Fortress: Sniper's Eye Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		1.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		0.5
Overall		1.0

Fortress: Sniper's Eye Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman June 18, 2022

With the recent sad news coming from the family of Bruce Willis that the iconic actor would be retiring from performing due to a diagnosis of aphasia, a disability which makes language processing increasingly difficult, there might be a kind of "career death watch" at play for some fans wondering what his last acting gig released to the public is going to be. The good news is that, if the IMDb is to be believed, there are several more titles currently in post production as this review is being written that will hopefully provide Willis with a more stellar showcase than the lamentable Fortress: Sniper's Eye. The fact that there's a noun followed by a colon and then a sobriquet of sorts in the title of this film may at least subliminally suggest this is a sequel, though the fact that Lionsgate never sent a copy of Fortress for review may not exactly subliminally suggest how the studio felt about the first outing. I'm not sure if I'm at a disadvantage not having seen the original film, but some curmudgeons may argue I actually came out ahead in the bargain, since sitting through even one film of this general ilk may be more than punishment enough.

Rather than belabor things needlessly with plot summaries and discussions about various deficits, I'll point those interested to both the Fortress review of the original film and Fortress: Sniper's Eye review of the film currently under discussion, each by my colleague Brian Orndorf, who evidently had the misfortune to have to watch both films. I will only add that the sadness some fans may understandably feel after the news from Willis' camp may be exacerbated by this film which consigns him for large periods to a hospital bed, as if to suggest even the filmmakers knew he wasn't capable of doing more.

Fortress: Sniper's Eye Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Fortress: Sniper's Eye is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The IMDb has no relevant technical data, but the Making Of featurette included on this disc as a supplement shows a fleeting shot of what looks like a Red camera, and I'm assuming the DI was finished at 2K. This is a competent capture that preserves generally excellent detail levels throughout, but there's still not a lot of visual "wow" in the effort. Some interstitial flashbacks have been kind of interestingly graded to a somewhat unusual yellow- green color, and that gives those moments a slightly unnatural, quasi-exotic, appearance. A lot of the "contemporary" footage is graded toward "thriller blues", especially some of the supposed high tech environments. Fine detail on things like fabrics tends to be very good throughout. There are some very slight flirtations with banding in some sudden light changes, but nothing really significant.

Fortress: Sniper's Eye Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Similarly as with the video side of things, the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track is completely competent, providing decent engagement of the side and rear channels throughout, but nothing is so expertly delivered that it's going to knock audiophiles' socks off, so to speak. The film definitely has some action elements, including a number of smackdowns in the flashback material, and those provide opportunities for decent bone crunching sound effects. A fairly rote score also wafts through the surround channels propulsively at times. Dialogue (such as it is) is delivered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles are available.

Fortress: Sniper's Eye Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Making Fortress: Sniper's Eye (HD; 7:30) is a standard issue EPK. Bruce Willis is notably absent in the interviews with cast and crew.


• Fortress: Sniper's Eye Trailer (HD; 2:01)

Additionally, a digital copy is included and packaging features a slipcover.

Fortress: Sniper's Eye Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

If there's any good news to be culled from both the contextually sad information about Bruce Willis and this film in particular, it's that evidently there isn't a third film in this ostensible "franchise" that is going to include the actor, at least going by the current listings on the IMDb. Technical merits are generally solid for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.