My biggest question mark coming into Pressure, was, if I’m being honest, Brendan Fraser as General Eisenhower. I’m a millennial, I know that we should always trust Brendan Fraser. His version of The Mummy is an all-time classic. However, this time around he’s stepping into to play a perennially grandfatherly general… I wasn’t seeing it.

Friends, never doubt Brendan Fraser. I found the actor brought a beautifully fragile humanity to General Eisenhower that’s often difficult to find in World War II films throughout the 20th century. Generals like Eisenhower and Patton were hard as nails. They were rigid military men and studies of masculinity. You have no idea how happy I was so happy to see Fraser zeroing in on something more complex.

Pressure makes gorgeous use of Fraser opposite Kerry Condon as Eisenhower’s chauffeur, secretary, confidant and general “Girl Friday” Kay Summersby.

Condon, meanwhile, steps into what is, to be frank, an unforgiving role. A quick look into history shows Eisenhower and Summersby sharing a relationship that is fraught with complexity. Accounts vary from them sharing a close, intimate relationship fueled by the trauma of war, to claims of a romance and even an affair.

Dwight D. Eisenhower was a top war time general who became President of the United States and Summersby was often disparaged when she told her version of events. We barely believe women now, this was certainly a struggle in the 1960s and 1970s.

Fraser and Condon find a beautiful, yet subtle take on this relationship and likely one that is close to the truth. Their chemistry is intimate. There’s a lot of lingering glances. A look through just some of the history often reports if the couple had a romantic relationship, it was never “in the open”.

As Pressure develops, there’s moments where it’s strikingly clear just how much Eisenhower needs Kay. In fact, I would say he needs her more than she needs him.

It becomes strikingly clear that these are two human beings living through extraordinary stress. They only have each other. This is particularly true in the case of Eisenhower, who sees Kay as the only person he can be himself around. She sees his pain, his frustration and all the fear that he can’t show his generals. She sees beyond the aggressive, masculine “General” facade. A relationship is bound to form in the wake of this intimacy.

Kay Summersby inhabits this world in a frustrating role. Like so many war films of the past, this immensely capable woman doesn’t have enough to do. Her power in the narrative is unspoken. She knows exactly how to work with each of these men to get things done. She builds them up. She points them in the right direction. She’s the person who keeps things moving, but her power is in her silence. Things need to be efficient. If her influence is noticed, she’s failing at her job.

Ultimately, the film ends up trapped between a rock and a hard place with Kay precisely because Condon is so talented. She sells the complexity in the quiet moments. We see with such clarity everything Kay isn’t saying. However, because Kerry Condon is so good, we want more of her. In the hands of a less capable actress, Kay Summersby fades into the background and is just another secretary.

Andrew Scott, meanwhile, helms the film as meteorologist Dr. James Stagg. Scott is characteristically good in the role, but the “stiff-upper-lip” in his portrayal hangs over the character until deep in the second act when we finally see Scott’s beautiful ability to conjure powerful emotion.

Scott is an actor who continues to show just how damn good he is. While many may still recognize him as Benedict Cumberbatch’s Moriarty or Fleabag’s “Hot Priest,” he’s fast becoming a mainstay in awards season fare like All of Us Strangers and his upcoming starring role as actor Ian Charleson in 2027’s Elsinore. I’m saying it here and now, Andrew Scott will get an Oscar in the next few years.

While Stagg is certainly the main character in Pressure and Scott gives a characteristically good performance, Stagg’s restrained nature holds Scott back from taking this man to the places we know he truly shines.

I’m a little surprised to admit, Pressure is a beautifully deceptive little film. This is a quiet D-Day movie, spotlighting the military meteorologists in the days before the invasion. Frankly, the film’s humanity is a bit hidden in the film’s marketing. This is an awards season release that’s being unceremoniously dropped during summer popcorn season… and frankly, I’m not thrilled. This isn’t a film that needs to be released for D-Day’s anniversary, release this later in the year and let these performances speak for themselves.

Pressure isn’t a film that should be sharing a bill with The Mandalorian and Grogu. This is a film about ordinary people in extraordinary times. It’s not afraid to let you sit in silence. This isn’t a brash war film. This is Brendan Fraser doing what he does best. This is Kerry Condon bringing a face to Kay Summersby in a way only she can. They steal this film and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Pressure opens in theaters around the United States May 29, 2026.