diff --git a/changelogs/fragments/82187-uri-handle-force.yml b/changelogs/fragments/82187-uri-handle-force.yml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..752c259e546
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/fragments/82187-uri-handle-force.yml
@@ -0,0 +1,6 @@
+---
+bugfixes:
+  - ansible.builtin.uri - the module was ignoring the ``force`` parameter and always
+    requesting a cached copy (via the ``If-Modified-Since`` header) when downloading
+    to an existing local file. Disable caching when ``force`` is ``true``, as
+    documented (https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/82166).
diff --git a/lib/ansible/modules/uri.py b/lib/ansible/modules/uri.py
index 343c814ae00..d721c02487f 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/modules/uri.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/modules/uri.py
@@ -584,7 +584,7 @@ def uri(module, url, dest, body, body_format, method, headers, socket_timeout, c
                            method=method, timeout=socket_timeout, unix_socket=module.params['unix_socket'],
                            ca_path=ca_path, unredirected_headers=unredirected_headers,
                            use_proxy=module.params['use_proxy'], decompress=decompress,
-                           ciphers=ciphers, use_netrc=use_netrc, **kwargs)
+                           ciphers=ciphers, use_netrc=use_netrc, force=module.params['force'], **kwargs)
 
     if src:
         # Try to close the open file handle
diff --git a/test/integration/targets/uri/tasks/main.yml b/test/integration/targets/uri/tasks/main.yml
index 23aa6436f9f..c98c85bac59 100644
--- a/test/integration/targets/uri/tasks/main.yml
+++ b/test/integration/targets/uri/tasks/main.yml
@@ -633,6 +633,22 @@
     that:
       - "'content' in file_out.stdout"
 
+- name: Test downloading cached file
+  uri:
+    url: "https://{{ httpbin_host }}/cache"
+
+- name: Test downloading cached file to existing file results in "304 Not Modified"
+  uri:
+    url: "https://{{ httpbin_host }}/cache"
+    dest: "{{ remote_tmp_dir }}/output"
+    status_code: [304]
+
+- name: Test downloading cached file to existing file with "force"
+  uri:
+    url: "https://{{ httpbin_host }}/cache"
+    dest: "{{ remote_tmp_dir }}/output"
+    force: true
+
 - name: Clean up
   file:
     dest: "{{ remote_tmp_dir }}/output"
diff --git a/test/units/modules/test_uri.py b/test/units/modules/test_uri.py
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..2aeb4641d41
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/units/modules/test_uri.py
@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
+# Copyright:
+#   (c) 2023 Ansible Project
+# License: GNU General Public License v3.0+ (see COPYING or https://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl-3.0.txt)
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+from unittest.mock import MagicMock, patch
+from units.modules.utils import AnsibleExitJson, AnsibleFailJson, ModuleTestCase, set_module_args
+from ansible.modules import uri
+
+
+class TestUri(ModuleTestCase):
+
+    def test_main_no_args(self):
+        """Module must fail if called with no args."""
+        with self.assertRaises(AnsibleFailJson):
+            set_module_args({})
+            uri.main()
+
+    def test_main_no_force(self):
+        """The "force" parameter to fetch_url() must be absent or false when the module is called without "force"."""
+        set_module_args({"url": "http://example.com/"})
+        resp = MagicMock()
+        resp.headers.get_content_type.return_value = "text/html"
+        info = {"url": "http://example.com/", "status": 200}
+        with patch.object(uri, "fetch_url", return_value=(resp, info)) as fetch_url:
+            with self.assertRaises(AnsibleExitJson):
+                uri.main()
+            fetch_url.assert_called_once()
+            assert not fetch_url.call_args[1].get("force")
+
+    def test_main_force(self):
+        """The "force" parameter to fetch_url() must be true when the module is called with "force"."""
+        set_module_args({"url": "http://example.com/", "force": True})
+        resp = MagicMock()
+        resp.headers.get_content_type.return_value = "text/html"
+        info = {"url": "http://example.com/", "status": 200}
+        with patch.object(uri, "fetch_url", return_value=(resp, info)) as fetch_url:
+            with self.assertRaises(AnsibleExitJson):
+                uri.main()
+            fetch_url.assert_called_once()
+            assert fetch_url.call_args[1].get("force")