A powerful war story that is based on the “best book” has landed on Amazon Prime, and fans are hailing it a “masterpiece”.

The Pianist is a 2002 epic biographical historical drama film produced and directed by Roman Polanski, with a script by Ronald Harwood, and starring Adrien Brody. It is based on the autobiographical book The Pianist (1946), a memoir by the Polish-Jewish pianist, composer and Holocaust survivor Władysław Szpilman.

Szpilman’s work as was also named one of the Best Books of 1999 by the Los Angeles Times.

The Pianist won the Palme d’Or, and received widespread critical acclaim, with critics lauding Polanski’s direction, Brody’s performance and Harwood’s screenplay. At the 75th Academy Awards, the film won for Best Director (Polanski), Best Adapted Screenplay (Harwood), and Best Actor (Brody), and was nominated for four others, including Best Picture (it lost to Chicago). It also won the BAFTA Award for Best Film and BAFTA Award for Best Direction in 2003, and seven French Césars, including Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor for Brody. It appeared in BBC‘s 100 Greatest Films of the 21st Century in 2016.

The film’s synopsis reads: “In this adaptation of the autobiography ‘The Pianist: The Extraordinary True Story of One Man’s Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945,’ Wladyslaw Szpilman (Adrien Brody), a Polish Jewish radio station pianist, sees Warsaw change gradually as World War II begins. Szpilman is forced into the Warsaw Ghetto, but is later separated from his family during Operation Reinhard. From this time until the concentration camp prisoners are released, Szpilman hides in various locations among the ruins of Warsaw.”

The film has an impressive 95% rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with the critics’ consensus stating: “Well-acted and dramatically moving, The Pianist is Polanski’s best work in years.”

One person said: “Just a masterpiece. This movie hits hard and stays with you for years.”

Another said: “Shocking and masterful. The Pianist left me completely in shock. I had heard about it before, but I never thought it would be this good. It’s a raw, moving, and profoundly human film that portrays the horrors of war without resorting to sensationalism. Adrien Brody’s performance is flawless, conveying his character’s suffering, loneliness, and fragile hope with both subtlety and strength.”

“Adrien Brody’s performance is impeccable. The scene where he silently plays the piano is memorable for years,” added a third.

The Pianist is available to stream on Amazon Prime.