''Fortress'' is a 2021 American

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

directed by

James Cullen Bressack James Cullen Bressack (born c. 1992 in Los Angeles, California) is an American film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is the son of Emmy Award-winning writer Gordon Bressack and voice actress Ellen Gerstell.Couch, Aaron (2015)Tom Gre ...

and written by Alan Horsnail, based on a story by

Emile Hirsch Emile Davenport Hirsch (born March 13, 1985) is an American actor. He played Chris McCandless in '' Into the Wild'' (2007). Other notable film roles include '' The Girl Next Door'' (2004), ''Lords of Dogtown'' (2005), '' Alpha Dog'' (2006), ''Sp ...

and

Randall Emmett Randall Emmett (born March 25, 1971) is an American film producer and television personality. He is the chairman and co-founder of production company Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films. Emmett is best known as the producer of the films '' 2 Guns'', ''Si ...

. It stars

Jesse Metcalfe Jesse Eden Metcalfe (born December 9, 1978) is an American actor and musician. He is known for his portrayal of John Rowland on ''Desperate Housewives''. Metcalfe has also had notable roles on ''Passions'' and played the title role in '' John T ...

Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and appeared in over a hundred films, gaining recognition as an action hero a ...

Chad Michael Murray Chad Michael Murray (born August 24, 1981) is an American actor and writer. He is best known for playing Lucas Scott in The WB/ CW drama series ''One Tree Hill'' (2003–09, 2012), a recurring role as Tristin DuGray on The WB/ CW series ''Gilmo ...

, Kelly Greyson,

Ser'Darius Blain Ser'Darius William Blain (born March 10, 1987) is a Haitian-American film and television actor. He is best known for his role as Anthony “Fridge” Johnson in the ''Jumanji'' film series, appearing in the third and fourth entries. Blain is als ...

, and

Shannen Doherty Shannen Doherty (, born April 12, 1971) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Jenny Wilder in ''Little House on the Prairie'' (1982–1983); Maggie Malene in ''Girls Just Want to Have Fun'' (1985); Kris Witherspoon in '' Our Hous ...

. The film was released in select theaters and on

video on demand Video on demand (VOD) is a media distribution system that allows users to access videos without a traditional video playback device and the constraints of a typical static broadcasting schedule. In the 20th century, broadcasting in the form of o ...

Lionsgate Films Lionsgate Films (formerly known as Cinépix Film Properties) is an American film production and film distribution studio, headquartered in Santa Monica and founded in Canada, and is the flagship division of Lionsgate Entertainment. It is the larg ...

on December 17, 2021.

Plot

Robert lives in a top-secret resort for retired U.S. intelligence officers. His son Paul tracks him down to the facility after 3 years of not seeing or hearing from him. He pitches his crypto currency company to him telling him that he needs $5 million to make it cash positive. He needs him to sign a document to release money from his mom's estate to him. Unbeknown to him his dad has been following his son's life and career. Balzary and his group of criminals infiltrate the resort and follow Robert and Paul into a high-tech bunker called the fortress, killing all the guards. They tie them up. Balzary says a group of Russians have kidnapped his wife and he needs the money that Robert stole from him fòr her release. Robert has invested it in Crypto currency. He has his son memorise the code saying he must remember the number exactly as it could save his life.

Cast

as Paul Michaels *

as Robert Michaels *

as Frederick Balzary * Kelly Greyson as Kate Taylor *

as Ulysses * Michael Sirow as Ken Blain * Eric West as Matthews *

as Brigadier General Barbara Dobbs * Katalina Viteri as Sophia *

Natalie Burn Natalie Burn (born Natalia Guslistaya) is a Ukrainian-American actress, model, screenwriter and film producer. She is known for appearing in the films '' The Expendables 3'', '' Downhill'', and '' Mechanic: Resurrection''. Early life and caree ...

as Sandra * Luis Da Silva Jr. as Axel *

Sean Kanan Sean Kanan () Perelman; born November 2, 1966) is an American actor, producer, and author, best known for his portrayals of Mike Barnes (in ''The Karate Kid Part III'' and ''Cobra Kai''), A. J. Quartermaine (on ''General Hospital''), and Deacon ...

as Vlad * Lauren Schiff as Garner

Production

Filming began on May 3, 2021, in

Puerto Rico Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...

. The film was announced that same day as the first part in a duology of films starring

, and Kelly Greyson. The second film, titled '' Fortress: Sniper's Eye'', was shot

back-to-back Back to Back or back-to-back may refer to: Music Songs * "Back to Back" (Drake song), 2015 * "Back to Back" (Jeanne Pruett song), 1979 *"Back to Back", a song by Pretty Maids from the 1984 album ''Red Hot and Heavy'' *"Back to Back", a song by ...

with the first; production on the second film concluded on November 3, 2021. On May 15, 2021, director

said filming on the first film had wrapped.

Release

The film was released in select theaters and on

on December 17, 2021.

Box office

As of August 27, 2022, ''Fortress'' grossed $52,169 in the United Arab Emirates and Portugal.

Critical reception

At the

42nd Golden Raspberry Awards The 42nd Golden Raspberry Awards, or Razzies, was an awards ceremony that honored the worst the film industry had to offer in 2021. It took place on March 26, 2022, in its traditional slot on the day before the Oscars. The awards were based on ...

, the film received a nomination in a new category: Worst Performance by Bruce Willis in a 2021 Movie. The category was later rescinded after Willis' retirement due to

aphasia Aphasia is an inability to comprehend or formulate language because of damage to specific brain regions. The major causes are stroke and head trauma; prevalence is hard to determine but aphasia due to stroke is estimated to be 0.1–0.4% in th ...

Accolades

Sequel

References

External links

* 2021 films 2021 action films 2021 independent films American action films Films shot in Puerto Rico Lionsgate films 2020s English-language films Films directed by James Cullen Bressack 2020s American films {{2020s-US-film-stub