Fortress (1985) User Reviews

A well done morality tale

[The_Void · 7/10 · 8 July 2007]

What we have here is a fairly obscure little made for Australian TV movie that takes a common plot (kidnap) and moulds an interesting little morality tale around it. The theme seen in this film was previously seen in classics such as The Virgin Spring, and later The Last House on the Left, except here it arguably more shocking (though much less visceral) as there are children involved. The question that the movie asks is whether or not it is OK to "do unto others as they do unto you", though it never actually makes a judgement on this and the audience is left to decide - which makes the film instantly more interesting than morality tales that preach to the viewer (recent Oscar winner Crash is a good example of how badly that can turn out). The plot focuses on a school teacher and her class. Their ordinary day is ruined when men with guns decide to take them all hostage and hold them for ransom. They manage to escape the kidnappers, but find themselves running out of steam as every escape attempt is thwarted. They soon realise that the best to get away from the villains may not be to run, but to stand and fight...

This film works because the plot is kept simple and this allows us to focus on the important points that the story has to make. The characters we are introduced to are all likable and believable also; and this again helps to convey the film's message as we can understand why they have been lured into the situation that they find themselves in. The acting in the film is decent considering it's a TV movie. Rachel Ward plays the part of the school teacher well, and definitely seems to have a rapport with the children. A Problem that often befalls films like this is that the child actors tend to be annoying; but surprisingly, this film manages to avoid slipping into that pitfall as even the kids manage decent performances! The first half of the movie doesn't feature a lot in the way of excitement, but things really hot up in the second half and the ending is certainly worth waiting for. I can't say that this is a great movie, but it's certainly a very good one and one that fans of horror/thrillers will certainly want to check out!

Lord of the Flies in Australia

[claudio_carvalho · 7/10 · 29 April 2020]

In the countryside of Australia, the schoolteacher Sally Jones (Rachel Ward) and her nine pupils are kidnapped by four violent men wearing masks. They are locked up in a cave, but Sally finds a way to escape underwater a lake. However, they are hunted down by the criminals and Sally is forced to organize a defense with the support of the students.

"Fortress" is an Australian thriller with Rachel Ward in the lead role of a teacher kidnapped with her students at school by criminals. The plot is simple, engaging and full to action. The children are amazing and have nice performances. The conclusion recalls "Lord of the Flies", when the innocent children need to fight for their lives. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "A Fortaleza" ("The Fortress")

True Aussie thriller!

[coostie_uk · 8/10 · 29 April 2006]

I first remember seeing this after finding the novel in my local library. I would have been around 13, and it was in the 99p rental section of my local video store. The film scared the pants off me and my brother, and at the same time made us marvel at how ingenious and brutal the kids and the teacher could be when pushed to the edge. It made us both learn how to make candles from coke cans, and lethal home made arrows (which my dad confiscated). For those who watched Aussie shows at the times, there were a few familiar soap faces as well as Rachel Ward. This cross between Lord of the Flies and Walkabout is a true slice of thriller movie making. An Aussie gem! Oh and what they do at the end...burrer (shiver!).

The mystery movie revealed!

[mahjacat · 5 August 2004]

I am so happy that Google exists, because after 15 YEARS of fruitless searching (including on IMDb, sorry!) I've found this movie again. Images like the swim through the underground cavern and the older couple (?) being horrified by the rabbit masked man have haunted me to the point I thought I had imagined the whole thing. The fairly low-fi quality of the film makes it all the scarier, classic HBO 80's fodder. The fact that I watched it as a pre-teen made the fight for survival of the woman and the children all the more real. The setting of the Outback made their situation seem really perilous, for if there is so much open, empty space around you, it seems you have fewer places to hide (and I think may have sparked my latent fear of kidnapping and lack of hiding places). Excellent (as it stuck in my mind all these years, I guess it had to!)

Disturbing

[onlythusfar · 7/10 · 26 February 2013]

This Review may contain spoilers. To have children thrown into such violence and even enact such violence themselves, I imagine would be extremely traumatic for them, even coming from the farm, where they kill animals. I don't think, that it would be happy school days, business, as usual after that. However; real children do have to deal with violence every day, so I appreciate, that this film isn't "Disney- ized" and shows the tough stuff. The children were portrayed quite realistically and their bond with their teacher seemed believable. The children seemed quite independent, as products of the outback. One reviewer made reference to the "Lord of the Flies". Quite thought-provoking.

Based on a true story?!? Those crazy Aussies!

[Coventry · 7/10 · 28 December 2008]

Huh! Based on the lewd and exploitative VHS cover image as well as the brief synopsis on the back, I automatically assumed this was another ordinary and by-the-numbers rape & revenge exploitation thriller. The last thing I anticipated, however, was a made-for-TV production based on true events and atop of that boosting a few valuable morality lessons. Don't worry, though, as this isn't the "A Cry in the Dark" type of factual drama, but a raw and sleazy thriller with some very violent bits and strangely unsettling undertones. "Fortress" is more or less an amalgamation of "Lord of the Flies" and "Last House on the Left" with a teacher and her mixed classroom of nine children gradually reverting to savagery in order to save their own lives. One school day morning shortly before start of summer, Miss Jones' classroom gets invaded by a trio of anonymous men wearing menacing masks. They are kidnapped and locked up in a cave still unaware of their fades. Rather than to wait and see, the group plots to escape and flee into the Outback wildlife. But since every escape attempt ends with failure, the group agrees to fight back as one. This results into a perplexing and rather shocking climax. I heavily suspect the film version ending differs quite a bit from the factual events, but still even if the truth was half as harsh it would still be shocking! The transformation of the children and the teacher into rancorous and bloodthirsty little psychopaths is illustrated gradually slow and atmospheric, and thus the finale becomes more credible and even somewhat disturbing. Especially the very last scene, when a police inspector tries to question the class about what happened exactly, is creepy! There are some truly odd undertones and hidden perversity in "Fortress" and this is a particularly rare element to find in TV-productions. For instance, there's the clearly noticeable sexual tension and innuendo between Miss Jones and her boy student Sid. It already starts right from the beginning, when Sid kills a fox and Miss Jones protests, but their bond grows more intense during the Outback adventure. Rachel Ward is good as the teacher and I would really like to mention the actors whose faces were covered by the icky masks the entire time. Good job, guys! You were scary!

An enjoyable fight-for-survival movie.

[BA_Harrison · 7/10 · 31 December 2006]

Kidnappers bite off more than they can chew when they abduct a teacher and her class from a remote school in the Outback. Escaping from the cave in which they are held hostage, Sally Jones (Rachel Ward ) and her pupils must fight for survival against their captors.

This surprisingly well made film, based on a true story, is an exciting, gritty and disturbing tale which shows how the the human instinct for survival can turn even the most innocent of people into savage killers. Sally and her class, pushed to the limits, revert to an animalistic state which, by the end of the film, sees them wildly stabbing and tearing at their attackers in a frenzy of blood-lust.

Director Arch Nicholson develops the story well, at first having the children bickering with each other, but eventually seeing them teaming together to beat a common foe. There is plenty of tense action and a few surprisingly gruesome moments, and the talented young cast give some great convincing performances.

As made for TV fare goes, this one is well worth a viewing.

Creepy, Based On A True Story

[daveisit · 9/10 · 3 December 2000]

I loved watching this movie growing up as a kid, and every time I watched it I was freaked out yet I couldn't get enough of it. I knew the movie was based on a true story, and the country school setting reminded me of a place where I used to go camping. I haven't seen it in years but remember the whole movie back to front.

Set in a small country town, a class of students comprising the entire school and their teacher are kidnapped. The kidnappers wear masks that the viewer will remember forever. The teacher and kids are left to try and plan an escape from their captors.

Hardly anyone in the world is going to see this movie, and they are all missing out. See if you can find it, it's pretty good.

Great acting in a low budget wrapper. Not really a spoiler....

[dst-thomas · 6/10 · 16 December 2007]

This is a really enjoyable film within its genre. Rachel Ward delights as a complex and heroic character, with an adequate supporting cast of kids. Ms. Ward plays Sally Jones, a (very) rural schoolmarm whose class is abruptly abducted by a few degenerate crazies who hope to ransom the entire class to the government for a huge payoff (based on true events). Her character development throughout this suspenseful and terrifying film is wonderful. Various remarks have criticized the film for reasons such as "Sally removing her bra to swim underwater makes no sense." Or, "Why does she need to pull off her bra to swim the first time, and not the second time?" And that's what I like about the film. There's more than enough meat in the end product to give you plenty to chew on. Let me explain a bit, using these scenes as an example. When the group is first locked into the cave by the kidnappers, Sally goes off to find a way out. This she does - an underwater stream. She takes the oldest boy with her, and strips to her underwear to make the exploratory swim to find a passage out of the cave. There is more than enough energy exchange between Sally and the boy as she undresses to give us a good story. It's obviously complex, and there are all sorts of factors at play. Her age, his respective age, their respective student/teacher roles. She may be drawing power from the experience of dominating him energetically. This is power she will need for the rest of the saga. She may be trying to garner his undying allegiance - she will need this from every member of the group. My point is that in the exchange of expressions between the boy and the woman, and the body language of both - there's plenty of juice to supply a good story. Once again, when the group is getting ready to make the swim to escape, Sally is about to pull off her bra (topless swimming is not considered odd in Australia) until she sees the discomfort/anxiety of the oldest and most sexually developed girl (played by Rebecca Rigg/Riggs). As braless Narelle is about to pull off her top in response to Sally's lead, we assume Sally sees the anxiety on Narelle's face and decides to leave her own bra on to spare Narelle the experience of having to strip in public - something Narelle obviously sees as terrifying. This is a good call, because if any of the kids are close to freaking out it is obviously (to Sally) Narelle. Or, Sally sees that Narelle has some goodies of her own and decides she doesn't want the competition. I think there's that much potential complexity portrayed in the film at a number of turns in the story, and it is why I think this film stands out in spite of a low budget and a thin script. Mostly due to the acting and the editing that allows that acting to come forward, I give it three strong, solid stars and recommend it if you like the idea: a framework of terror and brutality surrounding a group of kids and their teacher who discover the inner primitive savageness that is, in the end, their only possible savior.

Fortress- Scarred for life!

[keithstamos · 10/10 · 30 May 2006]

HAHAHAHA I can't believe how many people share my scarred childhood. What were parents thinking letting children see this movie??????? In fact someone in my family taped it and I watched it over an over. My sister apparently had nightmares for years. I never remembered the name and then typed in like "santa kidnapper" in google and there it was FORTRESS! For a review, this movie is a classic. I can't believe more people don't know about this. I guess they had good parents :) The story is crazy. School kids get kidnapped by guys in freaky masks. They are forced to kill the kidnappers. Nothing burns an image into your head like the scene where everyone is roaring and stabbing Father Christmas and they show him blankly staring into space. Sorry to spoil this for anyone who hasn't seen it but I can't imagine you finding this if you know nothing about it. I mean how many people google "kidnapper in Santa mask and duck mask" LOL I'M COMING FOR YOU NORELLE!!!!

Occasionally Unnerving

[gcd70 · 6/10 · 9 April 2008]

A teacher and her class are kidnapped in a remote country town by four ruthless nasties who shut the group in an underground cavern and wait for pay day. However they never reckoned with a bunch of tough Aussie kids and a feisty young mistress.

Performances are quite strong, especially from Rachel Ward as the schoolmarm who is thrust headlong into danger and must think and act not only for herself but for all her young charges. The kids themselves are never outdone though, and all impress, including Sean Garlick and Rebecca Rigg as the two older ones upon whom much responsibility also falls. Cinematography is eye catching, capturing the rugged Australian bush very well.

The interesting thing is the plot, adapted from Gabrielle Lord's novel by Everett De Roche. Early on the story unfolds carefully and compellingly, with director Arch Nicholson building tension and swaying our emotions with some skill. By the halfway mark we are his for the taking, then the film heads off on a slightly different tangent. The last third of the film takes on a feeling and atmosphere almost comparable to "Lord of the Flies", with the children becoming a bit scary. In fact the finale is like something out of the occult.

Not that any of this ruins the movie though, even if it is somewhat surprising. Yes Nicholson loses his grip towards the end, yet this is still enjoyable, occasionally unnerving fare.

Saturday, November 30, 1996 - Video

What Memories This Movie Brings Back

[TommyS-5 · 10/10 · 8 February 2006]

Point blank this movie flashed me back to 3rd grade spring time or 4th grade fall of 1985. Vividly I remember sleeping over my friends house and telling him about this movie Fortress that I had just seen and he was eager to see it after I went on and on about it. Something was magical that night because about an hour later he turned on HBO and the movie was just starting. I remember we watched it and we both loved it. All through the years growing up it was our little inside laugh.....we would talk about Father Christmas......haha. I thought about the movie frequently growing up but never ever ever saw it again on TV or any channels such as HBO or Cinemax or Showtime. About two weeks ago while looking through my Comcast cable at 3 in the morning I came across Fortress coming on the next day on HBO and I set my DVR to record it and just watched it last night. I felt like a kid again.....and I couldn't believe how my memory flashed back and I knew pretty much everything that was coming up before it happened. I'm 29 years old and haven't seen that movie in 21 years. Wow!!!!!!!! Still Fantastic as it was when I was a child.......... Hope I didn't bore you to death.....maybe some others can relate to my little story and feel the same way about this movie.

Tommy New Jersey

Fair TV thriller

[SnoopyStyle · 6/10 · 26 February 2015]

Sally Jones (Rachel Ward) is a teacher in rural Australia. She and her students are kidnapped for ransom. Four masked gunmen come to the school and stuff them into a van. An early escape is abandoned when they threaten to kill one of the kids. They are sealed up inside a cave. With ingenuity, they escape the cave but the masked gunmen are not letting them go that easily.

It's a fair action thriller TV movie. It's got a simple compelling story. Director Arch Nicholson does a solid job with the different setups. Rachel Ward leads this as the teacher. She does a generally good job but there is a few overacting moments. The kids keep talking and she never tells them to be quiet. Some decision by some of these characters don't necessarily make sense. The finale is a bit silly in a Ramboesque sort of way. It's very watchable until the end.

Typically lame TV production

[Der_Schnibbler · 3/10 · 11 November 2006]

Schoolteacher and class of rural bumpkins get kidnapped by cartoonish bunch of thugs, brought to the forest, try to escape, get caught, repeat, until they finally bond as a group and give the kidnappers a taste of their own medicine.

My, the savage nature of the human animal! Sweet little children acting so viciously! Give me a break.

The movie is corny, the children are annoying, the soundtrack is silly, and all that without taking into account the embarrassingly corny, "Yeah, group!" type moments. The only interesting part was the ending, but considering its ineffective buildup it didn't carry much emotional weight.

If you are intent on seeing a portrayal man-as-beast, go for "Lord of the Rings" instead and let this one gather dust.

Another movie from my childhood that has stayed with me...

[slouchingpoet · 13 October 2004]

I had the same experience other members had with this film. I saw it on HBO when I was eight and it's since become part of me. Like them, I Googled, queried, etc. Unfortunately, my memory failed on the major points and I came up empty-handed. Finally, another member of IMDb came through. Anyway, this film is a lost jewel. It scared the hell out of me as a kid and I hope to see it again if I can find a used copy of the VHS somewhere. The premise is pretty simple. A group of Aussie thugs take a young teacher and her charges hostage, their escape and subsequent fight for survival turns bloody at the end. I still recall holding my breath during the underwater cave scene and never quite being able to hold it long enough. If you get a chance to watch this flick do so. Its ultra-rare and unforgettable.

Somewhat interesting film

[smatysia · 6/10 · 14 November 2021]

A somewhat interesting film with a lot of subtext. Pretty good work by the lovely Rachel Ward. The child characters were often quite annoying, but quite realistic. A previous commenter called it a mash-up of "Lord of the Flies" and "Last House on the Left". That seems fairly apt, at least for the third act.

A fantastic Aussie thriller experience !!!

[elo-equipamentos · 7/10 · 16 June 2019]

A couple month ago my daughter was in my private room where I store my Movies's collection, when she reachs at suspense spot, she said "Dad you have the Fortress, this picture is rare and fantastic" I'd a Bootleg copy, after that come out officially a box that had includes this picture, watching it at once, it seems a fine Aussie picture, telling a kidnapping story in a small town, all upcoming facts on the cave and how they escape from there is great, leading by the a fearless female teacher, all children has their hero's moments to tell aftermaths, the Duke, the Cat, the Mouse and the evil Father Christmas is true haunting, the final acting at second cave, actually the Fortress as the title implies, is bit shallow to believe, however the bloody killing changes the status of the picture, as suggest in early premise as children production, it quickly becomes a cult movie along the time!!!

Resume:

First watch: 2019 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.5

Innocent but stereotypical kidnap adventure in parts

[tonypeacock-1 · 6/10 · 21 February 2021]

Stereotypical in parts story of a group of Australian outback children and their teacher who are kidnapped from their single room classroom that caters for all age groups.

What follows is an adventure more akin to the Goonies (1985), from the same period as the kids fight back from their captivity at the hands of the mask wearing armed gunmen, aided by the teacher Sally (Rachel Ward).

The students escape from their cave captivity and set up booby traps to snair their captors toward the end which leads to one especially graphically violent death scene.

What follows is a scene of pure black comedy as cops who raise suspicions about the death to the teacher (including a cameo by Terence Donovan of Neighbours TV fame) miss a human heart in a jar of formaldehyde in the classroom!

Some fun set pieces and quite action packed scenes make this made for U.S. television with a limited theatrical release an interesting watch. As with most of the Australian outback films some great scenery is caught and adds to the atmosphere.

Great MOVIE

[ManDownFilms · 10/10 · 29 June 2005]

I remember watching this movie every Saturday on TV why my mom cleaned the house. I remember it freaking me out. I love this movie. I was probably 8 at the time. I was talking to people randomly about the movie and people thought I was crazy because no one remembered it. My sister didn't even remember it. Finally two years ago a girl that I worked with was like yeah I know the movie you are talking about. However we didn't know the name of the film. It took me 15 years and a NICE NICE guy from Austrialia (that I meet on in a chat room) to help me find the name of the movie. I also want to say thanks to Amazon.com for being fantastic. I love this movie...I recommend it to anyone. Rachel Ward gives a Fantastic performance as well. Plus this movie is based on a true story.

Plot holes don't matter.....it's very entertaining....

[merklekranz · 7/10 · 18 December 2007]

It would be very easy to pick "Fortress" apart by challenging everything that is not dripping with logic. If you do that however, you will be distracted from a highly entertaining movie. The film is atypical, and difficult to classify. Part kidnapping gone wrong, part hunted in the wild, part revenge flick, "Fortress" is the sum of all these. Rachel Ward bravely adapts to the situation and rallies the children in their quest to survive. Featuring not one, but two separate caves, an escape swim through an underground stream, along with some savage retributions against the masked tormentors, "Fortress" delivers enough entertainment that the plot holes are best forgiven. - MERK

See it alongside "Walkabout"

[Tarasicodissa · 10/10 · 8 June 2002]

A recurring theme in Australian movies seems to be the closeness of pristine wilderness, of land not fit for man nor beast to modern technological civilization. That the struggle for survival is never very far away.

This movie captures that perfectly as a kidnapped school class turns from fleeing victims into tribal warriors. I liked it a lot and will tape it next time I catch it on cable (which is all too rarely).

When Father Christmas says "Get in the van!", you'd better do it!

[TOMASBBloodhound · 7/10 · 15 August 2010]

Fortress is a highly effective thriller supposedly based on true events, as so many compelling movies are. Rachel Ward plays a school teacher in the Australian outback who is taken for ransom along with her entire student body. All together there are about ten of them in ages ranging from early teens to six or so. Four shotgun toting creeps wearing an odd assortment of masks rounds them up and drives them from their tiny school house to points unknown, finally dropping them off in a cave. It is up to the teacher and her brave and resourceful students to escape before these creeps can live up to their threat of shooting one captive every hour until a ransom is paid. Their journey takes them through all sorts of hazards, and the bad guys are usually right on their tail! Like in so many Australian films, the distinct beauty of the landscape is filmed very well and you get a feel of almost picturesque isolation as you realize just how vast and sparsely populated it is. These captives spend little time actually being held against their will, yet they are so far from help it hardly matters. Even despite their knowledge of the land, these kids would have needed a miracle to survive their situation. The film is very suspenseful, and almost comes off as a masterpiece until the third act loses credibility when the captives begin to turn the tide against the kidnappers. How likely would it be that the two remaining armed men would simply sit back and allow the students to fortify themselves with seemingly hundreds of spears and elaborate booby traps? Not very. But you will be glad to see these creeps get whats coming to them! The film has a dated, yet effective synthesizer score which adds to the atmosphere. There is some gore to be had here and there, too! And the incredible scenery of Australia is always there to provide you something to look at. One shot was particularly curious. The teacher and her children are walking through a wooded hillside to what they believe will be help. At one point they pass some tree stumps that just appear to be smoldering for no reason. Were they struck by lightning? Was it just such a hot day that they caught fire? Really odd, but neat to look at. This is a fine made-for-cable film that still packs a punch these many years later. 7 of 10 stars.

The Hound.

Whoa, EXCELLENT Low Budget movie

[XanderJaz · 10/10 · 24 July 2001]

I started out watching this because I thought it was a repeat of Fortress 1993 (have digital cable here & couldn't sleep last night). I had already looked up Fortress (1993) up on IMDB before watching it earlier this morning, so I knew the basic plot of this movie. So naturally, I figured this would be another corny 80's after school special type movie. Boy was a I wrong!! This movie was better & shocked me more then Fortress (1993) did. I recommend this movie to everyone & give it a 10!, cuz it fooled me, it wasn't predictable or 80's campy.

A group of kidnapped kids in the Australian bush manage to escape and kill their kidnappers in a very brutal and bloody manner.

[rychlyhroch · 1/10 · 1 September 2009]

I watched this movie when I was 18 and it made a great impression on me. I went wild, began to smash everything in my flat, and when my parents kicked me out, I continued to run through the park and scream and curse. Why? I don't know, but those filthy, cruel, ruthless kids and their nasty teacher disturbed me very much indeed. I even wrote a song in which I kill children and rape teachers. And that hint that the kids maybe became sexually intimate with the teacher also made me mad. I am discussing it with my therapist at this moment and it is very interesting story. I am 41 now, and I don't have any kids. I kinda have a problem with it. Consider it before you let your kids watch it.

Best Final Scene Ever

[james-naze · 4 February 2003]

This movie stays with you. I think about it at least a couple times a year, every year for the last 17. It really makes you think "how would I react under similar circumstances?" The performances by the kids are great as is that by the teacher. But the best scene of all is the way they close the movie - it's very dis-"heartening".