Bob Dylan was wrong. Sometimes you DO need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows. Especially if you’re planning a really big event.

We’ve all cancelled outdoor plans because a huge rainstorm was predicted, only to sit at home as the sun shines. And we’ve plowed ahead with plans because the forecast for nice weather was wrong and we got soaked.

If your big event is, say, the Allied invasion of Normandy in 1944, an accurate forecast is vital. But a forecast is just that… an educated guess. Which is why the local TV people with all the modern Doppler radar and satellite images at their disposal are still often dead wrong when they try to answer the simple question “is it gonna rain?”

In the new movie Pressure, Scottish meteorologist James Stagg (Andrew Scott) is charged by General Dwight Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser) with predicting the weather for D-Day, June 5, 1944. 

Wait—June FIFTH? Well, that was the plan but as you likely know the invasion actually occurred on June SIXTH. What happened? Stagg told Ike to hold off because the weather looked iffy for 6/5/44. And here’s where the film’s narrative conflict lies.

Stagg’s arrogance is met with that of a similarly confident American soldier/weatherman Irving Krick (Chris Messina) who looks to weather patterns from years past to inform his D-Day conjecture. They disagree on the outlook but Stagg has final word and because he notes the way the wind blows across the North Atlantic, he calls off a June 5th action.

The buildup to that decision consumes the thoughts of all the key characters including British Field Marshall Montgomery (Damian Lewis) and Ike’s right hand woman Kay Sommersby (Kerry Condon). The nature of her relationship with the American commander is seen in this film as mainly professional—there has, of course, been speculation about the personal nature of their work together.

D-Day has been documented in fiction and non-fiction films for decades. It is a singular moment in twentieth century history. Pressure covers ground that has been well trod but also brings a different wrinkle to last minute preparation for the invasion focusing not on Ike or the troops but instead on the weather forecasters.

The tension is palpable and this film captures the concern shared by all its major players. Yes, there’s more than a bit of melodrama. Brendan Fraser is passable as a chain-smoking Eisenhower but his gravitas doesn’t quite match up to that we’ve seen from other male actors. Part of the pressure Ike is under is the result of a catastrophic rehearsal for D-Day in April 1944, an episode not particularly well-remembered, which is referenced at the beginning of the film.

Pressure is directed by Anthony Maras who co-wrote the script with David Haig who wrote the stage play from which it was adapted. 

Despite depictions of wartime violence, Pressure is rated PG-13.