Solidly Crafted and Smart WWII Drama

Rating: 8/10 (14 March 2007)

A fairly rousing WWII film that boasts a tremendous performance from George C. Scott in the title role. The movie begins famously with Scott addressing a troop of soldiers while standing in front of a massive American flag. It's a daring way to open a movie, and Scott makes it riveting. He's so good in the first few minutes that you might think the rest of the film loses some steam afterwards. It doesn't. Scott carries this film for its entire 170 minutes, and there's hardly a scene that he's not in.
"Patton" isn't so much a biopic about one man as it is a document of one leader's decisions during wartime. It's smart and sensitive enough that it doesn't pander to easy sentiment or mindless patriotism, yet it's not exactly an indictment of war either. It seems to take the point of view that WWII was horrible but necessary, and that leaders like Patton were necessary if we were going to win -- people who seem custom made to exist during wartime and whom you can't imagine existing in any other context.
Grade: A