Movie Review: Patton

“No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making some other poor dumb bastard die for his.”

The singular performance of George C. Scott on its own makes Patton one of the best biographical films ever made. Patton’s speech in the intro section is just flawless. That is how you create an unforgettable character in a matter of seconds. From there we go through two hours of a historically accurate if somewhat hagiographic portrayal of Patton’s role in World War II. Patton himself is such an unusual character that he feels like a work of fiction. It is interesting that the narrative is not more personal. The movie does not bother showing Patton’s formative years. We don’t see how he became the man he is, but we get some hints from his personality as he discusses philosophy and reincarnation.

Patton was a larger than life character called upon during mankind’s darkest hour. He deserved and got a larger than life film. The movie is well-acted and well-shot from start to finish. The war planning scenes and debates with other generals are some of the best parts. The battles are done well too given the period. There is a great sense of scale in the early tank battle scenes. Patton is very much a classic war movie. It works well with the tropes of the genre painting a picture of a complex man and not shying away from his sense of frustrated potential. In spite of his quirks and faults it can’t be denied that he served his country with passion and integrity. Love him or hate him, you won’t easily forget him.

Grade: A-