2026
After playing General Eisenhower in Pressure, it seems Brendan Fraser was still in command mode on the red carpet. One joking “dismissed” later, and the cast photo nearly came to an early end… pic.twitter.com/nBfJAxgmiS
"Pressure" has that same humanizing quality about it as "Darkest Hour," with insights into the bone-crushing pressures (pun intended) these crucial figures were experiencing during those hours, as well as in the claustrophobic interiors of the primary Allied command headquarters during the D-Day planning.
Should You See It?
Yes, I think you should. It doesn't have to be on IMAX, though; I saw it on a standard screen. I also suggest taking a friend.
This is from Focus Features, a smaller production company, which Avid.Wiki describes as "the current indie/arthouse film subsidiary of Universal Pictures." Universal, of course, is itself part of a Russian nesting doll of NBCUniversal. Why's this important? It's sort of a hybrid independant studio; they can afford big name talent like Brendan Fraser and Adam Scott, and a sizable marketing budget for sweeping dramas like this one, while keeping an indie-like spin on the storytelling. That should be supported, whenever and wherever moviegoers can.
Because it's from an indie, it will need strong word of mouth; my sense, while exiting the theatre, was that it will get as push from the mostly Boomer-aged audience that viewed it with me.
Oh, and from my unscientific study of the auditorium, it appeared the theater was close to 100 percent sold out. Bodes well.
For anyone who's familiar with the indie film "Remains of the Day" (1993), this movie sometimes had a similar feel to it, with major world events hinging on the decisions of flawed, real people, with a ticking clock deadline, and conflicting personalities and ideas keeping up the white-hot intensity to the final minutes.
Here's my advice to parents considering taking their kids to see "Pressure." I would say older teens who can manage seeing realistic scenes of dead or dying soldiers, and hearing some coarse language during wartime, will be fine; definitely leave the smaller kids at home with the sitter for this one, though.
Fraser really is on a roll lately; his last film, "Rental Family" (2025), is worth a rental or purchase (currently streaming on Hulu or can be obtained at Amazon Prime) - if you missed it in theaters. It's likely you never even heard of it, since it's an indie, too. (Searchlight, like Focus Features, is another indie in name only; they're owned by Walt Disney Studios.)
"Pressure" opens in U.S. theaters on Friday. (Find a second trailer that recently dropped here, but I caution you against watching it before seeing the movie; it has light spoilers.)
