[4] The opening monologue, delivered by Scott as General Patton with an enormous American flag behind him, remains an iconic and often quoted image in film.

In 2003, Patton was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant".

General George S. Patton is placed in command of II Corps and begins instilling his authority amongst his untested and poorly disciplined troops.

Alongside the poor condition of American soldiers in the II Corps, Patton identifies how his British counterpart, General Bernard Montgomery, is monopolising the allied effort to suit his own needs.

With the Allies bogged down in the south-east corner of Sicily, Patton drives west and captures Palermo before beating Montgomery to Messina.

To a public gathering in the town of Knutsford, Patton remarks that the post-war world will be dominated by the British-American spheres of influence; this comment is viewed as a slight to the Soviet Union.

Despite Patton's protest that he has done nothing wrong, the situation has spiraled from his control, and the decision to send him home or remain in England is placed on General George Marshall.

Under his leadership, the Third Army sweeps across France, but it is brought to a halt just before entering Germany, because gasoline and other vital supplies have been instead allocated to Montgomery's Operation Market Garden.

During the Battle of the Bulge, Patton devises a plan to relieve the trapped 101st Airborne Division in Bastogne, which he does before smashing through the Siegfried Line and into Germany.

Patton's voice is heard: For over a thousand years, Roman conquerors returning from the wars enjoyed the honor of a triumph—a tumultuous parade.

A slave stood behind the conqueror, holding a golden crown, and whispering in his ear a warning: that all glory ... is fleeting.Lee Marvin, Burt Lancaster, John Wayne, Robert Mitchum and Rod Steiger declined the role of Patton.

[11][9] 20th Century Fox bought A Soldier's Story, the 1951 autobiography of General of the Army Omar Bradley (who features prominently in the film, played by Karl Malden).

Francis Ford Coppola wrote the film script in 1963 based largely on Ladislas Farago's 1963 biography Patton: Ordeal and Triumph, and on A Soldier's Story.

[9] Bradley, the only surviving five-star general officer in the United States after the death of Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1969, served as a consultant for the film though the extent of his influence and input into the final script is largely unknown.

He so stays in the film.... Napoleon once said that the art of the general is not strategy but knowing how to mold human nature.... Maybe that is all producer Frank McCarthy and Gen. Bradley, his chief advisor, are trying to say.

"[15] The film started shooting February 3, 1969 and was shot at seventy-one locations in six countries, mostly in Spain, which had a lot of the U.S. Army's World War II surplus equipment.

The early scene, where Patton and Muhammed V are reviewing Moroccan troops including the Goumiers, was shot at the Royal Palace in Rabat.

The main theme also consisted of a symphonic march accompanied by a pipe organ to represent the militaristic yet deeply religious nature of the protagonist.

The film made its Region A (locked) Blu-ray debut in 2008 to much criticism, for its excessive use of digital noise reduction on the picture quality.

"[32] Gene Siskel gave the film three stars out of four and wrote that George C. Scott "has created an acting tour de force," but found it "repetitive – the second half doesn't tell us anything more than the first.

"[33] Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote, "The most refreshing thing about 'Patton' is that here—I think for the first time—the subject matter and the style of the epic war movie are perfectly matched ...

"[34] Charles Champlin of the Los Angeles Times wrote, "'Patton' has, like Lawrence of Arabia, done the near-impossible by creating a finely detailed portrait despite all the tuggings toward simplification which are inevitable in the big budget, long, loud roadshow production desperate to attract mass audiences.

"[35] Gary Arnold of The Washington Post wrote that the film "eventually shares the dramatic limitations, as well as the visual triumphs, of Lawrence of Arabia: yet another fascinating but inconclusive portrait of a mercurial military leader.

"[36] Pauline Kael of The New Yorker wrote that "technically the movie is awesomely impressive," but went on to state that "I'm sure it will be said that the picture is 'true' to Patton and to history, but I think it strings us along and holds out on us.

"[37] John Gillett of The Monthly Film Bulletin wrote, "While communicating a relish for the man with all his warts, [Schaffner] also pinpoints the monstrous prejudices which lay beneath the surface.

Rotten Tomatoes summarizes the critical consensus as, "George C. Scott's sympathetic, unflinching portrayal of the titular general in this sprawling epic is as definitive as any performance in the history of American biopics.

George C. Scott also won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his performance, but he declined it, citing a dislike of the voting process and the concept of acting competitions.