45
Metascore
25 reviews · Provided by Metacritic.com
- 88Philadelphia InquirerSteven ReaPhiladelphia InquirerSteven ReaA likably energetic star vehicle for English sports god Vinnie Jones.
- 75Chicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertChicago Sun-TimesRoger EbertGuy Ritchie, who started out as such an innovator in "Lock, Stock, etc.," seems to have headed directly for reliable generic conventions as a producer. But they are reliable, and have become conventions for a reason: They work. Mean Machine is what it is, and very nicely, too.
- 70Los Angeles TimesKevin ThomasLos Angeles TimesKevin ThomasMean Machine may not have the resonance to linger in the memory affectionately as "The Longest Yard" does, but it plays well, with a fast pace and plenty of punch.
- 50New York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanNew York Daily NewsElizabeth WeitzmanIn Mean Machine, soccer is pretty much an excuse to watch a bunch of grown men smashing their heads together. Which, come to think of it, may be enough.
- 50Miami HeraldRene RodriguezMiami HeraldRene RodriguezDisappointingly straightforward remake.
- 42Entertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanEntertainment WeeklyOwen GleibermanAfter too many ''Full Monty''s, it has come to look like nothing so much as a coy ritual of emasculation.
- 40Village VoiceVillage VoiceThe most off-key notes here are the sentimental ones: When David Kelly shows up, reprising the wise-trustee role he had in the horticulture-behind-bars movie "Greenfingers," it's as though some twee script gremlin sneaked in and meddled with the Guy Ritchie schematics.
- 38The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenThe Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick GroenBarely a chuckle in sight.
- 33Portland OregonianShawn LevyPortland OregonianShawn LevyA by-the-numbers recipe that ought to have shot off at least a few sparks, is as drab as the inmates' prison blues.
- 30Washington PostDesson ThomsonWashington PostDesson ThomsonDramatically lackluster.