It's a cliche to say that an actor was born to play a role. In the case of this production, it is clear George C. Scott was uniquely equipped to play the tough-willed, iconic general. His performance is so commanding it stands as one of the great performances in cinema history. He is so believable in the role that the famous image of him standing before the giant American flag exclaiming that "I want you to remember that no bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." is the image most people today connect with the name Patton more than the actual man.

The film itself is a joy to watch. The competitive urges of the Allies' military upper echelon is a great conflict to watch and plays against Patton's personal/public turmoils perfectly. Patton brutish style and undeniable brilliance getting caught in a world of public perception and media is prophetic of the issues facing our military today. They have a tough job to do and a media waiting in the wings waiting to complain about how it gets done. Patton's inability to change his nature in light of the alternating tastes of his time and the frustration he faces at every turn makes this one of more engaging biographies put to screen. The real man was as big as depicted, usually the subject of a biography has to be punched up a little and their conflicts buttressed to give them more life. In Patton's case, his overbearing personality and his thick-headed belligerence is large enough to fill the whole movie.

One of the elements of the film that is often overlooked is Karl Malden's understated performance as Patton's contemporary General Bradley. Malden's calmer tone contrasts the bombastic theatrics Scott provides and acts as the anchor to the story. He deserves credit for a masterful supporting performance that assisted in creating the environment in which Scott could work. Without Malden's even presence, Scott's blasting characterization would have clearly become clownish. Malden's Bradley levels their scenes out and humanizes the larger-than-life Patton.

This is one of my movies that you simple have to see once before you die. It is a great example of how epic cinema can get and how, when done properly, how film can be used to its fullest effect.


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Labels: biography, film, George C. Scott, Karl Malden, movie review