‘Masterpiece’ war film better than Saving Private Ryan is streaming | Films | Entertainment

“A genuine timeless classic” is available to watch for free and it’s been deemed as the “greatest film of all time”. 

Steven Spielberg’s Second World War film Saving Private Ryan starring Tom Hanks is undoubtedly a fan-favourite with the “haunting” movie airing this evening, Sunday, January 11, at 10pm on BBC Two.

However, fans have been hailing another film as the “best war movie ever made” and what’s even better is that it’s free to stream at the click of a button.

“I escape into this movie whenever I feel really down, it’s a great spirit lifter and one of the greatest films of all time”, someone shared.

Another commented: “This must be my favourite movie of all time.

“Having seen it for the first time, in I guess 1987, I was captivated by this brilliant piece of work. In the years after, I probably have seen it a million times.”

Released in 1963 but set during the Second World War, The Great Escape sees a group of Allied soldiers determined to break out of a German POW camp, not just to escape but to distract the Nazis to search for fugitives.

War film buffs can watch The Great Escape for free via BBC iPlayer but it is also available on Netflix.

The plot revolves around American Captain Virgil Hilts and British Squadron Leader Roger Bartlett, portrayed by Steve McQueen and Richard Attenborough respectively.

Both characters were inspired by real-life heroic figures with Attenborough’s Bartlett representing Squadron Leader Roger Bushell, the mastermind behind the actual “Great Escape”.

Meanwhile, McQueen’s Hilts is a composite character inspired by several real-life Allied pilots.

A war film fanatic took to Facebook to ask if viewers preferred Saving Private Ryan, The Dirty Dozen or The Great Escape and an abundance of people answered the latter.

“The Great Escape. Stellar film, and enormously satisfying”, someone remarked.

Another agreed: “I’ve seen them all and I always judge a film by whether I will drop everything to see it again. The Great Escape fills the bill.”

A third wrote: “A genuine timeless classic. This is one of those films that I can happily watch time and time again”, as someone else simply labelled it “one of the best war movies ever made”.

The Great Escape is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.