Oscar-winning ‘masterpiece’ war film now streaming on Amazon Prime | Films | Entertainment

A “masterpiece” war film boasting an all-star cast is currently available to stream in the UK.

Black Hawk Down (2001) is inspired by the true story of American forces who helicoptered into the Somali capital in a bid to capture two key lieutenants of a powerful Somali warlord.

However, the mission descends into a desperate and brutal firefight against Somali militia after two US Black Hawk helicopters are shot down.

The film features a stellar ensemble cast, including Josh Hartnett, Eric Bana, Ewan McGregor, Jason Isaacs, Tom Sizemore, William Fichtner, Sam Shepard, and Jeremy Piven, alongside early appearances from Orlando Bloom and Tom Hardy.

It was helmed by acclaimed director Ridley Scott (Alien, Gladiator, Bladerunner), working from a screenplay by Ken Nolan, and was adapted from Mark Bowden’s 1999 non-fiction book, Black Hawk Down: A Story of Modern War.

The film received widespread critical acclaim, picking up two Oscars for Film Editing and Sound Mixing, though some critics took issue with its historical inaccuracies.

Audiences have taken to review aggregator platforms in droves to heap praise on the war epic.

One viewer awarded it a 10/10, writing: “This is a must-see film for anyone interested in war films and I guarantee you that you will be moved by this film.”

Another said: “I’ve never seen more authentic-looking battle scenes in any other movie.” A third added: “I think I watched this movie over 20 times (on 5 or 6 diff languages). This is simply one of my favorite movies of all time. The music, characters, plot and the DRAMA – everything is so amazing about this movie.”

A fourth called it “one of best war movies”, praising its “stellar” cast.

“Shows the true horrors of war. I love the sets!!! Very good music. So much praise for this film,” they added.

A fifth said: “The action is intense and chaotic and the anxiety while watching the story unfold is palpable. Highly recommended for anyone that likes good war movies or good movies in general.”

A sixth called it an “extremely realistic masterpiece”, and “one of the most realistic war films I have ever seen”.

The film holds a 15 certificate and contains frequent strong battle horror, so viewer discretion is advised.

Black Hawk Down is available to stream now on Amazon Prime, and can also be rented or purchased on Apple TV, YouTube, and Sky Store.