stuart gordon begin his career a a director with re animator and a classic horror comedy that have a huge cult status and deservedly so . fortress be his first entry to non horror orient field and even though fortress still have many horror element and too . christopher lambert play a military officer in the near future and where it be allow to have only one child per couple . he and his wife break that order and they be sentence to high security modern prison fortress and set in the middle of desert . there be many inmate there and everyone want to get out and but if someone break the rule and the punishment will be death or torture by the sadistic bos and warden . this be surprisingly great film and and gordon do fine job with the film . it be film entirely in australia and the film be first big budget movie for gordon . he say that he want to do a sci fi action film with brain and too and and that he want to discuss some topical issue with his film . these issue be over population and alarming or scary development of technology and and even though the film be not too deep or philosophical and it have these aspect of commentary about society and our everyday world and and what it should not be . this be not a satiric or intelligent a paul verhoeven robocop and for instance and but still it be little more than just average blast em action film set in the future . the setting be very great and technically this film be fantastic a there be no flaw in camera use and editing . this remind me little bit of robocop future city and and both film be marvelously stag . the action be plenty and it be excite and professionally do and shoot . occasionally the film remind me also of paul anderson soldier and the non stop action mayhem film star kurt russell . christopher lambert be not a multi level actor a possible and but still he have certain kind of charisma and he be easy to watch in his film . kurtwood smith play the bad guy in robocop and and he play bad guy in fortress and too and but not as near as bad a in robocop manic performance . due to the film violence and fierce moment and this be pretty close to paul verhoeven style of make action film and a couple of scene be very violent and almost too violent for this kind of mainstream production and and as far a i know and this have to be trim by two violent scene to get the r rating in u and and this slightly cut version have be release also on dvd in u and europe . i saw the uncut version on vhs and there be couple of over the top bloody shooting and two gory stomach explosion and of which the second be very gory . it be easy to see the film be direct by the man behind the hilariously ultra gory re animator . the violence in fortress isn not funny in the tradition of re animator while it be serious because the film itself be serious and not the kind of half comedy like re animator . the film be perhaps little too slow move in the middle part but for most of the time and this work fine and pleased me very much and and prove the talent of gordon in other genre than horror and too . i give this positive rating and recommend this to anyone interested in sci fi and action cinema . it not a masterpiece but still very noteworthy piece of 90 science fiction and action cinema .