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Taking Fire

Taking Fire

2016Miniseries1 season5 episodesMidcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

War as never seen before. Soldiers recount their experiences in one of the worst places of Afghanistan through helmet cameras and testimony years after their tour.

Your rating, lists and review

Where to watch

Where can I watch Taking Fire?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Taking Fire to rent or buy on Prime Video, and on no subscription service.

Rent / Buy

Buy

Highlights

What stands out about Taking Fire?

Taking Fire earns 4 badges, led by Hidden Gem and Top 10% of shows.

  • Rank
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood

Reception

Is Taking Fire worth watching?

Taking Fire's Midcredits score is the 90th percentile of all shows, from 371 ratings across 2 sources. 86% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

90th percentile

Better received than 90% of shows

86th percentile among Documentary90th percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)91st
Approval (how many liked it)85th

Acclaim

Crowd Pleaser: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

82 /100

91st percentile of all shows

86th percentile among Documentary91st percentile among 2010s

Rating distribution

Most people land high, with a thin tail of low scores from those it didn't reach.

Approval

How many liked it

86% liked it

85th percentile of all shows

81st percentile among Documentary84th percentile among 2010s
86% rated it 7–1014% rated it 1–6

Reach

Hidden Gem: Loved by those who saw it, seen by few

How many have seen it

28th percentile

369 ratings across platforms

50th percentile among Documentary35th percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 5% in 30 days

What reviewers say

Common ground

All reviews agree the show offers an unprecedentedly realistic, visceral view of combat through soldier-worn cameras.

Fans praised

  • immersive first-person helmet-cam footage puts viewer directly in combat
  • raw emotional authenticity: captures fear, adrenaline, and chaos of real battle
  • unflinching portrayal of soldier experience without embedded journalist safety buffer

What stands out

Atmosphere95

total immersion in combat stress, chaos, and danger

Tension95

constant life-or-death stakes with unpredictable ambushes

Emotional impact85

viewers report feeling pity, awe, and psychological weight

Cinematography80

helmet-cam POV blurs line between documentary and first-person shooter

Plot and story60

chaotic unscripted events with no conventional narrative arc

Episodes

1 season

Season 1 · 2016 · 5 episodes

  • S1E1

    Band of Brothers

    Sep 13, 201660 min
  • S1E2

    Hero Flight

    Sep 20, 201660 min
  • S1E3

    Flipping the Switch

    Sep 27, 201660 min
  • S1E4

    Overwatch

    Oct 4, 201660 min
  • S1E5

    The Long Road Home

    Oct 11, 201660 minFinale

Watch experience

What is Taking Fire like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Earnest, dark and intense — an even-paced watch that leaves you devastated.

ToneFeelDemandexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Moods
TenseMelancholic
Heaviest: throughout
Register
Solemn: Grave and dignified; treats its subject with weight and respect.Brutal · 3% of shows
Told as
Episodic · 11% of shows: Loosely connected incidents rather than one driving plot.Anthology episodes · 6% of showsSingle-season story
ToneThe material is presented as direct, unvarnished testimony and raw footage, played absolutely straight without any ironic distance.
The rideThe synopsis suggests sustained tension from combat footage blended with the somber tone of retrospective testimony.
StructureThe series is presented as five self-contained episodes, each following different soldiers or events, linked by the overarching conflict zone.
Episode formatEach episode likely focuses on a different soldier's account, functioning as a self-contained story within the overarching series.
Season formatThe series is a concluded limited series covering one comprehensive story across its single season.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
Devastating · 1% of showsThought-provoking
Why it leaves you this wayLeaves the viewer with a visceral, emotional understanding of combat's toll and lingering questions about the purpose and cost of the war.
How it ends · evidence
Ambiguous ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18%: Predator 7% · Tyrant 3% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 3% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12%: Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2%
  • Tragedy 4%: Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1%
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40% (this title)

No archetype fits — true of 40% of shows: ensemble pieces, satire, slice-of-life.

Why this archetypeThis is a nonfiction documentary series assembled from helmet-camera footage and veteran testimony, not a narrative with a plot archetype.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelfWarSurvival
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31%: Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% · Loyalty 7%
  • Self 27%: Identity 20% · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% · Purpose 16% · Memory 3% (this title) · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7%: Power 5% · Corruption 3% · Greed 2% · Class 4% · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4%
  • Morality 11%: Justice 14% · Duty 2% · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% · Betrayal 3% · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9% (this title): Survival 12% · War 1% (this title) · Violence 2% · Mortality 2% · Grief 4% · Trauma 5% (this title) · Mental illness under 1% · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10%: Community 25% · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% · Fame 5% · Legacy 3%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Survival

War · 1% of showsTrauma · 5% of showsMemory · 3% of shows
Observes its theme: Presents its theme neutrally, declining to judge.Cosmic stakes: Consequences reach beyond the world.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeThe film centers on the experience of combat and its lasting psychological impact, recalled years later.
StanceThe film presents soldiers' experiences without overt judgment, allowing the material to speak for itself.

The world

ContemporaryWildernessInstitutionalRealistic
AmbientSupportive music · original score · Ty Unwin
SettingAfghanistan warzone and later recollections
MusicLikely understated score accompanying raw footage and interviews.

Content guide

Is Taking Fire okay for kids?

Ratings in 3 other countries
  • Ireland16
  • Norway18
  • SwedenFrån 15 år

No detailed content scores for this title yet.

What content warnings does Taking Fire have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Taking Fire?

Cast

Kevin Conroy
as Narrator

Crew

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TMDB's suggestions for shows like Taking Fire include History 101 (2020), Cursed Films (2020) and World War II with Tom Hanks (2026).

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What other shows share a tag with Taking Fire?

377 other shows share the rarest tag below, follows: soldier. Each tag opens Browse with the shows that share it.