In many ways, I really do hope this biopic of the acclaimed American tank commander was exaggerated because at times George C. Scott's portrayal of George S. Patton shows a selfish, petulant and stroppy man that is really very easy to dislike. We start just before he gets his third star and the American forces are coming to terms with their first ever defeat in foreign battle - at the hands of Field Marshal Rommel in North Africa. He vows that will be the last time his army loses and so prevails upon his friend General Bradley (Karl Malden) - whom he now outranks, to get him onto Sicily. That will require a degree of guile and politicking that it's clear this man doesn't really possess, and his somewhat disparaging views of the British Field Marshal Montgomery (Alan Bates) aren't going to help him impress his bosses in Washington D.C. or in London. Still, to Sicily he goes and proving a skillful and determined officer takes Palermo and tees up the invasion of Italy. Unfortunately, his exuberance for progress sees him lose the plot with one of his juniors and the resulting reaction from the press and his own commanders now leaves him marginalised and exasperated. Convinced he is to have no part in the forthcoming invasion, he is reluctantly used as a decoy to distract a Third Reich who are convinced that he is the best commander the Allies have and so are therefore treating any actions that don't involve him as feints. It's only after the Normandy landings have begun that Bradley sends for Patton to reveal that he will have a role to play - and a crucial one too, providing he can keep his trap shut and control his temper. Scott is entirely convincing throughout this and carries the film pretty much single-handedly which I think is quite appropriate as his characterisation often suggests that it's the general himself who is winning the war - all by himself. The visual effects go some way to illustrating not just the theatres of operations in which he worked, but also the varieties of unforgiving climates and terrains he and his troops fought through but what this doesn't really do is spend much time on his foes. Rommel appears now and again and, likewise, Montgomery only has a peripheral part to play - despite both having much greater roles in what drove this man to drive his own men relentlessly. Scott characterfully imbues his persona with a sense of determination rooted in ancient history and suggests that in the best spirit of a megalomaniac, Patton believes himself to be timeless and perhaps even immortal as he quotes Roman, Byzantine and Carthegenian soldiers to motivate himself. It's a surprisingly easy three hours to watch and though it does condense a lot of activity into that time, it shows us a man whom nobody really wanted but whom everyone knew was actually needed.