Ever since the Golden Age of Hollywood, audiences have found themselves caught up in a series of epic romance stories set against an epic backdrop, and if you’re looking for movies like The English Patient, then you’re in luck.
Anthony Minghella’s star-studded modern classic won nine Oscars including Best Picture and Best Director, and remains one of the romantic epic sub-genre’s most ambitious and moving efforts to this day.
There’s plenty of options out there when it comes to finding movies like The English Patient, and we’ve narrowed it down to ten of the very best!
Top 10 Epic Romance Movies Like The English Patient
1. Cold Mountain (2003)
If you’re looking for movies like The English Patient, then you can’t come much closer than Cold Mountain, which tells a sweeping love story on an epic scale.
Cold Mountain also hails from The English Patient director Anthony Minghella, and features a similarly star-studded ensemble that includes Jude Law, Nicole Kidman, Renee Zelwegger, Natalie Portman, Cillian Murphy, and many more.
Impeccably crafted blockbusters aimed at more mature audiences don’t tend to come around very often, and Cold Mountain is one of the finest examples to come out of the 21st Century.
2. Atonement (2007)
The generation-spanning Atonement takes place across decades, and yet never manages to lose focus of the thematic through-line that dominates the entire narrative.
Director Joe Wright’s breakout feature was the subject of widespread critical acclaim, enhancing Keira Knightley’s reputation and bringing co-stars James McAvoy and Saoirse Ronan to mainstream attention.
A big hit at the box office and with critics, the visuals are stunning and the story gripping, making Atonement one of the best movies like The English Patient out there.
3. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
One of the most complex love stories ever told on the big screen, Brokeback Mountain has since ascended to the status of an undisputed modern classic.
Ang Lee once again proves to be a master of his craft, while the central quartet of Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Anne Hathaway, and Michelle Williams all live up to their billing as four of the best talents of their generation.
Important, influential, moving, and heartfelt without being cloying or preachy, Brokeback Mountain is one of the rare movies like The English Patient that does romance even better.
4. Out of Africa (1985)
Loosely based on the autobiographic novel of the same name, the talent involved in Out of Africa almost guaranteed the movie would be an awards season favorite.
Sydney Pollack scooped Best Picture and Best Director at the Oscars, but Robert Redford and Meryl Streep were overlooked despite giving two winning central performances.
The cinematography is stunning and the sprawling romantic epic can comfortably be mentioned in the same breath as movies like The English Patient.
5. Dances with Wolves (1990)
Kevin Costner was already one of the biggest movie stars in the world, but Dances with Wolves put him firmly on the map as a filmmaker to be reckoned with.
The historical epic marked Costner’s debut behind the camera, and the producer/director/leading man won seven Oscars for his trouble including Best Picture and Best Director, not to mention crafting one of the biggest box office hits of the year.
Movies like The English Patient can also have broad mainstream appeal and reach a massive audience, and Dances with Wolves is one of the greatest examples of an accessible epic.
6. Australia (2008)
An epic love story set against the backdrop of World War II, Australia finds Baz Luhrmann in his most lavish and opulent form.
The director throws every penny up on the screen in a beautifully designed romance that boasts the finest talent to be found including Hugh Jackman, Nicole Kidman, David Wenham, and Ben Mendelsohn.
Luhrmann shot for the stars with his passion project, and while it doesn’t quite hit every target, the sense of scale and production design deliberately hark back to the Golden Age of Hollywood.
7. Pearl Harbor (2001)
Michael Bay isn’t the first name that comes to mind when you think of romantic dramas, but the filmmaker also throws plenty of his signature pyrotechnics into Pearl Harbor.
Unsurprisingly, the showstopping titular assault is the highlight of the entire movie, but the meat of the story comes from the love triangle at the center of the tale.
There are plenty of flaws in Pearl Harbor, but if you want movies like The English Patient that boast blockbuster-sized action, then you can’t go wrong.
8. The Constant Gardener (2005)
Movies like The English Patient don’t all have to be heavyweight prestige dramas, and The Constant Gardner offers plenty of style that stacks up against the substance.
Fernando Meirelles was an inspired choice to direct, and lends proceedings a visual polish that elevate the material, while Ralph Fiennes and an Oscar-winning Rachel Weisz dominate every frame.
Smart, gripping, suspenseful but still a love story at heart, The Constant Gardner ticks all the boxes for those seeking out an epic romance.
9. The Age of Innocence (1993)
Literary adaptation The Age of Innocence may not have done big business at the box office, but the movie delivers exactly what you’d expect from the talent assembled.
Martin Scorsese produces, directs, and co-writes, Daniel Day-Lewis plays the lead role and the legendary Elmer Bernstein handles the score. Throw in two phenomenal turns from Michelle Pfeiffer and Winona Ryder and it’s no surprise it turned out as a top-tier romance.
Elegant and statuesque without becoming too sophisticated for its own good, The Age of Innocence remains one of Scorsese’s most underrated movies.
10. Beyond Borders (2003)
Beyond Borders may have shot for awards season glory and missed, but it remains a worthwhile addition to the back catalog of epic romantic dramas.
James Bond veteran Martin Campbell directs the movie like it’s a blockbuster, even though it tells the relatively contained story of Angelina Jolie and Clive Owen’s humanitarian efforts.
It frequently falls into the same traps that blight many ‘issue movies’ made with the best of intentions, but Beyond Borders is still worth checking out for fans of movies like The English Patient.