A war film described as “the perfect masterpiece” is available on Amazon Prime, and fans have said it is even better than the 1998 classic Saving Private Ryan.

Film lovers say that Stalingrad, directed by Joseph Vilsmaier, is a “powerful” and “realistic portrayal” of the Battle of Stalingrad, which took place during World War 2. Some viewers have even gone so far as to say that the 1993 film is one of the best war films produced, due to its accuracy and honesty. Another also noted that the film did not “glorify war”.

Rating the film a 10 out of 10, one fan wrote: “‘The Finest Ambition of the Soldier is to prevent war from ever happening, but it has always been out of their hands. It is in the hands of men whom they do not even know.’ Saving Private Ryan, Das Boot, Thin Red Line, and When We Were Soldiers. Then there is Stalingrad! It is a perfect masterpiece. The acting and filming in this movie are top-notch!

“I also think the music in this movie is great and fits the movie perfectly. Stalingrad holds no punches back in depicting the siege of Stalingrad by the German Army and ultimately their defeat in the cold, bitter Russian winter!”

“As far as a ‘war’ movie goes, I would give honours to Stalingrad over Saving Private Ryan and even Liberal Hollywood‘s take on the siege of Stalingrad (from the Soviet point of view): Enemy At The Gates.”

Saving Private Ryan is inspired by the story of the Niland brothers who served in World War 2, and while the film is extremely popular, for some film fans, Stalingrad stands as the definitive war film.

One viewer claimed that Saving Private Ryan “just doesn’t bring the horror of war down to the common foot soldier as accurately as Stalingrad”.

Another, who also made a comparison between the two films, said Stralingrad “is possibly even harder-hitting in place”, after describing the film as a “powerful testament “to the suffering of the ordinary soldier on the Eastern Front in the Second World War.”

The film is available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime.