This movie is the proof that the world is becoming a sick and dumb place

one of my absolute favorites!

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Can anybody please help, that the actor who plays Father Christmas in the film, is identical with the one who acts in I live with my Dad ( and other films which are indicated here on IMDB)? It may sound a stupid question, but the faces seem to be quite different, for me they look like two different actors.... Please help!

Young school teacher Sally Jones (a fine and credible performance by the lovely Rachel Ward) and her nine students are taken hostage by four masked gunmen. The teacher and her students soon realize that in order to survive this grueling ordeal they will have to take action on their own and fight back. Tightly directed by Arch Anderson, with a substantial amount of nerve-wracking suspense, a tough, gritty, take-no-prisoners tone (the climax with the teacher and her students brutally attacking the last remaining gunman with makeshift spears is positively shattering), and startling outbursts of sudden ferocious violence, this very tense and effective little gut-kicker packs a really strong and mean wallop. Everett De Roche's gripping and hard-hitting script delivers a disturbing and provocative central message on how anyone can degenerate into savagery if given the proper stimulus. Ward's protective teacher impresses with her bravery, spunkiness, and resourcefulness. The child thespians do solid and believable work. The masked gunmen are genuinely fierce and frightening, with Peter Hehir in particular a scary stand-out as vicious ring leader Father Christmas. The remote rural Aussie outback locations convey a profoundly unsettling feeling of isolation and vulnerability. David Connell's sharp and lively cinematography offers several striking images. Danny Beckmann's rattling score does the heart-racing trick. A real powerhouse.

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.

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