Having never seen Burt Reynolds in The Longest Yard you won't have to listen to me compare the two, with that said,, I loved the all British ensemble cast ,, Jason Statham obviously did a nice job ,, but to me Mr. Vinnie Jones steals the show, I love him in everything he's in it seems.. this movie is about a national soccer hero who screws up in a major championship game is ridiculed by his countrymen,, winds up in prison,, and organizes a soccer game between the inmates and the guards. stirring and compelling look at prison life in a foreign country as opposed to most movies where it's all based in the United States of America. I love all of the British accents, the scenery in the movie is also very nice, above average picture , story of one man leading a group of men to a greater cause, in an otherwise dreary everyday existence.

Vinnie Jones - about as Welsh as Sean Connery - was the worst footballer ever to play for Wales.I realise that's rather a rash statement but I'd back it up by saying he was the worst player ever to turn out for Wimbledon,a team not known for their adherence to the "Beautiful Game" ethos.His fame - apart from nearly crippling Liverpool's star winger in the second minute of the 1988 Cup Final - rests mainly on a photograph of him squeezing boy - child Paul Gascoigne's testicles in a tender moment.That really says all you need to know about him. Reading his Filmography just now I am mystified at the number of movies he has graced with his presence.Is it just me? Anyhow,"Mean Machine" is typical of the no - brainer bullet - headed roles he accepts as to the manner born. Appalling overacting by everybody,limping direction,Am - Dram production values and a script written by a computer set to "Cockney " mode.....and they're the good points.... Even with 10 pints of Stella and a Mutton vindaloo down your gullet it's still frankly unbearable.

If sometimes just lacking the creativity and vitality of the 1974 film, this is an above average sports/prison drama. There are some flaws though, one or two of the characters are thinly sketched, the plot is a touch simplistic and the first half hour just lacked the energy of the latter half of the film. That said, this is well worth watching. The whole film is excellently filmed and directed, and the soccer scenes are very well done. The final third is absolutely riveting, and really makes you want to see what the outcome is at the end. The music score is fine, and the performances are very good. Vinnie Jones is convincing in his first leading role, and David Kelly is stellar as the benevolent Doc. The best pieces of casting are (despite the accent) Jason Statham as maverick keeper and Jason Flemying's rather unconventional commentator. In conclusion, this is a good film. 7/10 Bethany Cox

This movie is about ex-football star Danny Meehan who ends up in prison for three years.There he gets offer to lead a football team of prisoners.He excepts that offer and he meets his new friends and team mates.This movie is nothing special and I liked scenes from prison more then on a football field.I think that those scenes on pitch could have been better.I liked actors and you can really see some very good British actors like Vinnie Jones,David Kelly and Jason Statham.My favorite character is Monk and Statham did an excellent job in portraying this guy.He has to be crazy because he killed people but also he's got a huge heart and he helped the team.I love movies about football because it's my favorite game so I watched this one and I didn't regret.A fine movie.What I didn't like is that actually we love prisoners more then guards in this movie.We are cheering for people who are murderers and thieves.This side of movie is not well made because most of the people don't get to jail for being innocent.I can't say that this is a bad movie cause it isn't but some things in plot should be re-done.But I liked the movie and I can recommend it for everyone who knows what is football.Excellent soundtrack with few great songs.