PRESSURE
Starring: Andrew Scott, Brendan Fraser, Kerry Condon, Chris Messina, and Damian Lewis
Director: Anthony Maras
ADRIANO
Pressure is the final boss of dad movies. It’s instantly forgettable despite everyone’s best efforts, and is bound to be viewed on television, cut off by commercials. The overdramatization, clearly designed to appeal to the old-guard Oscar voter, can be laughable, and it shatters my heart to say that Brendan Fraser was miscast. But at least Andrew Scott gives another great performance despite a poorly written character. I suppose I felt the tension as the walls started coming in, but Pressure didn’t end up saying much beyond historical fact, which is the most dull biopic approach.
BODE
It may seem difficult to provide a fresh perspective on such a familiar event as D-Day at this point, but with Pressure, writer-director-editor Anthony Maras managed to find one. It just so happens to relate to the weather. Shockingly enough, I found that Maras and co-writer David Haig (whose 2014 stage play is this film’s source material) do a pretty satisfying job wringing legitimate suspense and pathos out of that particular focus. It helps to have a solid ensemble fronted by the likes of Andrew Scott and Brendan Fraser, whose battle of egos make this dad movie worth a sit.
