Featured Audience Ratings

• Jeff "

  
  Stuart Gordon, who has made some stunning horror films in the 1980's, directs this futuristic prison film starring Highlander actor Christopher Lambert. In the future a corporation controls an underground prison. A prisoner gets sent to the prison after having a second child, as… More
  Stuart Gordon, who has made some stunning horror films in the 1980's, directs this futuristic prison film starring Highlander actor Christopher Lambert. In the future a corporation controls an underground prison. A prisoner gets sent to the prison after having a second child, as it is illegal in the future. Effectively directed by Gordon, this is a fun, and entertaining film that is good, but does leaves a lot to be desired. The cast is comprised of well known B movie actors, and though it never is anything great, you can appreciate the concept behind the plot. The gore effects are very well done, but where the film lacks in some of the performances. Kurtwood Smith is probably the best actor on-screen, and he gives the best performance. The ingredients for a great film are here, but you clearly see that some ideas don't work. I would say that this is a good film to watch, but it does fall short of what it could have been. Stuart Gordon is a talented director and he manages to make Fortress work due to its concept. If the film would have been rewritten slightly, the film would have been better. It's worth watching, but after you finish the film, you want more out of it considering the concept, which is awesome, but due to budget constraints and a so-so script it never quite takes off like it should have. I enjoyed the film; this isn't one Gordon's best either. As a whole, Fortress is entertaining, but is not a classic by any means.

• Phil H

  
  So deliciously cheesy you'd think it was an 80's flick. The plot is basic as hell and the action is bloody and in your face as Chris Lambert gets sent underground to the inescapable prison, the Fortress. If you take the comicbook gore of 'Robocop' or… More
  So deliciously cheesy you'd think it was an 80's flick. The plot is basic as hell and the action is bloody and in your face as Chris Lambert gets sent underground to the inescapable prison, the Fortress. If you take the comicbook gore of 'Robocop' or 'Universal Soldier' and the futuristic ramblings of 'Total Recall' or 'The Running Man' and blend it all together you have this yummy main course. There really is every corny futuristic angle you could want in this film, a melting pot of ideas from various other sci-fi films. Lambert is young and fit looking here which helps muchly as he battles the evil company and their clinical 'employee' Kurtwood Smith ('Robocop' eh) with his prison computer security system. Along the way there are your typical cliched fights with the prison bully (Vernon Wells), mutant prison robot sentries with very big guns, enforced stomach implants that explode and all your usual prison malarkey that has been enchanced for the future. This does seem to equal lots of robotic surprises. B-movie fluff but at the time of release it was quite impressive as I recall. Of course the effects are hokey, the ideas hugely dated and you know how it goes even before you sit down to watch but its not trashy. Personally I loved when you are shown how the stomach tracking device works if you try to escape or get up to no good, then low and behold someone throws a wobbly and you get to see exactly what happens lol! so obvious yet so cool (just like 'The Running Man' and the head popping collars).

• Adam M

  
  Gordon wanted to do this back in the day with Schwarzenegger. If the script was the same back then, I have no idea why. There are a couple interesting technological ideas in this vision of a dystopia that are not developed anywhere, and left badly portrayed with poor effects -- a lot… More
  Gordon wanted to do this back in the day with Schwarzenegger. If the script was the same back then, I have no idea why. There are a couple interesting technological ideas in this vision of a dystopia that are not developed anywhere, and left badly portrayed with poor effects -- a lot more stuff looks like clunky plastic than usual. I can't stand Lambert in English. I haven't seen him in a Francophone movie yet. His performance seems to sum up Gordon and his colleagues' throwing in the towel for camp and stupid fun, and they didn't even get that. The best shots tilt up and down the vertical space that is the center axis of the underground prison, lined with elevators and ventilation fans -- a very good model that doesn't look like one.

• Keiko A

  
  Directed by Stuart Gordon and staring Christopher Lambert, Kurtwood Smith and Jeffrey combs. Normally I don't take a likening into action movies but fortress is one of my all time favorites as well as film. I guess if I chose any type of action films I like the Australian ones… More
  Directed by Stuart Gordon and staring Christopher Lambert, Kurtwood Smith and Jeffrey combs. Normally I don't take a likening into action movies but fortress is one of my all time favorites as well as film. I guess if I chose any type of action films I like the Australian ones are really good Romper stomper is one of my favorites. Set in Australia in 2018 the world is heavily overpopulated and the new law is 1 child to every man and women if you break this rule or any rule you are sent to fortress a massive underground prison that is deemed inescapable. They deprive you of time sleeping and your own mind. John Henry an ex marine is sent there for trying to have another child because they first one died his only focus is to get out alive. My favorite part about the movie is the story it is very interesting to watch. It may seem like another sci-fi film but give it the chance and it gives you a whole lot more. 95% for story it gives you more then most action movies the true negative thing about it is some scenes can be very lengthy. 90% for acting I haven't seen highlander yet with Christopher Lamberto but with his great performances in this I will easily give it a go. And as for the rest they were great as well. 100% for special effects there amazing showing a very dark future that were living in and I have to say for nearly 20 years ago they look better then today. 65% for characters most of them that are in fortress we meet but truth is there's not back story of them or why they were in there. 90% for everything else it has some really great fight scenes as well as some amazing action scenes and some fantastically done sets. I have to put fortress as one of my favorite action movies or my favorite action more and it is really recommended. Keiko's score 97% (still gets a 100% though)

• Conner R

  
  Exactly what you'd expect in a movie where Christopher Lambert breaks out of prison. It's set in a futuristic prison so right off the bat it's completely bonkers. Then there's the rape subplot, indigestion bombs, Jeffrey Combs as a hippie with coke bottle glasses,… More
  Exactly what you'd expect in a movie where Christopher Lambert breaks out of prison. It's set in a futuristic prison so right off the bat it's completely bonkers. Then there's the rape subplot, indigestion bombs, Jeffrey Combs as a hippie with coke bottle glasses, cyborgs, etc. It's a lot like Shawshank, only way more outrageous and centered around Christopher Lambert's warped mind. The torture scene where he gets spun around and left for a vegetable is worth the movie alone.

• Anthony L

  
  Fortress has a cult cast to die for. It's probably the last great B-movie. I love it!

• Sarah G

  
  <a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q202/sarah88_uk/_01.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a> In a futuristic USA,… More
  <a href="http://photobucket.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q202/sarah88_uk/_01.jpg" border="0" alt="Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket"></a> In a futuristic USA, it's forbidden to give birth to more than one child for each woman. As usual, you can escape to Mexico to avoid the authorities in USA, which is exactly what John and Karen Brennick were trying to do when Karen is pregnant with her second child (their first child was born dead). When they think they have made it they are discovered and put to prison (for 31 years), a modern prison called the "Fortress" where the prisoners are controlled by lasers, neutron-cannons, cameras, mind-scanners and electronic pain-causing devices in their stomachs. With those odds, John still plans to escape with his wife. Now i don't normally stumble across B films as they just don't appeal to me. I came across this film a few months ago and sat all the way through, for no particular reason. I was intrigued and thought I should try and different film. It's not the best film that you're going to see. For a start the fascist concept is a little fare-fetched all the acting is terrible, script is diabolical, the direction is pathetic but I sat through it despite this. The direction, acting was funny to watch as it was so bad. Overall, a pretty lame film....but one that's so bad you want to sit though and see what's going to happen next. Again I don't know why I watched this.

• xGary X

  
  Typical of the kind of dumb sci-fi B-movie that became the staple of Christopher Lambert's career, this daft and tacky prison yarn gets increasingly ridiculous as it goes (it ends up with them being stalked by an intelligent lorry...?!)

• Dean M

  
  Great high-tech in the futuristic action of prison.

• Steven V

  
  Very good movie. Great high-tech in the futuristic action of prison. One of those great Christopher Lambert B Movies. Good try for Stuart Gordon for a Sci-Fi Action film.

• Leo L

  
  Good movie!

• David S

  
  The sort of film (like 'Under Siege') that my dad loves and so have fond memories of. Lambert is the same as every other film he's ever done (maybe apart from 'Greystoke') but it's mindless fun.

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