Mean Machine (film)

Mean Machine
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Barry Skolnick
Produced by	Matthew Vaughn
Screenplay by	Tracy Keenan Wynn Charlie Fletcher Chris Baker Andrew Day
Story by	Albert S. Ruddy
Starring	Vinnie Jones David Kelly David Hemmings Ralph Brown Jason Flemyng with Danny Dyer and Jason Statham as 'Monk'
Music by	John Murphy
Cinematography	Alex Barber
Editing by	Eddie Hamilton Dayn Williams
Studio	SKA Films
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release date(s)	December 26, 2001 (2001-12-26)
Running time	99 minutes
Country	United Kingdom United States
Language	English
Box office	$7,310,206

Mean Machine is a 2001 British comedy-drama film directed by Barry Skolnick. It stars former footballer Vinnie Jones. The film is an adaptation of the 1974 American film The Longest Yard, featuring association football rather than American football. It also reunites most of the cast who have starred in the Guy Ritchie blockbusters Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch.

Plot

Danny Meehan, a former captain of the English national football team who was banned from football for life for fixing a match between England and Germany, is sentenced to three years in Longmarsh prison for assaulting two police officers after a lengthy drinking session and driving wildly to a local bar.

Once inside, he is promptly beaten by the prison guards for misbehaving, and is subsequently approached by the prison governor. The governor offers Meehan a job as coach of the prison wardens' football team; the guards who are members of the team, tell Meehan not to accept and threaten to maltreat him if he does so. Meehan declines the offer, and instead offers to train a team consisting of other inmates, who will take on the wardens in a practice match.

Meehan ends up with the resident contraband dealer, Massive, as his right-hand man. He also receives advice from an elderly convict, Doc, who teaches Meehan prison lore. Meehan wins the respect of the other inmates after he attacks an officer, Mr. Ratchett, who is attacking Massive, and is then occupied with the task of training up his team of cons, including a maximum-security con named Monk (Jason Statham) a violent Scottish inmate.

At half time, the inmates' team, Mean Machine is winning 1-0, and things are going well until the governor attempts to blackmail Meehan into throwing the match. At first he puts his own interests before that of the team's, playing quite badly but as the final moments of the game tick down, he redeems himself, and uses a square-ball to fellow inmate 'Billy the Limpet'(Danny Dyer) to win the game for the cons.

Cast

• Vinnie Jones as Danny Meehan
• Jason Statham as Monk
• Jamie Sives as Chiv
• Danny Dyer as Billy the Limpet
• Stephen Martin Walters as Nitro
• Rocky Marshall as Cigs
• Adam Fogerty as Mouse
• David Kelly as Doctor
• David Hemmings as Governor
• Ralph Brown as Burton
• Vas Blackwood as Massive
• Robbie Gee as Trojan
• Geoff Bell as Ratchett
• John Forgeham as Sykes
• Sally Phillips as Tracey
• Jason Flemyng as Bob Likely
• Martin Wimbush as Z
• David Reid as Barman
• David Cropman as Second Barman
• Omid Djalili as Raj
• J. J. Connolly as Barry The Bookie
• Stephen Bent as Referee

The film also included a number of actors who had formerly played professional football. Charlie Hartfield, who played for Sheffield United and Swansea City, and Nevin Saroya, a former youth team player at Brentford, appeared for the prisoners' team. Footballers on the guards' team included Paul Fishenden and Brian Gayle, who both played for Wimbledon.

Production

Mean Machine was filmed from April to June 2001. Most of the prison scenes were filmed at HM Prison Oxford, and the match was filmed at The Warren, the former home ground of Yeading.

External links

• Mean Machine at the Internet Movie Database
• Mean Machine at Box Office Mojo
• Mean Machine at Rotten Tomatoes