City Cinema: Pressure

Drama/Suspense. PG, violence, mature theme.
Dir: Anthony Maras, UK/France, 2026, 100 min.
Andrew Scott, Brendan Fraser, Kerry Condon, Damian Lewis.
Winner, Truly Moving Picture Award, Heartland Film Festival

“The unforgettable Omaha Beach scene launching Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan consumed just 24 minutes. But what if the notoriously mercurial British weather had taken a bad turn during that critical seaborne attack? That’s the question behind this war thriller starring a stalwart Brendan Fraser as Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower… The movie charts the 72-hour period before D-Day — and makes a hero out of stubborn British chief meteorological officer James Stagg (a compelling Andrew Scott). Based on real-life events, Stagg’s forecast for the assault’s appointed day and hour looks grim. His suggestion of attacking between waves of turbulent storms puts him at odds with the American forecaster and, potentially, Ike himself. We all know how it turned out, but Pressure cranks up the dramatic stress in a character-driven saga that retells a lesser-known side of a monumental moment in military history. Smashing!” —Thelma M. Adams, AARP.org.

“An irresistible World War II drama.” —San Francisco Chronicle