A rare case of a really stunning performance

Rating: 10/10 (20 April 2002)

I had seen Patton on German TV before, of course dubbed in German, and I thought it was good, but nothing extraordinary. Now I finally had the chance to watch in on DVD in the original version, and it's quite another story.
A lot of my feelings about this film have been expressed in other comments before, but one thing must be said again and again: Scott's performance is probably the best kind of acting to be seen in any movie. Granted, the role offers endless opportunities to express the diverse (and sometimes twisted) character traits of the protagonist, and there may be other actors who would have been up to the job as well. They just didn't have a chance to do it, and Scott succeeds 100 %. The famous opening scene (though as such fictitious, with its speech spliced together from several of Patton's quotes) sends shivers down my spine whenever I watch and re-watch it.
Jerry Goldsmith's excellent (though somewhat repetitive) score does its own in transmitting the atmosphere of those days, and the movie would not be the same without it.
Two opinions from others I take issue with: I cannot join the praise for Karl Malden in this case. His Omar Bradley comes across one-dimensional, unemotional, and uninteresting, though this cannot come as a real surprise against the overwhelming, highly structured figure of Patton and may not be Malden's fault. The other thing is some people's idea that the movie was too long by one hour or so. For me, this film could have lasted for several days without ever getting boring.
A clear 10 out of 10, if there ever was one.