Esther Lama Mondal
Helmed by James Cullen Bressack, ‘Fortress’ is a splendid action-packed thriller movie that focuses on Robert (Bruce Willis), who is enjoying his retirement from the U.S. Intelligence in a secluded, nature-friendly, and secure retreat when his son Paul (Jesse Metcalfe) comes to pay him a visit. While everything appears to be normal and peaceful at first, soon Paul starts hearing gunshots, and the ambiance of the place transforms in no time.
The action and suspense that follow with Robert and Paul fighting Balzary (Chad Michael Murray) and his team is quite an exciting watch, especially the scenes set in the lush-green yet eerie jungle. If you are wondering where all these thrilling scenes were filmed, we are here to help you out!
Fortress Filming Locations
The narrative of ‘Fortress,’ no matter how authentic it is, demands greenery in the form of mountains and tropical rainforests. Thus, the production team moved to Puerto Rico to shoot the film. The principal photography began on May 3, 2021, and concluded on May 15, 2021.
On the first day of filming, it was announced that the movie would be the first part of a trilogy, featuring most of the cast from the original film. Interestingly, the second film in the franchise — ‘The Fortress 2’ — was filmed back-to-back with the first installment. Here are details of specific filming locations of the action film!
Puerto Rico, Caribbean Islands
‘Fortress’ was filmed extensively on the Caribbean island of Puerto Rico. The spectacular views that Puerto Rico offers appear to be boundless. Its tropical beaches and forests, along with mountainous terrain, gave justice to the narrative of this thriller drama film. Filmmakers from across the globe flock in the territory to make the most of the island’s natural beauty and exotic locations. Among the most famous movies filmed in this place, ‘GoldenEye,’ ‘Bad Boys II,’ ‘Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides,’ and ‘Fast Five’ are worth mentioning.
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Director James Cullen Bressack spoke about the location in an interview, saying that Puerto Rico was selected for shooting because he believed that the location would add to the production value of the movie. Moreover, he also wanted the characters to evolve through a singular location based on the narrative, which is why he decided to shoot most parts of the movie here.
The filming of this action movie took place particularly in the rainforest part of Puerto Rico Island. In another interview, the director affirmed that real rainforests were used for the shoot. This was especially done because he got inspired by ‘Jurassic Park’ to shoot the jungle sequences. Another reason why Bressack came to Puerto Rico to film the ‘Fortress’ trilogy is that he wanted to showcase a big, real, expansive yet unknown world through his film, which many would agree he did.
Read More: Is Fortress Based on a True Story?
