film criticism by maryann johanson | since 1997
Take a look back at an old trailer… For Memorial Day, the U.S. holiday honoring our veterans, a movie about a doozy of a soldier. From my review: This biopic of the American general is a straightforward film without subtext or irony, just as its subject is. Not that he isn’t a mass of eccentricities. … more…
But like many men who do great things using personality traits that would be drawbacks in lesser men, Patton’s idiosyncrasies eventually turn around and bite him. He’s tolerated only as long as he gets results — and good publicity. Patton is a spectacular and unvarnished look at a man who thrives in war while also sowing the seeds of his own downfall.
