A “masterpiece” war film that one fan said is “on par” with Saving Private Ryan is streaming now in the UK. The Forgotten Battle (2020) is a Dutch war drama that dramatises the Battle of the Scheldt in 1944, in which Allied forces confronted Germany’s 15th Army in a brutal battle to open up a crucial supply route.

We see the action through the expriences of various characters plunged into the chaos of the fighting in different ways, including Marinus (Gijs Blom), a Dutch soldier who has decided to join the German army, British glider pilot William (Jamie Flatters), and Teuntje (Susan Radder), a woman from Zeeland who joins the Dutch resistance movement. It also stars Tom Felton, best known for his portrayal of Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter film franchise, who plays Lieutenant Tony Turner, an aristocratic British officer.

The film, directed by Matthijs van Heijningen Jr., with a screenplay by Paula van der Oest, from a story by her and Jesse Maiman.

Fans have taken to IMDb to laud the lesser known film. One said they’d put the film “at par” with Steven Spielberg’s celebrated war epic Saving Private Ryan (2008) “as far as … well, everything”.

“Bravo to the Dutch for providing such an excellent cinematic experience,” they added.

Another, who gave the film a perfect score, wrote: “This was a very well-scripted, excellently acted, and cleverly and sensitively directed WW2 film.

“For me, it caught beautifully the pain, despair and heartache of a time in our history that none of us should ever forget, but also depicted the courage, selflessness and the deep humanity of many who fought not just for their freedom, but gave us today a freedom which we should never take for granted. I was deeply moved by this film and unashamedly wept at the end,” they added.

A third described it as an “impressive and emotionally insightful masterpiece”. “It is that simple. I was blown away with the story, the acting and most of the filming felt like you were actually present on the scene.”

A fourth wrote: “Wow. I was very surprised by this movie. This is the best movie I have seen about WW2 in a very long time. It really might rank up there with some of the best war movies.

“The odd thing is there are so many characters so they really had to crunch for time to develop the characters in the space of two hours. With the various battle sequences along the way. I just finished watching it and I’m still a bit shocked at how it got to me.”

The film has a 15 certificate and contains injury detail, suicide, and violence, so viewer discretion is advised.

The Forgotten Battle is streaming now on Netflix.

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