Mean Machine (2001)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Barry Skolnick

Writers (WGA):

Tracy Keenan Wynn (earlier screenplay "The Longest Yard")
Charlie Fletcher (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

26 December 2001 (UK)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

Not Your Usual Suspects

Plot:

A soccer star jailed for assault leads a group of inmates in a match against prison guards.

Plot Keywords:

Prison | Prison Guard | Soccer Star | Soccer | Inmate

Cast

Vinnie Jones	...	Danny Meehan
David Kelly	...	Doc
David Hemmings	...	Governor
Ralph Brown	...	Burton
Vas Blackwood	...	Massive
Robbie Gee	...	Trojan
Geoff Bell	...	Ratchett
John Forgeham	...	Charlie Sykes
Sally Phillips	...	Tracey
Danny Dyer	...	Billy the Limpet
Jason Flemyng	...	Bob Likely
Jason Statham	...	Monk
Martin Wimbush	...	Z
David Reid	...	Barman
David Cropman	...	Second Barman

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some violence.

Runtime:

99 min

Country:

UK | USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Canada:14A | Germany:12 | Netherlands:16 | Portugal:M/12 | Spain:13 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R | Singapore:PG (cut) | Norway:15

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

At the end of the movie the match commentators give the following speech: "Guards of Pentonville, guards of Wandsworth, Walton nick in Liverpool, policemen of Britain, traffic wardens and parole officers, wheel clampers, your boys have taken a hell of a beating today! A hell of a beating!" This speech is a direct reference to Norwegian sports commentator Bjørge Lillelien who made British headlines, when in 1981, Norway beat England during the 1982 World Cup qualifiers and he gave the following emotional response: "[In Norwegian] We are the best in the world! We are the best in the world! We have beaten England 2-1 at football! It is totally incredible! We have beaten England! England, home of giants: Looooord Nelson, Looooord Beaverbrook, Sir Winston Churchill, Anthony Eden, Clement Attlee, Henry Cooper, Lady Diana. We have beaten them all, we have beaten them all! [In English] Maggie Thatcher, can you hear me? [In Norwegian] Maggie Thatcher, I have a message to you during the election: We have beaten England out of the World Championship in football! Maggie Thatcher, as they say in your language in the boxing-bars around Madison Square Garden: [in English] Your boys took a hell of a beating! Your boys took a hell of a beating!" However, despite the loss, England continued on to qualify for the World Cup finals, while Norway did not.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the explosion in the final scene, the wall can be seen to flex, indicating that it is made of something more flimsy than a real prison wall.

Quotes:

[to Meehan]
Sykes: So my ass is on the line, and by my ass, I mean your ass.

Movie Connections:

References Tarzan the Ape Man (1932)

Soundtrack:

Carnaval De Paris

The Longest Yard Redux

I really enjoyed this flick. Perhaps because I always enjoy sports related flicks, or because I am a huge fan of Vinnie Jones, thanks to Guy Richie, or maybe because I am in love with Jason Statham, also thanks to Guy.

But why I watched it in the first place was because I had always enjoyed The Longest Yard with Burt Reynolds, in fact the only flick of his I enjoyed, and was very happy to see a British version of the football classic. I loved the characters, the seamless transition from American football to European football, and the accents. Vinnie Jones gives yet another great performance, and it was nice to see so many characters return from Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels as well as Snatch (great flicks!).

I give this flick 4 1/2 stars, only because it didn't showcase "Monk" enough for my tastes.