1992·Action·1h 35m
7.0
★
In the future, the inmates of a private underground prison are computer-controlled with cameras, dream readers, and devices that can cause pain or death. John and his illegally pregnant wife Karen are locked inside "The Fortress" but are determined to escape before the birth of their baby.
Directed by Stuart Gordon
prison
future
escape
cyborg
married couple
dystopia
evil corporation
population control
action hero
Trailer
IMDB
N/A
Cast
Christopher Lambert
John Henry Brennick
Kurtwood Smith
Prison Director Poe
Loryn Locklin
Karen B. Brennick
Clifton Collins Jr.
Niño Gomez
Jeffrey Combs
D-Day
Lincoln Kilpatrick
Abraham
Tom Towles
Stiggs
Vernon Wells
Maddox
Carolyn Purdy-Gordon
Zed-10
Alan Zitner
Claustrophobic Prisoner
Troy Hunter
Guard #3
Crew
Stuart Gordon
Director
Steven Feinberg
Screenplay
David Eggby
Director of Photography
Graham Burke
Executive Producer
John Davis
Producer
John Flock
Producer
Chris Anderson
Stunts
Mike Fenton
Casting
Alicia Stevenson
Foley
Alan Howarth
Supervising Sound Editor
David Eggby
Camera Operator
Steven Feinberg
Story
Popular Reviews
21 reviews
Emo Philips
4.0★ · 02/14/26
Points for the audacious premise, but the budget holds it back from really excelling in any area. To compare, Total Recall came out two years before this, with an auteur in his prime at the helm and a considerable $65M budget. Fortress has a fifth of that budget ($10-12M), and while I think it doesn't quite need $65M to fully actualize, I think it would have benefitted from a stronger creative team (especially in the writing), better actors, and more compelling set pieces.
The biggest flaw here is it being too serious for a film where the primary torture method is "intestinating" people. Make it campier! Make the escape plan more fun! Add more flourishes to the cyborg and sci-fi elements. I want more out of this, but can't really get it. Fun to see Jeffrey Combs tho!
The biggest flaw here is it being too serious for a film where the primary torture method is "intestinating" people. Make it campier! Make the escape plan more fun! Add more flourishes to the cyborg and sci-fi elements. I want more out of this, but can't really get it. Fun to see Jeffrey Combs tho!
Points for the audacious premise, but the budget holds it back from really excelling in any area. To compare, Total Recall came out two years before this, with an auteur in his prime at the helm and a considerable $65M budget. Fortress has a fifth of that budget ($10-12M), and while I think it doesn't quite need $65M to fully actualize, I think it would have benefitted from a stronger creative team (especially in the writing), better actors, and more compelling set pieces.
The biggest flaw here is it being too serious for a film where the primary torture method is "intestinating" people. Make it campier! Make the escape plan more fun! Add more flourishes to the cyborg and sci-fi elements. I want more out of this, but can't really get it. Fun to see Jeffrey Combs tho!
The biggest flaw here is it being too serious for a film where the primary torture method is "intestinating" people. Make it campier! Make the escape plan more fun! Add more flourishes to the cyborg and sci-fi elements. I want more out of this, but can't really get it. Fun to see Jeffrey Combs tho!
Marques
8.0★ · 11/13/25
Really fun movie to watch. Not sure where all the random hatred comes from. I love love bomboclatt
Really fun movie to watch. Not sure where all the random hatred comes from. I love love bomboclatt
LPSVHS
8.0★ · 08/23/25
DIDN’T NEED TO MAKE THE MINDWIPE SO FUN!!
DIDN’T NEED TO MAKE THE MINDWIPE SO FUN!!
dparasol
6.0★ · 07/07/25
The sexual jealousy of a prison director conflicts with the sexual jealousy of a robot. Homoerotic attachment struggles with heterosexual longing. Intestinators intestinate everyone. Chris Lambert talks all scratchy in his Chris Lambert voice. Kurtwood Smith's Poe learns he's just as much a slave as any of his prisoners. There are some really nice sets. All the best actors get killed, unfortunately.
Look, I like it. It's fun. Great sense of humor.
This goes on my "Leaving Soon!" on Tubi movies I watched list, which probably has other prison movies.
"Crime does not pay."
Look, I like it. It's fun. Great sense of humor.
This goes on my "Leaving Soon!" on Tubi movies I watched list, which probably has other prison movies.
"Crime does not pay."
The sexual jealousy of a prison director conflicts with the sexual jealousy of a robot. Homoerotic attachment struggles with heterosexual longing. Intestinators intestinate everyone. Chris Lambert talks all scratchy in his Chris Lambert voice. Kurtwood Smith's Poe learns he's just as much a slave as any of his prisoners. There are some really nice sets. All the best actors get killed, unfortunately.
Look, I like it. It's fun. Great sense of humor.
This goes on my "Leaving Soon!" on Tubi movies I watched list, which probably has other prison movies.
"Crime does not pay."
Look, I like it. It's fun. Great sense of humor.
This goes on my "Leaving Soon!" on Tubi movies I watched list, which probably has other prison movies.
"Crime does not pay."
Luca Mallory
6.3★ · 12/30/23
This movie is so weird and uneven, yet I thoroughly enjoyed it. It never quite works in that the entire production feels a little half-baked, and yet it’s oddly satisfying in the visual, costuming, and music departments??
It feels akin to Star Wars in its score, which helps it come off as a much better movie than it actually is. The characters are relatively likable and there are a lot of neat concepts and ideas - most of which are ultimately held back by the low budget, the poor acting, and clunky dialogue.
Still, for a low budget science fiction thriller - this was pretty good!
It feels akin to Star Wars in its score, which helps it come off as a much better movie than it actually is. The characters are relatively likable and there are a lot of neat concepts and ideas - most of which are ultimately held back by the low budget, the poor acting, and clunky dialogue.
Still, for a low budget science fiction thriller - this was pretty good!
This movie is so weird and uneven, yet I thoroughly enjoyed it. It never quite works in that the entire production feels a little half-baked, and yet it’s oddly satisfying in the visual, costuming, and music departments??
It feels akin to Star Wars in its score, which helps it come off as a much better movie than it actually is. The characters are relatively likable and there are a lot of neat concepts and ideas - most of which are ultimately held back by the low budget, the poor acting, and clunky dialogue.
Still, for a low budget science fiction thriller - this was pretty good!
It feels akin to Star Wars in its score, which helps it come off as a much better movie than it actually is. The characters are relatively likable and there are a lot of neat concepts and ideas - most of which are ultimately held back by the low budget, the poor acting, and clunky dialogue.
Still, for a low budget science fiction thriller - this was pretty good!