Men Against Fire

War is not what you see, but what your machine allows you to perceive.

"Men Against Fire" is the fifth and penultimate episode of the third series of Black Mirror, premiering on Netflix on 21 October 2016. Written by creator Charlie Brooker and directed by Jakob Verbruggen, it stars Malachi Kirby as Stripe, a soldier hunting humanoid mutants called "roaches." The narrative hinges on a malfunction in Stripe's MASS neural implant, which reveals that these monsters are actually ordinary human beings. Through a confrontation with psychologist Arquette (Michael Kelly), Stripe learns the implant alters his perception of reality to facilitate genocide. Originally conceived in 2010 under the title "Inbound," the story evolved after Brooker read S.L.A. Marshall's Men Against Fire and Dave Grossman's On Killing, shifting focus to how combat is censored from soldiers.

Quick Facts

Series: Black Mirror
Writer: Charlie Brooker
Director: Jakob Verbruggen
Photographer: Ruben Impens
Editor: Ben Lester
Length: 60 minutes
Released: 21 October 2016

Lore & Background

The MASS system is a neural implant that provides augmented reality data, fundamentally rewriting the soldier's sensory input. It renders specific ethnic groups carrying a genetic mutation as "pale, snarling, humanoid monsters with sharp teeth" known as roaches. This distortion is not merely visual; it enables soldiers to kill without hesitation or remorse by dehumanizing the target. The system was designed based on the premise that over 70% of soldiers historically did not fire their rifles under threat, a statistic from S.L.A. While laypeople see these individuals as they are, the MASS ensures soldiers view them through a lens of inhumanity, treating them as inferior due to propaganda and genetic cleansing mandates.

Reader's Guide

Filmed over 18 days near London, it utilized a disused army barracks and a constructed forest village set. The "roach" design involved actors with ill-fitted clothing and prosthetics suggesting hydrocephalus, with adult actors wearing black contact lenses while a young boy's eyes were altered via visual effects. The narrative structure relies on shifting perspectives; the farmhouse fight is shot frantically from the soldier's point of view, making roaches appear more human when seen from behind. Critics noted parallels to Nazi Germany and rising xenophobia in Europe and America, with comparisons to media descriptions of refugees as "swarms." While praised for Kirby and Kelly's performances, some found the twist predictable and the reliance on cliches heavy.

Did You Know?

The episode was originally titled "Inbound" in a 2010 draft, where an alien attack was revealed to be an invasion by Norway.
Director Jakob Verbruggen was inspired by the "fearless high energy" of the 1997 film Starship Troopers for the action sequences.
Malachi Kirby played Stripe as naive and vulnerable rather than the typical alpha male soldier archetype.
The episode's title comes from a claim in S.L.A. Marshall's book that over 70% of WWII soldiers did not fire their rifles under immediate threat.
Filming was constrained to the United Kingdom despite the script intending an Eastern European setting due to budget and time limits.