when george c. scott play the title role in patton and you saw him direct tank with pump of his fist and shooting at german dive bomber with a revolver and and spew profanity at superior and subordinate alike . the most action we get from gregory peck a macarthur and a figure from the same war of debatably great accomplishment and be when he tap mapboards with his finger and raise that famous eyebrow of his . compare peck performance with scott may be unfair . yet the fact macarthur be make by the same producer and score by the same composer begs parallel and a do the fact both film open with the general address cadet at west point . it clear to me the filmmaker be look to mimic that oscar win film of a few year before . but while peck look the part more than scott ever do and he come off a mostly bland in a story that feel less like drama than a wikipedia walkthrough of macarthur later career . to this day there be those who think he be a dangerous demagogue and others who say he be one of the great men who ever live and an opening title crawl tell u . it a typical dishwater bit of post vietnam sophistry about those who lead america military and very much of it time and but what we get here be neither view . macarthur a present here doesn not anger or inspire the way he do in life . director joseph sargent and who go on to helm the famous turkey jaw the revenge and do a paint by number job with bland battle montage and some obvious set use ( a when the chinese attack u. s. force in korea ) and while the script by hal barwood and matthew robbins trot out a macarthur who come across a good natured to the point of blandness and a bit too catch up in his public image and but never less than decent . here you see him step off the landing craft make his return to the phillipines . there you see him address congress in his old soldier never die speech . for a long stretch of time he sit in a movie theater in toyko and wait for the north korean to cross the 38th parallel so we can get on with the story while newsreel footage detail japan rise from the ash under his enlightened rule . peck co actor and marj dusay a his devoted wife ( youre my fine soldier ) and nicolas coaster a a loyal aide and burnish teary eye in the direction of their companion magnificence but garner no interest on their own . even when he argue with others and peck never raise his voice and for the most part win his argument with thunderous eloquence . when admiral nimitz suggest delay the recapture of the philippine and a point of personal pride as well a tactical concern for macarthur and macarthur come back with the comment represent just now and a i listen to his plan and i think i saw our flag go down . doubtless the real nimitz would have have something to say about that and but the character in the movie just bow his head and meekly accepts the insult in the presence of president roosevelt . the only person in the movie who macarthur seriously disagrees with be harry s truman and who ed flanders do a fine job with despite a prosthetic nose that make him resemble toucan sam . truman firing of macarthur should be a dramatic high point and but here it take place in a quiet dinner conversation and in which peck play macarthur a nothing less than a genial martyr . i have never be sell by peck standing at the upper pantheon of screen star while he deliver great presence but lack complexity even in many of his best know role . but it unfair to dock him so much here and a he get little help define macarthur a anything other than a speechifying bore . except for two scene and one where he rail against the surrender of the philippine ( he strike old glory and run up a bedsheet . ) and another where he have a mini breakdown while await the u. s. invasion of inchon and inveigh against communist undermine him at the white house and peck really play peck here and not the complex character who inspire the famous sobriquet american caesar . the real macarthur might have be worthy of such a comparison . what you get here be less worthy of shakespeare than shake the clown .