Pressure

Weather is something that affects us all, though it’s also something to which most of us pay little attention unless there are potential or actual consequences at stake; then they often take on paramount importance. The impact can be somewhat ameliorated with an accurate forecast, but that’s often problematic, even with today’s advanced technology. So it can be hard to fathom what it might have been like to predict the weather without it, as was the case in the 1940s, when meteorology was just beginning to come into its own as an accepted science. Such was the case in June 1944, when Allied Forces in Europe were planning the D-Day invasion of France’s Normandy coast, the largest contingent of air, ground and water forces ever assembled, and the subject of the latest offering from writer-director Andrew Maras. Given the complexity of the operation, the lead organizer of the attack, Gen. Dwight “Ike” Eisenhower (Brendan Fraser), wanted an accurate weather forecast – one that provided “certainty” – for the time frame of its implementation (weather in Europe in late spring could be highly unpredictable, with a mix of both pleasant and exceedingly stormy patterns). If contending with that weren’t enough, Allied Forces also had to deal with the intricate logistics of the campaign and keeping it under wraps from German forces that might be more than ready for its launch. The pressure for success was great, too, in the wake of a disastrous dress rehearsal that took place several months earlier. So, to get the result he wanted, Ike recruited soft-spoken British meteorologist Capt. James Stagg (Andrew Scott), regarded as the best in the business. However, Stagg’s cautionary approach to forecasting did not sit well with Eisenhower, especially since it ran counter to the work of resident, long-trusted weatherman Irving Krick (Chris Messina), whose views often clashed with his more conservative British counterpart. Thus began the battle for whose forecast would ultimately prevai...