The Last Days of Patton (1986)

Pales in Comparison to its Prequel

I enjoyed Ladislas Farago's similarly titled book. The book details Patton's activities during the last months of the war and continues to his untimely demise. It also briefly explored the conspiracy theory's surrounding Patton's accident. Unfortunately the movie concentrates on George S. Patton Jr.'s time as military governor, thinly veiled attempts to militarily rehabilitate German POWs incarcerated in Bavaria, and blatant animosity toward the Soviets. Additionally, the film spends an awful lot of time on a paralyzed Patton, complete with flashbacks, imobilized in his hospital bed.

It was great to see George C. Scott reprise his role as Patton. The problem was that it was easier for a late 1960s Scott to be made up to appear as an older general in PATTON than it was to tackle the problem of an older and more stout Scott as Patton in the 1986 television movie. Scott was just to plump for the role and those overly puffy white eyebrows were more appropriate for Santa Claus than Patton.

Remember too that this was a television movie filmed in Great Britain. As such, the budget and associated production was not that of the original motion picture. The US military vehicles are obviously from museums and private collector collections as the gray-green paint is absolutely perfect. Likewise the GIs appear to be wearing less authentic looking period uniforms. Additionally, where the original PATTON was filmed in a variety of Spanish locations including beaches, desert, and thick forest, LAST DAYS is mired in limited British locations. In one scene the painted matte background of the Bavarian Alps is phony and distracting.

Although I cannot imagine anyone other than George C. Scott playing the part of Patton, he was not physically ready to take on the role. Remember that the previous year Scott also portrayed a very chubby Benito Mussolini in MUSSOLINI: THE UNTOLD STORY. Other former 'Pattons', such as George Kennedy, Kirk Douglas, and Darren McGavin never fit the role. This movie probably should never have been made in the first place, or limited as a narrarated docu-drama.

THE LAST DAYS OF PATTON is as far removed from the original wide-screen movie as THE DIRTY DOZEN: (THE) NEXT MISSION is from the first THE DIRTY DOZEN film.

Worse for the film is that its sale and distribution, much like older movies that entered the public domain, have fallen to several different media companies. As such you can find this movie with different covers, sometimes matched with other movies, and differing quality. My advice is for you to buy a copy of the book and avoid the disappointing movie. August 12, 2007

The Worst Thing I Ever Saw

This film is not worth the shipping and handling. George C. Scott gives a fabulous performance of a simply miserable script. The production values rival a poor film school project. The supplementary characters are obtuse and poorly developed; Patton's wife is both whiny and soporific. If you're a fan of the original, then you'll hate this. If you crave a "Lifetime Original," then I suggest this movie. January 25, 2007

Present for Dad

I can't say I actually watched this movie. I bought it as a present for my Dad for Christmas this year. He was featured as an extra in the movie. At the time, he was stationed at RAF Mildenhall, UK in the U.S. Air Force. I was just a baby when this film was shot, so it was nice to find the part where he was featured, pause it, and look in awe that he was actually on screen! January 19, 2007

The Last Days of Patton

I found this movie very disappointing. I guess after Patton anything else would be hard to compare. That said, I had high hopes given the fact that I enjoyed the original so much. I did not even get half way through it before becoming bored with the plot. Stick with the original, you will not be sorry. January 9, 2007

Patton lucky to have George C. Scott play him!

Interesting sequel to the movie Patton, but this is not a war film, it is a drama. Patton wrestles with how to handle post-war Bavaria: Should he exclude Nazis from the new government, or should he include them to speed rebuilding? Should he allow SS members to continue to train in the prison camps? He clashes with Ike, and frets over not having men to lead in battle.

Life after the German surrender was nothing but worsening problems for the general, what with his chafing at running a bureaucracy, his stripping of authority by Ike, and finally on the day before he was to ship home, getting into a freak accident that broke his neck and paralyzed him.

I'm not sure some of the critics of this film appreciate how well Scott does with a tremendous challenge of depicting a physically dead man from the neck down, a man who once moved armies in one of the most important times in modern history, now bedridden and suspecting he faces death despite his doctors' forced cheer. It is touching to see his wife scramble to his side to comfort him and read him books, and disconcerting to know that her niece appears to be having an illicit affair with her own uncle-by-marriage.

This is a dark film, as it watches Patton's wife struggle with her husband's rather brave acceptance that he is transitioning towards death, and find bravery within herself as well.

Finally, as my husband observes, the best thing that happened to Patton was having George C. Scott play him on film -- talk about a posthumous career boost! December 11, 2006

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