They just don't make them like they used to.

Rating: 10/10 (4 May 2004)

In my humble opinion, Patton is far and away one of the best movies ever produced. It's an epic tale of a larger than life man who was praised by his allies and despised by his enemies (and sometimes vice versa).

Though many actors turned down the role of playing Patton himself, I believe that none of them could have given as superb of a performance as George C. Scott. Scott captures the essence of Patton in his performance, from his furious seething rages, to his cocky battlefield demeanor, to his depression at his low moments. Scott also displays the many paradoxes of Patton with near perfection. Patton was both a gentleman and rogue, a warrior and intellectual, a villain and hero, all traits wonderfully displayed by Scott.
Also, there is the underrated performance of Karl Malden as General Omar N. Bradley, Patton's friend and rival. Malden serves as the perfect foil to Scott, much in the same way Bradley did to Patton.
The directing of Franklin J. Shafer plays an importan role in the enjoyability as well. Most notable is his use of distance to provide perspective on many of the scenes, most poigniantly in the ending sequence. Add to this an excellent script which, though written by Francis Ford Coppola, owes most of the best lines to Patton himself. Another great quality of the film is the score by Jerry Goldsmith, which fits the scenes almost flawlessly.
Patton was a movie that was not only powerful for its time, but is still powerful today. It not only serves as a biopic of a fascinating man and a different look at war than what we're used to seeing in the movies, it also serves as an example of some of the last great films Hollywood ever produced. Epic in its length, performances, dialogue, and scenes, it harkens back to a time where movies were created by studios for their artistic value as much as their profitabillity.
Patton, simply put, is a must-see movie. When I first saw this movie, I felt changed in a signifigant way. It changed my outlook on so many things, I can't even begin to describe it. It's even one of the few movies that makes me cry at the end. **WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD** because even though Patton is shown to be a volatile warmongerer, Scott plays him with such charm that you can't help but feel sorry for him after he's relieved of his command of the Third Army.
Rent or buy this movie if you ever get the chance. I assure you that it will be money well spent.