Barrelling across the screen in 1970 was Franklin Schaffner's biography of World War II general George Patton, played by George C. Scott. There were other people in the film, but no one bothers about them.
This movie is Scott's picture, through and through. The iconic opening scene, with him dressed to the nines, ivory-handled six shooters and all, in front of a huge American flag, sets the tone for the whole film. Scott portrays a man who is not complex, but in that simplicity is fascinating. Like Wolverine, he is the best there is at what he does -- and that's wage war. He is uncertain and out of place anywhere but leading troops into battle. But when that's where he is -- wow.
Thankfully, the movie focuses mostly on that. It takes us from Patton's arrival in North Africa to push Rommel back, to the end of his maniac tirade through Europe with the 3rd Army destroying the German defense -- the time in Patton's life that he considers to be the pinnacle of his existence. Which is not to say it doesn't shy away from the more uncomfortable moments in Patton's life -- it illuminates several of the scandals that added to his reputation as brilliant but slightly unhinged.
The movie is a true war epic -- almost three hours long, sweeping across the geographic theater of WWII, with a rousing orchestral score and fantastic cinemotography. This alone would make it a great film -- and one that I would just sort of enjoy. But it's Scott's performance that puts it on this list and made it a fun watch. This is acting.
(See this post if you're confused why I'm reviewing movies.)