Fortress (2012)

You won't be disappointed!

So much average

Fresh and Exciting

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

This film was clearly made on a shoe string budget.The sets.The CGI. No stars, or even close to stars, and guys that seemed to just recently gotten into the biz'....Yet...It works.Excellent action sequences that pull you in right from the start, and finish the movie with the best of it.Is a little slow after the beginning, but that part really fleshes out the characters in it, with excellent character development which shines through at the conclusion.No this is not "SAVEING PRIVATE RYAN", but this script and story line deserved more of a budget. I do not blame the producers for that, I blame Hollywood. Unless you are "Steven Spielberg", WW2 films are passé...interests are elsewhere. No comment.The film has been completely ignored by the "Premium" satellite channels, such as HBO etc... When I think of the total crap they air, at my expense, then disrespect something like this 2011 film it really pisses me off.The only way I was able to view this was that for a short period last year, some one up loaded a very poor technical quality copy of it to YouTube. What little I could make of it really intrigued me though, and I bought the DVD.It was well worth the money.Thank you, JASON MCKINLEY, BRIAN THOMPSON, ADAM KLEIN, and Jerry Buteyn for producing this film and getting it out there. BAYYOU PICTURES ROCKS!! By the way, for the haters, watch the closing credits of the movie. They had the foresight to address you in advance. Here is an internet thank you though. Great little film.

Historically accurate, this well-intentioned, well written, and adequately acted film suffers only from an insufficient budget. Inversely, the blockbuster Pearl Harbor (2001), which had a huge budget and seamless special effects, suffered from poor acting, historical inaccuracies, and poor storytelling. In all honesty, I liked Fortress better.The extreme accuracy and attention to detail during the battle sequences showcases director Mike Phillips' knowledge of aviation battle tactics that he gained while making dozens of television documentaries for the History Channel, including the series Dogfights. The various plane's flight characteristics are meticulously re-created. It's as close as you're ever going to get to a real battle in a WWII bomber. Likewise, the banter between the airmen on the ground is also period appropriate and well written, if not always well executed. Also, tighter editing would help the pace of the second act.The budget for Fortress was only around 3.5 million and they did an amazing amount with the money. The computer-generated graphics, while several steps above the graphics seen on shows like Dogfights, are still at times obviously computer generated and almost game-like, especially the wide shots of the base. That makes sense, because it's the same special effects company that did the fight sequences for the show, Dogfights. There are also a lot shots of actors standing in front of obvious green screens and excessive tight close ups to avoid the cost of computer- generating aircraft and equipment in the background.If only this film had a budget of around 20 million and wider distribution. Then, perhaps they could have afforded to stand in front of an actual real plane or have a few fly-overs by authentic aircraft on a real replica base instead of a digital base. A larger budget would have helped attract a potential star actor. Again, while the acting is solid and by no means horrible, there is no stand-out performance. It's like watching a really well- acted television show.Combine all the obvious love and attention for this project with an ending that's exciting and unexpected and, overall, Fortress is a decent film if you can suspend your disbelief during the occasional low-budget digital shots. Watch it on a lazy Sunday afternoon once the chores are finished.

This movie was a pleasant surprise. The CG of the air combat action was really well done. Story line was a little thin, but fair for a WWII movie, Better than most movies made in the 40's and 50's.It showed what those men in the Air force had to contend with, the flack you could walk on, the fighter planes and mechanical problems which caused so many problems. These were and still are the terrors of air war.The use of alcohol by all the members of the aircraft crew seemed excessive to me. But was probably a true coping outlet that made life bearable with such dreadful losses during the air war of WW II. It has been estimated that the losses of all the airmen in the nations in that conflict exceeded 250,000 men. Good movie on Netflix.

I stumbled across this film purely by accident while looking for another movie. I couldn't find the one I had planned on so I picked this up just for kicks, expecting an interesting, if questionable low budget film. I could not have been more mistaken.What I found was a well put together movie, done on a mere $3.200.000 budget. Now, I will be the first to admit that there were imperfections across the board (overly clean aircraft, slight imperfections in the CGI, and wardrobe errors, etc.). However they were minor, and after being absorbed into the plot that was being delivered by unknown yet pretty believable actors. I found that the imperfections were easily overlooked.I only recognized a few of the actors yet the entire troop had good chemistry with both the script and each other. The story was well thought out and delivered with style. The dialog was a drawback for me. I'm not sure the "F" bomb was used so flagrantly in the 40's.But the CGI was the biggest shock of all, I can't believe that on such a small budget, they were able to do such excellent CGI work. The air combat and dog fights were unbelievably, believable.I would recommend this film to any WWII enthusiast. Even with all its flaws it was still a thoroughly enjoyable film!! 8 out of 10