Decent War Film, Immortalization of Patton

Rating: 8/10 (11 April 2010)

This film essentially tells the story of General George Patton during World War II. What he does before and after is of no consequence. While some liberties are taken, the film is largely historically accurate.
I think the whole feel is summed up in the opening speech from Patton: "Men, all this stuff you've heard about America not wanting to fight, wanting to stay out of the war, is a lot of horse dung. Americans traditionally love to fight. All real Americans love the sting of battle. When you were kids, you all admired the champion marble shooter, the fastest runner, big league ball players, the toughest boxers. Americans love a winner and will not tolerate a loser. Americans play to win all the time. I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost, and will never lose a war... because the very thought of losing is hateful to Americans."
I really enjoyed the idea that Patton is a sixteenth century romantic warrior stuck in the twentieth century. The planned Sicily attack in 1943 is key evidence to this. (Mysteriously, Patton cites the Athenian invasion and the leadership of Alcibiades, but it's a foolish comparison. The Athenians were decimated at Sicily, and their leader deserted them. Alcibiades began the conflict as one of the Athenian commanders, but defected to Sparta... why would Patton want to do this?)
Likewise, he also has this weird concept of living in many different centuries. How much he believes it and how much it is just a way of saying that his soul is eternally tied to war, I don't know. The film portrays him as being pretty serious, which I'm skeptical about.
They are dead right on one thing: Patton does not allow softness or even cooks or doctors to go without uniform. He is a great general, but his big weakness is his lack of compassion. While arrogance and confidence and hardness work well in war, they may not make a well-rounded man.