Fortress (1993)

User Rating:

5.5/10   

Director:

Stuart Gordon

Writers (WGA):

Troy Neighbors (story) &
Steven Feinberg (story) ...

Release Date:

3 September 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

A Prison of the Future. A High-Tech Hell. Built to Hold Anything... Except an Innocent Man.

Plot:

A futuristic prison movie. Protagonist and wife are nabbed at a future US emigration point with an illegal baby during population control...

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Futuristic | Escape | Female Nudity | Severed Arm

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Christopher Lambert	...	John Henry Brennick
Kurtwood Smith	...	Prison Director Poe
Loryn Locklin	...	Karen B. Brennick
Clifton Collins Jr.	...	Nino Gomez (as Clifton Gonzalez Gonzalez)
Lincoln Kilpatrick	...	Abraham
Jeffrey Combs	...	D-Day, the Computer Geek
Tom Towles	...	Stiggs, Maddox's Buddy
Vernon Wells	...	Maddox
Carolyn Purdy-Gordon	...	Zed-10 (voice)
Alan Zitner	...	Claustrophobic Prisoner
Denni Gordon	...	Karen's Cellmate
Eric Briant Wells	...	Border Guard
Dragicia Debert	...	Bio Scanner Guard
Heidi Stein	...	Pregnant Woman
Harry Nurmi	...	Guard #1

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

Australia | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Finland:K-18 (uncut) | Australia:M | Iceland:16 | Finland:K-15 (uncut DVD version) | France:-12 | Germany:18 | Netherlands:16 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Argentina:13 | Finland:K-16 (cut)

Filming Locations:

Queensland, Australia

Company:

Davis Entertainment

Trivia:

Richard E. Grant was considered for the role of Prison Director Poe, which ultimately went to Kurtwood Smith.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: When Brennick uses the shovel to sever a drone's arm, the part of the shovel's blade that has been cut out to fit the stunt person's arm is visible.

Quotes:

D-Day, the Computer Geek: [Explaining the volatile nature of the Intestinator device] It's like T.N.T on PMS.

Movie Connections:

References Re-Animator (1985)

Soundtrack:

DIE KUNST DER FUGE BWV 1080

Fortress: So Bad It Is Excellent

I won't mince words. I love Fortress.

If technology ever produces a prison where inmates are held in line by golfball size explosives/electro-shock units imbedded in their intestines, it may look something like this...(how the poo gets around the device is never discussed ; ) )

In my opinion, it is more fun than any other Christophe(r) Lambert film when appreciated with the correct level of expectations. If I had paid $7.50 to see a movie like this at theater, I'd be a bit let down, but having split a two dollar rental fee amongst friends, I was more than happy to watch, in fact I believe I watched it twice that first time I rented it. Then it began to grow on me. I would definitely go see this at a film show now, but this movie is an acquired taste, to be sure. I've had to show this to a lot of people over the years and have recently acquired the latest DVD version, and I am waiting to get the out of print Sony issue in widescreen soon! But of course, I have never spent more than ten bucks in my life towards this film, renting and owning included, if you find it for five bucks, buy it.

Highlander fans, Kurtwood Smith Fans, Battlestar Galactica Fans, all should take a look at this Camp Classic.

RANDOM INTESTINATION!!!!