A “masterpiece” war film described as better than Saving Private Ryan is available to rent or buy in the UK. Paths of Glory (1957) is set in the third year of World War 1 and begins with the “erudite but morally bankrupt French general Broulard (Adolphe Menjou)” ordering his troops to seize a heavily-fortified position captured by the Germans on the Western Front, the teaser intro on Amazon Prime Video reads.

“General Mireau (George MacReady) knows that this action will be suicidal, but he will sacrifice his men to enhance his own reputation.” The attack is a dismal failure, and Mireau seeks to blame the men. But Colonel Dax (Kirk Douglas) is willing to risk his career to defend the men against a court martial. The film was directed by iconic filmmaker Stanley Kubrick and is held up as an anti-war film par excellence.

Collider contributor Luc Haasbroek included Paths of Glory in a list of 10 wars films that are better than Steven Spielberg‘s acclaimed 1998 epic Saving Private Ryan, and fans have taken to Rotten Tomatoes to shower it with praise.

One wrote simply: “Masterpiece. Like many others of Kubrick.”

Another wrote: “Definitely Kubrick’s most emotionally driven film. It’s probably my favorite war film. Paths of Glory doesn’t glorify the war and fighting itself, it shows how horrifying war is behind all of the battles.

“And it’s one actual war scene is amazingly done. Memorable for the beautiful cinematography and one of the greatest endings of all time, Paths of Glory is a must see.”

A third, who gave it 5 stars out of 5 wrote said when watching Paths of Glory “it doesn’t feel like a 1957 release but something newer, more sophisticated and ahead of other films made in the 1950’s decade”.

“The ground breaking camera work separates this film from its contemporaries. Kirk Douglas in what might be his best performance, leads his soldiers and we the viewers down a unbelievable path that’s gut wrenching and heart breaking.”

A fourth added: “This movie is one of the all-time greats. It should be more popular than it is nowadays. It holds a lot of historical and social significance and sends a lot of powerful messages to the viewer.”

The movie has a superb 96% score on the site’s Tomatometer (reflecting the percentage of approved critics who have given it a positive score), and a 95% score among general audiences.

The film is a PG and contains moderate war violence.

Paths of Glory is available to rent or buy on Apple TV and Sky Store. You can also stream it on Amazon Prime with an MGM+ add-on.