The feature film Pressure is based on a true story, adapted from the stage play written by David Haig, and directed by Anthony Maras (Hotel Mumbai).

It’s 1944 and the world is at war. In England, the Allied forces have just attempted a large-scale rehearsal for D-Day, known as Exercise Tiger, which turned out to be a catastrophe. For the past three years, General Dwight ‘Ike’ Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser) has worked with much of the same team and has grown to appreciate, trust and reply on them—such as Lieutenant Kay Summersby (Kerry Condon, The Banshees of Inisherin) of the Motor Transport Corps, and meteorological advisor Colonel Irving Krick (Chris Messina, Argo). However, after the Exercise Tiger disaster, Eisenhower is determined not to make any mistakes. Churchill had praised Captain James Stagg (Andrew Scott) as the best meteorologist in the country. So, 6 weeks later, and just 72-hours until D-Day and the largest seaborne invasion force in history, he summons Group Captain James Stagg (Andrew Scott) to the Allied base at Southwick House, making him the Chief Meteorological Officer for the operation.

Krick and Stagg almost immediately start to butt heads. Krick is more laid back—in fact the first time Stagg meets him, he’s playing piano and singing Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy with the other officers. Stagg is far more no-nonsense and serious. Having been pulled away from his pregnant wife, and not allowed to call her, he’s already stressed. Krick relies on historical analog data and charts, and is sure that the weather will be clear for D-Day to proceed as planned since the current conditions match those of the past. “When the atmospheric conditions are a match, the weather follows suit. Mark my words, D-Day will be calm and sunny.” However, Stagg insists that the weather in Northern Europe doesn’t follow a predictable pattern, and insists on up-to-the minute air pressure measurements rather than following historical patterns. Stagg grows frustrated as Eisenhower demands a 100% accurate forecast several days in advance, explaining that anything over 24 hours in this part of the world is impossible to predict with complete accuracy and should be considered a long tern forecast. Despite the currently-clear skies and Krick’s insistence that there will be sunny weather on D-Day, Stagg isn’t so sure, and suspects that two approaching storms will wreak havoc on the current D-Day plans, and could delay the operation up to two weeks. Pressure builds in the war room as other officers such as Field Marshal Bernard ‘Monty’ Montgomery (Damian Lewis, Homeland) worry that delaying the operation will lead to a German victory, and Stagg insists that moving forward with the current changes in air pressure will be too dangerous. Now the pressure is on Eisenhower to make the correct decision. That’s a lot of pressure all around!

Pressure is a tense drama that is very dialogue-heavy and dialogue-driven. It is easy to see the script’s roots as a play. However, that is not to say that it’s not an engaging film. I have always been a fan of Andrew Scott, and he does an excellent job in this role. He makes the viewer care about this guy, who sticks to his convictions even when under immense pressure, when it would just be easier to give in and tell Eisenhoweer what he wants to hear, and give him the literal all clear. I primarily know Chris Messina from his more comedic work on The Mindy Project, but he can also deliver a strong dramatic performance. Krick believes that his strategy of predicting the weather is a valid and accurate one. He has always used the same process and it has worked out well for both Hollywood productions as well as in past campaigns in Casablanca with Eisenhower. It’s always great to see Brendan Frasier back, and he gets some big speeches as Eisenhower. Kerry Condon is always a delight, and Kay Summersby is the heart of this group, always trying to smooth the tensions. And finally Damian Lewis is always a great foil, this time as a soldier who speaks up against delaying D-Day, even if it puts Eisenhower in an awkward position.

Universal has released Pressure on 4K UHD, Blu-ray, DVD and Digital. We were sent the Blu-ray release for review, which looks and sounds excellent. The picture looks crisp and clear, with a solid level of detail throughout. The audio track provides clear dialogue and makes excellent use of the stereo and surround channels. This is particularly noticeable early on as the cacophony of weather reports are coming in all at once from every direction; and again later as the rumble of the rain and storms fill the room.

The Blu-ray release contains just a single Blu-ray disc, packed in a standard HD keepcase, along with redemption instructions for an HD digital copy of the film. Our review copy did not include a slipcover. The disc contains about 20 minutes of behind-the-scenes featurettes with the cast and crew.

What’s Included:

Film: (1:40:07)

Blu-ray:
• 1080p / Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
• Audio: English Dolby Atmos, English DVS (Descriptive Video Service), French 7.1 Dolby Digital Plus
• Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, French

Digital (code may not be valid after 9/30/2027):

• HD Digital Copy (Movies Anywhere compatible)

Extras:
Warning: the clips below include some spoilers.

• Building Pressure (8:53)
  The cast and crew talk about adapting David Haig’s original play, the pressure-cooker situation at the center of the film, casting the movie, the characters, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with co-screenwriter/playwright David Haig, producer Lucas Webb, director/co-screenwriter/editor Anthony Maras, and stars Damian Lewis (“Bernard ‘Monty’ Mongomery”), Andrew Scott (“James Stagg”), Brendan Fraser (“Dwight ‘Ike’ Eisenhower”), Kerry Condon (“Kay Summersby”) & Chris Messina (“Irving Krick”).
• An Authentic World of War (10:26)
  The cast and crew talk about the sets and filming locations, period props & costumes, the camera choreography, the use of archival footage, and more. Includes behind-the-scenes footage, and interviews with director/co-screenwriter/editor Anthony Maras, supervising location manager Nathan Flaher, production designer Daniel Taylor, costume designer Liza Bracey, hair and makeup designer Zoë Clare Brown, director of photography Jamie D. Ramsay, archive editor Jamie Stagg (James Stagg’s grandson), and stars Andrew Scott, Brendan Fraser, Kerry Condon & Chris Messina.

Final Thoughts:

Pressure features a strong, talented cast in this dialogue-driven drama that finds people under increasing pressure to determine if the largest seaborne invasion plan in history, D-Day, can move forward as planned, or if the weather will derail the operation, putting lives in danger either way. The film is engaging, and its play roots can definitely be seen. Universal’s Blu-ray release looks and sounds great, and also includes about 20 minutes of behind-the-scenes bonus material. The film is worth checking out, and is currently streaming on Peacock for those who subscribe and wish to check it out there before a blind buy.