I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

The acting in this movie is really good.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

RELEASED IN 1970 and directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, "Patton" stars George C. Scott as the charismatic general during his WWII campaigns in North Africa and Sicily, as well as France & Germany following the Normandy invasion. After the invasion of Sicily, Patton was reprimanded for slapping a cowardly soldier suffering battle fatigue (in real life it was two soldiers on separate occasions in the course of eight days in August, 1943). The fiery general was removed from command for eleven months while his junior in age and rank, Omar Bradley (Karl Malden), was selected to command the First United States Army for the invasion of Normandy.Meanwhile, Patton was assigned to London as a decoy to deceive the Germans in a sham operation called Fortitude. The ruse was successful because the German High Command respected Patton more than any other Allied commander and deemed him crucial to any plan to invade mainland Europe. Immediately following the successful invasion, he was put in command of the Third Army in the final Allied thrust against Germany where the headstrong general, once again, proved his mettle as his forces favored speed and aggressive offensive action.Patton was an interesting character who maintained a flashy larger-than-life image in order to encourage his troops; and he didn't hesitate to get his hands dirty with them. While other officers tried to blend-in with the troops on the battlefield, Patton brazenly displayed his rank insignia. He was a romantic who valued bravery and tenacity above all. All this is effectively conveyed in this ambitious war flick. It's interesting to observe the North African and European theaters of the war from the standpoint of the Allied generals, mostly Patton and Bradley, rather than the typical perspective of the infantry.THE FILM WAS WRITTEN by Francis Ford Coppola with additional material from Edmund H. North (based on the factual accounts of Ladislas Farago & Omar N. Bradley). It runs 172 minutes and was shot in Spain, Algeria, Morocco, Crete and England, with the opening speech filmed at Bob Hope Patriotic Hall in Los Angeles.GRADE: A-

The story of the infamous WW2 American general George S. Patton is given the Hollywood epic treatment in this lengthy but compelling biopic directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, who had just come off the back of making PLANET OF THE APES so was clearly on a roll. PATTON tells an unhurried tale charting Patton's battles staged in Sicily from his base in North Africa, depicting how his rivalry with British forces led him to the greatest of success.From this point on the man's infamously prickly character gets him into trouble with his superiors and later his ultimate superior, and the rest of the film follows various trials and tribulations in a tale filled with highs and lows. George C. Scott was one of Hollywood's most uncompromising actors and he truly gives the role his all here, so much so that he becomes synonymous with the character he plays. Also most impressive is the staging of the battle scenes, which are gritty and authentic and look fantastic, with every dollar of the budget put up on screen for the viewer's enjoyment. The supporting cast don't get much of a look in, but the likes of Karl Malden serve well enough in their parts.

Franklin J. Schaffner churned out the 1970 Best Picture winner, Patton, starring George C. Scott and Karl Malden. A wartime film about the harsh no-nonsense life of General George S. Patton, with George C. Scott in the titular role. Perhaps best known for the intensely moving speech at the beginning of the film delivered by the general, Patton explores one man's seeming love affair with all things related to war. It was an interesting ride, to say the least, of viewing 1970's top film, according to the Academy.The film opens in WWII and shows General Patton's (George C. Scott) career as a tank commander progressing through the invasion of Europe. Eventually highlighting the fall of the Third Reich, Patton shows one wartime successful, yet bizarre man who believes he has lived before. At one of his exploits he explains that he has been reincarnated to the General he is now, but lived before in the time of the great Roman empire; Patton even believes he fought in battle on behalf of the Romans. No one is ever able to pinpoint the General's character. He is stern one moment, jovial the next, always shifting between his idiosyncracies with the blink of an eye. With each "victory" Patton gains in battles, the more inflated his ego becomes. The larger Patton's ego becomes, the more talking he does, the more talking he does, the more trouble he gets into. Patton eventually becomes a far too controversial figure to have around and begins to realize that the once great commander must now accept a life in which he is no longer needed to serve his former post. Through all the transitions he goes through, Patton learns the ultimate lesson; glory, even for the best, is always fleeting.This movie was strange. I understood without the constant show of it that Patton was a different sort of individual. I always applaud a movie that gets its point across about characters or issues in the story line without drilling it into the audience. A good 40 minutes could have been cut out of trying to convince me that there is something "off" with Patton; his opening speech made this abundantly clear. I will say that the acting of George C. Scott was phenomenal. The Academy definitely got it right, giving top acting honors to Scott that year. Karl Malden was great in this film, as well. Who doesn't like Karl Malden? He's such a seemingly down-to-earth actor that just exudes happiness, and it's hard for me not to love him in every role I see him in. In Patton, he plays General Omar N. Bradley, the newly appointed 2nd in command under General Patton. Malden does a great job towing the line between following his commanding officer, yet realizing Patton's flaws and being weary of them. Directorial achievement must be noted for Franklin J. Schaffner. Since Patton's introduction to the film, he commanded each scene he was in, elevating his image and making even the audience worry about what he'll do next.Patton is a must see for history buffs. Anyone that has any prior knowledge of the general would enjoy the film, even if it is the slimmed down version of the man's life and triumphs. Patton is also a must see for any fans of war movies. The battle scenes in this film are on a grand scale and deeply resonate with the audience. As far as from an Academy standpoint; I haven't seen any of the films nominated for top prize of 1970, but there were parts of Patton that stand out to show it as the best.

As someone who is planning on enlisting in the armed forces I wanted to get an understanding on just who Patton was. Sure I could see any sort of documentary that talks about him but it wouldn't have had that same impact I felt after seeing this movie. George C. Scott does an amazing job of portraying Patton as who he is. A man that loves the smells and tastes of war. Each scene is as memorable as the last. The opening scene in particular where Patton gives his speech is one where I feel I am in the audience actually listening to. I feel a part of the drama and the action. If you are a World War 2 or history buff you're doing yourself a disservice by not seeing this film. Cause god dam was it good.