--- title: "Patton" year: 1970 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/patton" fi1m_score: 82 critics_score: 81 critics_reviews: 12 published: "2026-09-16T11:08:56.518131+00:00" updated: "2026-09-16T11:08:57.085000+00:00" region: "US" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Patton (1970) Directed by Franklin J. Schaffner · 2h 52m · MPA PG · War, Drama, History **Fi1m score: 82** · Critics 81 from 12 reviews *In a sentence:* Nearly three hours with a general who would have considered the running time inadequate > A commanding George C. Scott performance makes *Patton* worth the long evening. Franklin J. Schaffner handles the battles with assurance, though his fascination with the general sometimes gets in the way of judging him. ## Synopsis General George S. Patton Jr. (George C. Scott) wants victory and expects obedience from the men under his command. General Omar N. Bradley (Karl Malden) and Captain Chester B. Hansen (Stephen Young) are among the officers around him. Patton approaches war as the work he was born to do, bringing intelligence, temper and enormous self-belief to the job. His appetite for battle makes him a forceful commander, but his certainty leaves little room for anyone else’s judgement. Military leadership requires him to work with other people, which presents difficulties for a man so convinced of his own importance. ## Review Franklin J. Schaffner’s *Patton* is a forceful, intelligent military biography, worth its 172 minutes chiefly for George C. Scott. It studies a commander whose gifts for fighting seem inseparable from his appetite for it, and gives us plenty of reason to find him difficult company. The film is less convincing when it asks how such a man should be judged. Its confidence in putting him before us sometimes disguises a reluctance to answer that question. George C. Scott gives General George S. Patton Jr. the immense assurance of someone who considers doubt a failing in other people. The bluster is funny because he plays it without asking to share the joke; Patton takes himself seriously enough for everyone. We laughed at the sheer size of his self-importance, then felt uneasy about how readily we enjoyed it. The flashes of humanity matter because they do not tidy away the rage or make his love of war easier to excuse. The screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola and Edmund H. North lets intelligence and absurdity coexist in the same man. His conviction that he has been chosen for greatness is treated seriously enough to become troubling, rather than filed away as a colourful eccentricity. There is pleasure in the writing’s willingness to leave him difficult and disagreeable. There is also a limit to it: we learn a great deal about his temperament without always being given enough context to judge his authority. Fred Koenekamp’s cinematography gives the battles the space they need, and the long views let the scale of the fighting register without a scramble of impressions. The director is good at making military activity feel organised, even when its purpose is destruction. Hugh S. Fowler’s editing sustains that sense of forward movement; for a film this long, the action seldom feels like an obligation between speeches. That clarity is a considerable pleasure, and helps keep the battle scenes from becoming merely noisy interruptions. Jerry Goldsmith’s score is persuasive enough to make us wary of how much we are being encouraged to admire. We hear grandeur in it, but also something unsettled, which suits a man whose certainty has become alarming. The music helps the portrait more than the sheer extent of the fighting does. When the battle scenes take over, our interest in the individual soldiers is much thinner than our interest in the general. Karl Malden, as General Omar N. Bradley, gives the film a useful steadiness around its dominant lead. Even so, this is the kind of war biography in which the man at the top gets nearly all the attention, and the narrowness matters. His ability, his temper and his ego can become explanations for everything. The film remains absorbing, but we wanted more examination of the military authority that allows his personality to count for so much. Most critics recommend it, and we agree, with a reservation about how easily it can flatter the man it examines. There is enough humour and unease in the performance to keep admiration from becoming automatic, provided we pay attention to more than his confidence. Give it the full evening, but keep some distance from the general’s opinion of himself. *Fi1m score 82, published 16 September 2026.* ### Reviews we read (12) - **Radio Times**, David Parkinson (5/5): This splendid biopic can be viewed as both a tribute to the indomitability of the fighting man and a satire on the myth of the American hero. The bedrock is George C Scott's performance combining blimpish bluster with moments of monstrous ego and unexpected humanity. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-32v7in/patton/) - **RogerEbert.com**, Roger Ebert (90/100, inferred): Ebert views it as a hard-line glorification of the military ethic embodied by a man whose flaws suited him to battle, with one of the most uncluttered war-movie canvases and a sublime performance by Scott that fulfills both actor and character. Schaffner’s direction emphasizes sweep over personalization. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-patton-1970) - **The AV Club**, Nathan Rabin (A-): The critic sees the film as an enduring two-fisted American classic that can be read as either pro- or anti-war. He singles out the slyly subversive and weirdly comic flourishes in the depiction of Patton as an insane, overgrown Boy Scout undone by hubris and ego. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/patton-1798201691) - **The Guardian** (A-): The forceful personality of the military legend is masterfully conveyed by George C Scott in this biopic. The screenplay is terrific and the battle sequences energetic, though it bends a few facts. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/nov/27/patton-history-secondworldwar-general) - **Evening Standard** (85/100, inferred): The film memorably shows that while the immorality of war deserves no glorification, some warriors cannot be denied it. It belongs to Scott's great, multifaceted performance as the warrior temperament in action. [Read](https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/film/patton-lust-for-glory-7432843.html) - **The Telegraph** (85/100, inferred): It took until 1970 for a really titanic American film about the war. With a magnificent script by Francis Ford Coppola and inspired casting choices, Patton deserved every one of its seven Oscars. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2026/06/29/second-world-war-films-mostly-rubbish-stopped-the-rot/) - **Variety**, A.D. Murphy (85/100, inferred): The critic calls it a terrific biopic of Gen. George S. Patton Jr. that forges a successful path between cliché heroics and contemporary put-downs while exposing the strengths and weaknesses of war leaders. Scott’s performance is outstanding and Schaffner’s direction lends realism, authenticity, and sensitivity with strong action and production values. [Read](https://variety.com/1970/film/reviews/patton-review-1200422032/) - **Empire** (80/100, inferred): The film holds up as a remarkably intelligent and illuminating biography of a warrior. Scott delivers an awesome performance as the brilliant, rage-filled general. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/patton-review/) - **Los Angeles Times**, Charles Champlin (80/100, inferred): Champlin praises this unconventional war movie full of battle noise and action that gives comfort to neither hawks nor doves. It is a strong portrait of a complicated, contradictory man, impeccably directed with momentum and depth. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-05-22-tv-60617-story.html) - **The New York Times**, Vincent Canby (75/100, inferred): Canby describes the film as a loving, semi-official pop portrait of a brilliant but unstable, war-loving general who saw himself as a divine instrument, noting its grandeur, meticulously staged battles, and strong central performance. It is a typical example of a production in which the studio is the real auteur. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/1970/02/08/archives/patton-he-loved-war-patton-he-loved-war.html) - **Time Out**, PH (70/100, inferred): As a study of power, neither Coppola's script nor Schaffner's direction are precise enough to merit the praise that has been heaped upon them. As an exercise in biography, however, the character study of General George S Patton is marvellous, especially in its sideways debunking of the American Hero, mirrored in George C Scott's superb performance. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/patton-1) - **The New Yorker**, Pauline Kael (40/100, inferred): Kael finds the film technically impressive in its imperial scale and long shots but manipulative and unsatisfying, playing Patton both as hero and maniac without resolving key issues or providing enough context to evaluate him. Scott’s magnetic performance dominates, but the movie ultimately validates the war lover as a compelling figure. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1970/01/31/1970-01-31-073-tny-cards-000295411) ## Details - **Director:** Franklin J. Schaffner - **Director:** Franklin J. Schaffner - **Screenplay:** Francis Ford Coppola, Edmund H. North - **Cinematography:** Fred Koenekamp - **Editor:** Hugh S. Fowler - **Music:** Jerry Goldsmith - **Producer:** Frank McCarthy - **Cast:** George C. Scott as General George S. Patton Jr.; Karl Malden as General Omar N. Bradley; Stephen Young as Captain Chester B. Hansen; Michael Strong as Brigadier General Hobart Carver; Carey Loftin as General Bradley's Driver; Albert Dumortier as Moroccan Minister; Frank Latimore as Lieutenant Colonel Henry Davenport; Morgan Paull as Captain Richard N. Jenson - **Runtime:** 2h 52m - **Certificate (MPA):** PG - **Release (the US):** 2 April 1970 - **Genres:** War, Drama, History - **Budget:** $12 million - **Box office:** $90 million - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLXzqSmxGaM ## Where to watch in the US - Amazon Prime Video: streaming - Amazon Prime Video: rent $3.99, hd - Amazon Prime Video: buy $14.99, hd *Checked 2026-09-16.* Also available in: AR, AU, BE, BR, CA, CL, CO, CZ, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, HR, IE, IS, IT, JP, LT, MX, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PL, PT, RS, SE, SI, TR, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## Awards - Academy Awards 1971: Best Cinematography (nominated); Best Original Score (nominated); Best Visual Effects (nominated); Best Actor (won); Best Director (won); Best Film Editing (won); Best Picture (won); Best Production Design (won); Best Sound (won); Best Writing, Original Screenplay (won) ## If you liked this - *Paths of Glory* (1957), Fi1m 93: For a harsher examination of military authority and the men subjected to it. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/paths-of-glory.md) - *The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp* (1943): A warmer portrait of a military man struggling to understand change. - *Kagemusha* (1980): For another study of command, performance and the dangerous need to believe. - *The Battle of Algiers* (1966), Fi1m 93: For a war film that looks beyond the men giving orders. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-battle-of-algiers.md) - *The Caine Mutiny* (1954): Another commanding central performance, with more room to question the commander. --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/patton