the english patient be one of those film that mostly deserve all the high praise . i say and most and because this movie and albeit very serious and intense and deep and really thoughtful and still suffer some drawback . first and foremost and why and oh why be the modern film so long . this one last for more than two hour and from time to time it become really hard to concentrate and follow the extremely serious plot . i say and if the film be an hour shorter and that would serve it only good . however and we have what we have . the winner of several oscar and the english patient be still very good . it be a deep and insightful treatise of human soul and love and betrayal and war and cowardice and violence and bravery . ralph fiennes be a smash superb actor . his hero and neurotic and silent and be an enigmatic person and ready for everything only to save the life of his lover . he be great and even though half the time he be a deformed cripple . he be the strong link here . juliette binoche be as usual very convincing and sweet . she add a lot with her excellent play and the love story plot with that sikh officer . willem defoe and colin firth and christine scott thomas be all here and all enormous and all very strong . and then there be desert of egypt and then there be deep and cloudless sky and green grove of italy . the nature be here and even when people die and bomb roar and land mine explode . war be here and too . it be obvious and terrible and and bloody . then and there be corps and horrible gory body and then nude body and adultery and all . i do not know what to say . so much of a splendid actor work and so much of realism and so much of brutality that war brings . this be not a film for relaxation . it make you think .