Fortress (1992)

In a future, private underground prison/Fortress, the inmates are computer controlled with CCTV, dream readers and devices that can cause pain or death. John and his illegally pregnant wife are inside but want to escape before birth.

Director:

Stuart Gordon

Writers:

Troy Neighbors (story), Steven Feinberg (story)

Stars:

Christopher Lambert, Loryn Locklin, Kurtwood Smith

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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
Tom Towles	...	Stiggs
Vernon Wells	...	Maddox
Carolyn Purdy-Gordon	...	Zed-10 (voice)
Alan Zitner	...	Claustrophobic Prisoner
Deni Gordon	...	Karen's Cellmate
Eric Briant Wells	...	Border Guard
Dragicia Debert	...	Bio Scanner Guard
Heidi Stein	...	Pregnant Woman
Harry Nurmi	...	Guard #1

Storyline

In 2017, John Henry Brennick and his wife Karen are captured at a US immigration point with an illegal baby during population control. The resulting prison experience is the subject of the movie. The prison is run by a private corporation bent on mind control.

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Plot Keywords:

prison | escape | future | population control | prisoner | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Action | Crime | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and language, and for sexuality

Did You Know?

Trivia

In D-Day's backstory: D-Day was an electronics expert and bank robber. During a bank raid, which he had blown up a bank vault with explosives, which he had accidentally set the money on fire. D-Day's partners unhappy with him for blowing up their loot, betrayed D-Day and they turned him over to the authorities and D-Day was sent to The Fortress. D-Day's backstory is almost similar to that of Frank Warren, the main protagonist of another futuristic prison flick Wedlock (1991) played in that film by Rutger Hauer. In that film, Frank Warren, an electronics expert and diamond thief steals a fortune in diamonds. But, Warren is betrayed by his partners Sam and Noelle and they turn him over to the authorities and Warren is sent to the experimental prison Camp Holiday.

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Goofs

After Maddox's lower midsection is obliterated by the turret, he continues to stand upright for many moments before turning and falling off the duct pipe. But with no spine, that part of his torso could not have remained fully upright.

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Quotes

Prison Director Poe: Crime does not pay.

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Alternate Versions

The 18-rated German Video Release by Columbia Tristar is also cut for violence and gore. For example the two "exploding-body-scenes" (the scene during the entry of the fortess and the end of prisoner 187) are shortened.

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Connections

Referenced in The Last Drive-In with Joe Bob Briggs: Re-Animator (2018)

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Soundtracks

DIE KUNST DER FUGE BWV 1080
Contrapunctus 3&11 a 4
Canon per augmentationem in contrario motu
Written by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Bell'Arte Ensemble
Courtesy of Koch Import Service

User Reviews

Futuristic riot!

2017, a dystopian future, and US Army officer John Henry Brennick (Christopher Lambert) and his wife Karen S. Brennick (Loryn Locklin) are expecting a second child. Strict one-child policies forbid any couples having a second child, but the Brennick's first child died at birth so they attempt to get away with a second pregnancy. They are caught trying to cross the border and sent to a maximum security prison that is owned and run by the "MenTel Corporation" A place where dreams are not your own and all thoughts of escape are dealt with severely by futuristic methods unheard of in the civilised world.

You got Connor MacLeod, Herbert West, Clarence J. Boddicker and one of the finest female bottoms in cinema, all crammed into one riotous, hokey and immeasurably fun movie. It probably wont come as much of a surprise to anyone to learn that this Christopher Lambert starrer is not going to have you scratching the cranial matter and pondering the future of mankind. But it does have some interesting ideas both in terms of its prison setting and in the technological advancements used. I mean hey, would you try to escape if you had an intestinal bomb set to go off outside the perimeters? {think The Running Man's neck braces but in your belly}. It can also be said of Fortress that it's not over ambitious, where director Stuart Gordon is aware of his restraints and keeps it simple but sparky, of which this is aided by Lambert buffing up and throwing punches left right and off kilter. Tho nothing much as an actor, Lambert none the less gives the likes of Sly and Arnie a run for their money here and looks every inch and sinew an action hero.

Kurtwood Smith, Jeffrey Combs, Lincoln Kilpatrick, Clifton Collins Jr. and of course,Loryn Locklin's bottom, all add varying degrees of fun and frolics to the occasion. While the set design for the interiors is really rather snazzy. It's B movie berserker time folks, a dystopian world where Christopher Lambert can beat the crap out of blokes twice his size, where half humanoids have flame throwers for arms, and Kurtwood Smith is in charge of a prison. Great fun really, truly. 7/10

Details

Country:

Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 September 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fortress

Filming Locations:

Queensland, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$4,040,711, 6 September 1993

Gross USA:

$6,739,141

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$6,739,141

Company Credits

Production Co:

Davis Entertainment, Village Roadshow Pictures, Fortress Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

95 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1