Quartile rating: 7.5/10 · 1 rating
In the 1930s, Count Almásy is a Hungarian map maker employed by the Royal Geographical Society to chart the vast expanses of the Sahara Desert along with several other prominent explorers. As World War II unfolds, Almásy enters into a world of love, betrayal, and politics.
The English Patient is elevated chiefly by its exceptional performances — Ralph Fiennes and Kristin Scott Thomas deliver deeply felt, layered work — and by John Seale's gorgeous, Oscar-winning cinematography that renders the Sahara and the Tuscan villa with equal grandeur. The non-linear structure of the romance and war story is elegantly handled but the plot itself, while sweeping, has pacing issues and its tragic love triangle follows relatively familiar contours. The film is handsomely crafted within the prestige epic tradition rather than genuinely distinctive in conception or voice, earning it a middling Novelty. The ending is emotionally resonant and thematically coherent but not especially surprising given the trajectory established early on.