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2568 prisoners locked up 23
hours a day, 7 days a week.
The only escape - 45 minutes each way.
Danny Meehan (Vinnie Jones) had it all - fast cars, money, a supermodel
girlfriend and the captaincy of the England football team. He had everything
that any man could ever dream of and he it threw it all away in a match fixing
scandal against England's football nemesis - Germany.
After drunkenly assaulting a police officer, Danny is sent to a prison where
the governor has a secret agenda. A betting man himself, the Governor has
invested heavily in his prison guards' semi-professional soccer team and wants
Danny to train them to win the league. However, in prison no one is given
special treatment. Already hated by the inmates, Danny knows that if he were
seen siding with the governor his fate as the most hated man in the nick would
be sealed.
Danny needs to win over his fellow inmates to make his life behind bars
bearable. Forced by prison warden, Mr. Burton, he proposes to train a team of
cons to play against the guards in an all out grudge match.
Danny takes a team of unfit and unpredictable villains and puts them through a
gruelling training schedule to get them ready for the match of their lives. As
the cons take to the pitch to face the guards they are playing for their pride,
their futures and their 90 minutes of freedom.
Will the guards honour their vow that 'what happens on the pitch stays on the
pitch'? Follow the hilarious commentary to see if Danny's team achieve victory
against all the odds. Mean Machine will make you laugh, cry and ignite your
passion for the beautiful game.
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Praise for the Skipper
As director Barry Skolnick explains, Captain Vinnie Jones was intrinsic to the
success of the movie, "The whole project was part of a marriage. The movie
cannot work without Vinnie because you need someone who is going to have the
credibility of playing an ex footballer. Without Vinnie the project just
wouldn't work."
For Vinnie the movie was an opportunity to combine his two passions - soccer
and movies. "I've always wanted to do a proper soccer movie. Over the years I
have been offered a few football films, but they never had what Mean Machine
has. It's more than a football movie. I've been very moved by the story. Soccer
is a tough business - it's fantastic when you're winning, but the flip side of
the coin is vicious. I've seen a lot of good players lose it."
Enthusiasm for the film amongst the actors was certainly fuelled by Vinnie's
involvement. Jason Statham, who plays the psychotic Monk, explains: "When Matt
(Vaughn) told me he was doing a re-make with Vinnie I was desperate to get
involved. I've seen the film so many times and I always thought it would make a
fantastic re-make, so no matter what role there was I was willing to do it.
Anything that Vin does I'm always up for. We have such a great time. It's just
an atmosphere he brings to the set - it's all fun and games. There are so many
funnies - it's just the most enjoyable set you can ever be on."
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Training for the big day - "Its not enough to be just be an actor in this
movie"
"From day one I made it clear I was going to be training them like footballers
and I have to say they were brilliant. I couldn't have asked any more from
them. There were certainly no West end Wendies." Football Co-ordinator, Wally
Downes, manager and coach of Brentford Football club.
From the initial planning stages, the expert help of Wally made sure that Mean
Machine re-wrote the rules of football films. All the football scenes are 100%
real, no doubles or camera tricks. He was in charge of vetting all auditioning
actors to make sure their ball skills were up to scratch.
"I had to make sure that the actors could kick a ball. I graded those who came
to audition from A, B, C down to E. I devised a 30 minute training course where
I could assess their soccer ability. First off I'd watch them run - if they're
going to be playing soccer its important they run like soccer players. I'd then
strike balls with them and have them juggle the ball on their own. Finally I'd
put their ball control to the test - passing and playing under match like
conditions."
The ultimate school boy dream of being a footballer materialised for each of
the actors who were chosen. As Omad Djaliliy confirms, "I was thrilled to be
given the part of Raj just because it was verification that I was a good
footballer - it was better than being told you're a good actor. It's a boyhood
fantasy come true. I'm being paid to train to be a footballer."
The choreography of the soccer scenes was a challenge in itself. Controlling
the play once the players were out on the pitch was the biggest challenge.
"Once the boys get out on the pitch they're playing football," says Wally. "The
hardest task is making them stick to the brief. Some of the best scenes we shot
were unplanned."
TM & (C) 2002 By Paramount Classics, a division of Paramount Pictures. All
Rights Reserved
TM & Copyright (C) 2002 By Paramount Pictures. All Rights Reserved
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