Pressure, the World War II drama starring Brendan Fraser and Andrew Scott, opens in cinemas in South Africa on 30 October and has been in Australian cinemas since 29 October, according to Pfangirl and Australian listings. The film tells the little-known story of the weather forecasting behind the D-Day landings. Fraser plays General Dwight D. Eisenhower, the Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionary Force, while Scott plays Group Captain James Stagg, the chief meteorological officer summoned to advise on when to launch the largest seaborne invasion in history, according to FilmInk and StudioCanal material. Kerry Condon, Chris Messina and Damian Lewis also star, with Anthony Maras directing.
Seventy-two hours that decided D-Day.
The film covers the tense 72 hours before D-Day, in which Stagg and his team must predict weather conditions that will determine whether the invasion can proceed, according to multiple listings. Eisenhower, haunted by the failure of Exercise Tiger, in which 749 men died in a rehearsal, must choose between launching in a storm and delaying at the risk of losing the war. FilmInk’s review praised the performances of Scott and Fraser as the height of the film’s emotional force, with their push-and-pull relationship at the heart of the story. The film is based on David Haig’s 2014 stage play, co-written for the screen by Haig and Maras, and runs about 100 minutes.
A pedigreed drama in a crowded week.
Pfangirl’s South African release guide for 30 October named Pressure as the historical film to prioritise this week, alongside two monster movies and a local drama. The film opened in more than 230 cinemas in Australia on 29 October through StudioCanal, according to Forte Magazine. For audiences tired of franchise cinema, Pressure offers a different kind of tension: not a battle, but the decision to launch one. Its focus on a meteorologist, rather than a soldier, gives the D-Day story a fresh angle that has drawn strong notices for its two leads.
