Fortress (1992)

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 | Escape | Future | Big Brother | Male Nudity

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:

Director Trademark: [Stuart Gordon] [shovel]A shovel is used as a weapon.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: While passing the supposed US/Mexican border, there are signs in English and Spanish saying that it is a crime to cross the border. However, the English sign has the word "offence" (as it would be spelled in Australia, where the film was made).

Quotes:

Prison Director Poe: Crime does not pay.

Movie Connections:

References Re-Animator (1985)

Soundtrack:

DIE KUNST DER FUGE BWV 1080

Another Cult Favorite from Professional B Filmmaker:Stuart Gordon.

In the Grim Future on 2017... When the planet is been overpopulated and crimes has been rising. One of the new laws states that a couple are allowed to have one child now, even if the new born baby dies at birth. When John Brenneck (Christopher Lambert) and his wife Karen (Loryn Locklin) broken the law, when his wife finds himself pregnant after losing their first child at birth. When John's wife escapes from the U.S. Border, John finds himself sent in Prison for over 30 years. But this "Fortress" is controlled by a cold hearted if odd Prison Warden Poe (Kurtwood Smith). This prison is very strict, inmate's are controlled by a small explosive devices that are blasted into the digestive system via the throat and robotic controlled security devices that could look into the inmates dreams. Now John and other prisoners (Clifton Collins Jr., Jeffery Combs, Lincoln Kilpartick & Tom Towles) tires to find other ways to escape the Fortress but John finds out that his pregnant wife is captured and is kept in Poe's working area.

Directed by Stuart Gordon (Edmond, Re-Animator, Stuck) made an entertaining high concept low-budget Science Fiction adventure. This is probably the biggest budget that the independent filmmaker Gordon had to work with at $12 Million. Which it was originally going to be a bigger budgeted movie if Arnold Schwarzenegger was cast in the lead but Schwarzenegger went on to do "True Lies" instead. The actors gives good performances (especially Smith) and the feature has some fascinating ideas. "Fortress" was an box office disappointment, when it was first released in the fall of 1993. But the feature was an international success and the sequel was produced (It was watchable but poorly produced sequel). This is One of Gordon's best movies and it's certainly worth seeing. (****/*****).