The English Patient 

Search for this title on DVD or VHS at Amazon.com.

Effortlessly gliding from past to present, "The English Patient" tells the story of a wartime cartographer whose memory and face are burned beyond recognition, a man straining to find his past before his body gives up on him. Unafraid and cocksure, director Anthony Minghella ("Truly, Madly, Deeply") paints a giant picture on a gargantuan canvas; the main characters each strive to make sense of their lives through the eyes of a lover, awash in a sadly realistic combination of self-involvement and pure desolation. The desert and parched sky serve as a perfect backdrop for their anguish, triumph and redemption. This movie is INTENSE. With Willem Defoe, Kristin Scott Thomas (who is terrific) and Juliet Binoche. Not rated.

—Ian Williams

Return to Ian's movie reviews.