Fortress (1992)

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 ... See full summary »

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.

---

Plot Keywords:

prison | escape | future | population control | prisoner | 

---

Taglines:

In the year 2017 one corporation is building a fortress for the ultimate takeover... your mind.

---

Genres:

Action | Crime | Sci-Fi | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong violence and language, and for sexuality

Details

Country:

Australia USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 September 1993 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fortress

Filming Locations:

Queensland, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$8,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$6,739,141

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$40,000,000

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

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.

---

Goofs

When Loryn goes to warn John that he needs to cooperate (when he is the torture room strapped to the harness) she is escorted out of the room. When she does that she is clearly crossing the yellow line that would trigger pain in the prisoners.

---

Quotes

Karen B. Brennick: What are you?
Prison Director Poe: I am enhanced.
Karen B. Brennick: You're not human. You're...
Prison Director Poe: A monster? A freak? The Mentel Corporation has transformed me into a more efficient human being. Once a month, I absorb amino acids, wasting neither food nor fuel. When my kind are in the majority, there will be no more world hunger, no overpopulation.
Karen B. Brennick: You don't sleep, you don't eat... You can't make love, can you?
Prison Director Poe: But I can love.
Karen B. Brennick: Are there others like you?
Prison Director Poe: Not many as advanced, but yes. I was one of Mentel's first babies. It was very ...
[...]

---

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.

---

Connections

Referenced in Best of the Worst: Supergirl, Captain America (1990), and Roger Corman's Fantastic Four (2014)

---

Soundtracks

Die Kunst Der Fuge BWV 1080 Contrapunctus 11 a 4
Written by Johann Sebastian Bach
Performed by Bell'Arte Ensemble

User Reviews

Crime does not pay.

"Fortress" is mostly routine, but enjoyable, futuristic sci-fi from director Stuart Gordon (of "Re-Animator" and "From Beyond" fame). It has an excellent cast of familiar faces that make the most out of what they've got, especially Kurtwood Smith ("RoboCop", 'That 70s Show'). There are acceptable levels of violence and gore, the production design and lighting are adequate, and Gordon does a very fine job with pacing and energy level. The producers originally wanted Arnold Schwarzenegger as the star, but he went on to do "True Lies" instead (it was Ah-nuld that suggested Gordon as the director of this feature).

Some interesting ideas are present in this tale of a husband and wife, John and Karen (Christopher Lambert and Loryn Locklin) who are expecting their second child, despite the fact that the law now forbids couples from having more than one kid. (They tried again because the first child was born dead.) They're caught and sentenced to do time at the "Fortress", a massive, multi leveled high tech prison. It's run by your standard issue sadistic warden, a man named Poe (Mr. Smith). John, forced into an overcrowded cell, makes plans with his cellmates to escape, although this place is supposed to be escape-proof.

Lambert is no better or worse than he usually is. Locklin is reasonably appealing. The supporting cast is pretty eclectic: Lincoln Kilpatrick ("Chosen Survivors", Renny Harlins' "Prison") as Abraham, Jeffrey Combs of the "Re-Animator" series (rocking a shoulder length wig here) as D-Day, Clifton Collins Jr. ("Tigerland", "Pacific Rim") as Gomez, Tom Towles ("House of 1000 Corpses", "Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer") as Stiggs, and Vernon Wells ("The Road Warrior", "Commando") as Maddox. That's Gordons' actress wife Carolyn supplying the voice of the computer intelligence Zed-10. Smith, whose character will have some surprises in store, is an effective and not completely one-dimensional antagonist.

"Fortress" hits the ground running, and offers decent entertainment for a fairly trim 95 minute run time.

Seven out of 10.