225. Patton

Patton (1970)

Director: Franklin J. Schaffner

Starring: George C. Scott

Karl Malden

Stephen Young

IMDb Rating: 8

My Rating: 8

"Now I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor bastard die for his country."

General George S. Patton was one of the most successful, yet controversial, military leaders in American history. In Patton, we focus on the time of his arrival in North Africa in 1943, to the days immediately following the German's surrender in 1945. General Patton is best described as a man who lived for his time on the battlefield. He was not a political man, but a ruthless warrior hell bent on victory and glory. Even though the film only looks at two years in the life of General Patton, it is these two years that defined his life. This film captures these two years and the remarkable spirit of an American icon.

This film belongs to one man, and one man alone. George C. Scott turns in the defining performance of his career. His portrayal of General Patton is together shockingly blunt and crude. Yet he captures the heart of a man who admired war with a sense of history and respect. Look no further than the opening scene of the film to see why Scott's performance is so fantastic. With an American flag as his background, Scott delivers an inspiring monologue in the film's signature scene. George C. Scott gives a larger than life performance of a man, who was in fact larger than life.

Even though Patton is a performance driven film, some credit must be given to director Franklin J. Schaffner. He gives us one of the most authentic feelings of war and patriotism on film. Schaffner's greatest accomplishment is easily the success of an amazing war film without gratuitous gore. It's ironic that General Patton's nickname was "blood and guts", yet the film contains very little violence. I am a huge fan of less is more film making, and this is a perfect example of that.

Overall, I found Patton to be a terrific telling of a time General George S. Patton's life. It captured not only the historical figure, but also the man. I come from a very pro-military family. Patton was a film that was discussed at great detail when I was younger. So I already had a good feeling that I was going enjoy it. If you liked the HBO miniseries Band of Brothers or Stanley Kubrick's Dr. Strangelove, you would really love this film.