Character Study of A Great WWII General

Rating: 9/10 (18 January 2007)

Patton was a tough old goat. Some say he was a real SOB. But you had to have an SOB to defeat another SOB and Patton fit the bill. To take on an enemy like Hitler, we needed a leader like Patton, someone who had no qualms about "holding on to the enemy by the nose and kicking him in the ass."
The hospital scene is what I think bothers a lot of people about this movie and also what I think stirs up a lot of controversy. What has to be understood here is that when taking on the Germans of WWII, any display of cowardice or weakness could not be tolerated. What Patton did to the soldier in that tent was nothing compared to what the Germans would have done to him if he had been captured and sent to a POW or concentration camp. The Germans of that day were a sadistic lot, as history will tell you, and they would have had a field day with an American soldier blubbering and crying. These were the kind of people they loved to torture. This was tough love before anyone ever thought of the phrase. Patton was basically saying, "Come on, soldier, grow up! We're at war here and if you don't shape up, the enemy is going to kick your ass even worse than I am."
This movie shows an unapologetic look at a great general, and forces you to accept him on his own terms. Was Patton perfect? Of course not. Nobody is. But he was the right man for the right time and he did his job well. No one can fault him for that. Interesting that his birthday is on VE Day. Great movie, great character study. 9 out of 10.
By the way, my favorite line(s). Patton just got a call from Beetle Smith and is being raked over the coals for refusing to denazify his staff. The politicians didn't want to make the Russians mad at them, and, every time I see this movie and hear this, I cheer and say, "Right on, George, go for it! Give 'em hell!" He says, "To hell with the mongoloid Russians. You tell Eisenhower to give me the word and I'll start a war with those sons of bitches and make it look like their fault...I'll kick their behinds back to Russia where they belong." YESSSS!!!!!!!