06/08/2026 reviewing PRESSURE with Brad Biewer

When we think of D-Day, we tend to think of the beaches.

We think of Omaha. Utah. The landing craft. The paratroopers. The extraordinary courage displayed by thousands of Allied troops on June 6, 1944.

What we rarely think about is the weather.

Yet one of the most consequential decisions of World War II had nothing to do with troop movements or battlefield tactics. It involved a forecast.

Before the first soldier landed in Normandy, military planners needed to know whether conditions would allow the invasion to proceed. Too much wind, poor visibility, rough seas, or low cloud cover could jeopardize the operation before it ever began.

And at the center of that decision was a Scottish meteorologist named Dr. James Stagg.

That unlikely story forms the basis of Pressure, a film adapted from David Haig's stage play about the days leading up to D-Day and the enormous responsibility resting on the shoulders of one man tasked with predicting the unpredictable.

What makes Pressure so effective is that it transforms what should be a dry procedural into a compelling thriller. The audience knows D-Day happens.

History has already revealed the outcome. Yet the film still manages to create suspense because the question is not whether the invasion occurs—but whether the forecast is right.

Joining me once again is returning guest and friend of the show, film critic Brad Biewer, host of the CinemaSpeak Podcast.