A fascinating portrait of a one of a kind rebel

Rating: 8/10 (12 April 2009)

"Patton", as the title suggests, is a film about the military exploits of eccentric WWII General George S. Patton. Not only is it a fascinating character study, it is also an interesting glimpse into the politics of warfare.
George C. Scott won an Oscar for his portrayal of Patton and it's certainly hard to argue with that choice. Other than him, though, there's not much worth remarking on from an acting standpoint. Even past Oscar winner Karl Malden was almost completely overshadowed by Scott's towering performance.
Franklin J. Schaffner's Oscar-winning direction captured the battlefield action well and also created some striking images in the more subdued moments. The film also won Oscars for art direction, editing & sound, so it should be readily apparent that the film's technical aspects were well handled. Jerry Goldsmith's evocative, Oscar-nominated score also deserves mention as one of the film's most memorable elements.
The screenplay (co-written by Francis Ford Coppola) also won an Oscar but I'm not completely satisfied with it. Some of the dialogue doesn't quite cut it and I'm not sure if the fault lies with the script, the actors or the director. That being said, the story is quite compelling, though in following fact it has somewhat of a lull in the middle and ends anticlimactically. As far as sticking to the actual events goes, the film is pretty accurate with some acceptable tweaks for dramatic effect.
All in all, I consider "Patton" to be one of my favourite war films of all time. However, I caution you not to go into it expecting a film that's long on action and short on drama. In this film, the characterization is the main draw, so much of the action unfolds off of the battlefield.