Vinnie Jones Movies
First earning renown in Great Britain as a star footballer, Vinnie Jones smoothly parlayed his physically formidable "hard man" sports rep into a second career as a charismatic movie tough guy.Raised on the estate where his father worked as a gamekeeper, Jones began his professional sports career with the Wimbledon FC soccer team in 1986. Becoming famous for his aggressive athleticism, Jones played for several other teams before returning to Wimbledon in 1994. A multimedia celebrity in Britain as well as a sports star, Jones also hosted TV and radio talk shows, published a book, and wrote a weekly column for the Sun during his years as an athlete.
Jones found his next calling when tyro writer/director Guy Ritchie cast him as paternal enforcer Big Chris in the flashy London gangster romp Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1999). A major hit in England, and an art house success in the U.S., Lock, Stock earned Jones several British prizes for his wryly humorous, attention-getting performance. Jones officially retired from soccer in 1999, and turned his attention full time to playing colorfully named movie thugs. After a featured role as "The Sphinx" in the bombastic Hollywood car heist blockbuster Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), Jones rejoined Ritchie's lad-movie universe as Bullet Tooth Tony in the charmingly titled diamond caper Snatch (2001). Having proven that he could hold his own among such Hollywood stars as Gone in 60 Seconds' Nicolas Cage and Snatch's Brad Pitt, Jones was subsequently cast opposite John Travolta in Gone in 60 Seconds director Dominic Sena's Swordfish (2001). It was only a matter of time before Jones moved up to headliner status in film, and with the release of Mean Machine in 2001 it seemed as if his moment in the celluloid spotlight had finally come. A remake of the of the 1974 Burt Reynolds prison football classic The Longest Yard (released as Mean Machine outside of the U.S.), Mean Machine substituted English "football" (read: soccer) for its American namesake and found Jones comfortably filling the cleats of Reynolds as a prison inmate muscled into entering a tense inmates vs. guards match. Joined by fellow Ritchie veterans Vas Blackwood, Jason Flemyng, and Jason Statham and featuring a bone-crunching finale, Mean Machine may not have found Jones' acting abilities breaking any new ground in the eyes of some critics, though his comfortable performance and likable screen presence still showed promise for numerous testosterone soaked cinematic endeavors in the years to come. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
An Army Ranger discovers a clan of nightclubbing vampires while investigating the murder of his parents in this Indifferent Entertainment production. Vinnie Jones, Michael Madsen, DMX and Armand Assante fill out the cast in the Charles Picerni-directed horror flick. ~ Jeremy Wheeler, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vinnie Jones, Michael Matthias, (more)
- 2008
A beautiful private eye (Tara Reid) who earns her keep by testing the fidelity of married philanderers finds herself falling for her latest intended target in director Tommy Reid's indie romantic comedy. Vinnie Jones and former NFL running back Eddie George co-star in a comedy about undercover love in a world of unfaithful spouses. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tara Reid, Vinnie Jones, (more)
A sport that once earned healthy ratings on television receives a long-overdue resurgence in popularity thanks to the colorful athlete who brings an invigorating sense of danger to the lanes in a 10-pin comedy from director Tommy Reid. When the fledgling career of an aspiring actor fails to take flight, his subsequent bid to establish himself as the bad boy of the professional bowling circuit has a much larger impact on the popularity of the sport than anyone could have ever anticipated. Ross Patterson, Tara Reid, Ray Wise, Vinnie Jones, and Rachel Hunter star in a comedy where picking up the most notoriously difficult spare could mean the difference between lasting fame and fleeting notoriety. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Tara Reid, Ross Patterson, (more)
An ordinary scientist finds himself caught in a vicious cycle after harnessing the power of time travel in this sci-fi tale starring Lord of the Rings' Sean Astin and Snatch heavy Vinnie Jones. Mild mannered scientist Stuart Conway (Astin) has just made the discovery of the century. Deep within the confines of a secret military base, Conway has created the Slipstream device - a miniature time travel machine that allows him the ability to travel ten-minutes into the past at the push of a button. When Conway decides to use his new discovery to make a few illicit withdrawals from his local bank, the arrival of a violent group of bank robbers throws a serious wrench in his plan. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
An international beauty pageant sets the stage for a fierce fight between Hollywood's biggest action star and a vengeful Mafia godfather in director Luc Campeau's pulse-pounding tale of beauty and broken bones. Undefeated full-contact martial arts champion Joey Scalini (Tony Schiena) has taken Tinseltown by storm, but when his life-long friend and London mob heavy Dragos Molnar (Vinnie Jones) requests that Joey serve as guest judge on a televised beauty pageant hosted by the popular Mr. Sakata (Pat Morita), Joey agrees to take a brief detour to the small screen. Despite Dragos' dire warnings to stay away from the top four contestants, Joey finds his ability to abide by the rules wavering when he is irresistibly drawn to beautiful pageant hopeful Tatiana (Lisa McAllister). Upon discovering that his old friend has willfully gone against his clear and concise demands, Dragos determines to teach Joey a painful lesson in loyalty as a nation of stunned television viewers looks on. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vinnie Jones, Tony Schiena, (more)
A newly married American bride begins to suspect that her Englishman husband had ulterior motives when planning their romantic honeymoon on Portugal after learning that Portugal is hosting the European Championship Football Finals, and that her sports-loving groom just happens to have tickets to the opening games. Everyone agrees that Mark (Danny Dyer) and Holly (Gillian Kierney) are the perfect couple, and what better way to celebrate their marriage than with a romantic road trip through Portugal? Just as their journey is getting under way, however, Mark reveals to her that he recently scored three tickets to see the English national team play in the opening games of the European Championship Football Finals. Though Mark claims it was an innocent coincidence, it seems that everywhere the couple goes, football fever is sure to follow. As the games intensify and Holly begins to suspect that Mark has been planning this from the very beginning, cracks begin to develop in their relationship and the once ecstatic bride begins to have second thoughts about her union. Is football Mark's true passion in life, or could it be that he truly loves his new wife as much as he says, and that it was really just happenstance as he's claimed all along? ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Danny Dyer, Gillian Kearney, (more)
- 2004
Director Gen Sekiguchi and screenwriter Taku Tada, phenomenally successful award winners in Japan's advertising industry, make their feature-film debut with the fast-paced omnibus film, Survive Style 5+, which incorporates five strange tales that occasionally intersect. The ubiquitous Tadanobu Asano introduces the film, playing a man who has apparently just murdered his lovely wife (Reika Hashimoto). He drives out to the woods, buries the body, and returns home to find her waiting for him, and not in a particularly good mood. In the second story, Yoko (Kyôko Koizumi), a driven copywriter who constantly spews ad ideas into her handy minicassette recorder, has just had quick, unfulfilling sex with Aoyama (Hiroshi Abe), a sleazy, conceited TV hypnotist who proceeds to insult her work and her personal hygiene. Yoko takes it well, but she's got plans for the jerk. In the third story, Kobayashi (Ittoku Kishibe), a good-natured salaryman, is hypnotized by Aoyama into believing he's a bird. His family has a whole new set of problems when Aoyama is incapacitated before he can break the trance. The fourth thread follows three dimwitted burglars (Yoshiyuki Morishita, Jai West, and Kanji Tsuda) as they grapple with both professional and sexual confusion. The final plotline concerns a hot-tempered English hitman (Vinnie Jones) and his goofy employer (Yoshiyoshi Arakawa), who also serves as his translator as the hitman asks nearly everyone he meets, "What is your function on this planet?" Sonny Chiba has a cameo as the hen-pecked president of a drug company. Survive Style 5+ was shown at Subway Cinema's New York Asian Film Festival in 2005. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
First-time filmmaker Edouard Nammour directs the family-oriented fantasy adventure Tooth. Child actress Yasmin Paige plays Tooth, a rebel among a team of hardworking tooth fairies in Fairytopia. Bored of her job collecting teeth and leaving coins, she intentionally deposits loads of money at the home of young Tolly (Maisie Preston) and Tom (Rory Copus). The kids keep the money a secret from their mom (Sally Phillips) and dad (Tim Dutton). Meanwhile in Fairyland, Tooth discovers that her mistake could mean a lack of funding for the upcoming Christmas. In order to save the holidays, she joins Tom and Tolly on a journey in search of the magical yet retired Mrs. Claus (Phyllida Law). However, they are chased along the way by the evil money-grubbing Plug (Harry Enfield). British actors Stephen Fry, Richard E. Grant, and Vinnie Jones appear in cameo roles. Tooth premiered in the U.K. in February of 2004. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
In this crime-seasoned road movie, Luca (Antonio Cupo) is an Italian expatriate who is living in the United States. His high-spirited sister, Martina (Bianca Guaccero), comes to Las Vegas to visit America for the first time; wanting to see California, Luca hits the highway, and Martina impulsively demands they pick up a pair of hitchhikers, Sean (Vinnie Jones) and Jamie (Brad Renfro). However, it turns out Sean and Jamie are on the run from the law for murder and armed robbery, and Luca and Martina find themselves in a very dangerous position. Things become even more complicated when Luca gets mixed up with Cherie (Caprice), a beautiful woman trying to get away from her violent and unstable boyfriend, Ray (Conrad Coates). Casper Van Dien also stars. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
The classic Burt Reynolds football-behind-bars flick The Longest Yard crosses the pond and gets an appropriate British accent in the process in this rough-and-tumble mixture of sports and action-comedy. Danny Mehan (Vinnie Jones) was one of the biggest stars in British football (what Americans call soccer), until he was caught rigging a game during a championship tournament. In the wake of this scandal, Danny's career takes a nosedive and his life spins out of control, until he finally ends up in prison for three years on an assault and battery conviction. Danny discovers there are a number of football fans behind bars who still hate him for fixing the game, but Danny has one powerful fan in this prison. The warden (David Hemmings) is a devoted football supporter with a taste for gambling; he's been trying to assemble a semi-pro team comprised of the prison's guards, but Danny is just smart enough to know this would seal his fate with his fellow prisoners. Instead, he offers to put together a team of inmates, who can play practice games against the guards. A new inmate, Sykes (John Forgeham), gets wind of Danny's idea and arranges an exhibition match between Danny's new team and the guards, though Sykes' motivation is more than just good fun. A powerful bookie, Sykes lost a fortune on the game Danny threw, and expects betting to be heavy for this game. If Danny and his men win, Sykes could make back the fortune he lost, but if the guards come out ahead, Danny's goose is cooked. Can Danny turn a gang of losers, misfits, and violent psychopaths -- including muscle-bound lunatic Monk (Jason Statham), creepy but loyal Billy the Limpit (Danny Dyer), tough guy Massive (Vas Blackwood), pyromaniac Nitro (Robbie Gee), and enthusiastic but out-of-shape Raj (Omid Djalili) -- into a proper team with a fighting chance of winning? Mean Machine was produced by Matthew Vaughn, who was also behind Guy Ritchie's tough-but-stylish crime comedies Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch. Star Vinnie Jones, by the way, enjoyed a career as a professional footballer in Great Britain before turning to acting. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vinnie Jones, Jason Statham, (more)
- 2009
- R
The uncomfortable merger of art and commerce leads to an unstable romantic triangle in this satiric comedy from director Jonathan Parker. Madeleine (Marley Shelton) is a beautiful young woman who runs an upscale art gallery in New York City. While Madeleine prides herself on exhibiting the most daring and cutting-edge work on the East Coast, her dirty little secret is that she's able to keep the place open by selling the bland but accessible work of her boyfriend (Eion Bailey), whose paintings are quite popular with corporate clients. However, Madeleine is drawn to moody creative types, and her boyfriend makes the mistake of introducing her to his bother (Adam Goldberg), an avant-garde composer whose music is built around breaking glass and the clatter of metal objects. Before long, Madeleine has fallen for the pretentious composer and has to choose between him and the man who can keep her gallery in the black. Also starring Vinnie Jones and Zak Orth, (Untitled) received its world premiere at the 2009 Palm Springs International Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Adam Goldberg, Marley Shelton, (more)
A photographer propelled to explore his dark side begins tracking a subway serial killer whose brutal butchery makes for the most nightmarish images ever captured on camera in director Ryuhei Kitamura's adaptation of a short story by horror heavyweight Clive Barker. Leon Kaufman (Bradley Cooper) is just another struggling photographer in search of the perfect subject. Encouraged to explore the sinister side of humanity by a prominent art gallery proprietor (Brooke Shields) who is set to display his upcoming debut, Leon goes against the wishes of his girlfriend, Maya (Leslie Bibb), and begins stalking notorious serial killer Mahogany (Vinnie Jones) -- whose sadistic murder spree has been making headlines all across the country. As Leon's fascination with Mahogany gradually grows into obsession, his descent into the killer's putrid world of murder begins to corrupt his soul while simultaneously dragging his concerned girlfriend down a perverse path of darkness from which there is no return. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Bradley Cooper, Leslie Bibb, (more)
Veteran AIP genre star Larry Bishop (son of famed Rat Packer Joey Bishop) directs and stars in this gritty revenge tale concerning a biker gang that rallies to avenge the violent murder of a fellow gang member. An homage to such classic biker films as Chrome and Hot Leather and Angel Unchained, Hell Ride was conceived when director Bishop was invited to Quentin Tarantino's home to view a print of The Savage Seven. Upon realizing that there hadn't been a true biker film in years, the pair quickly contacted Bob Weinstein and conspired to produce a lean and mean two-wheeled revenge flick that would more than make up for lost time. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Larry Bishop, Michael Madsen, (more)
Trapped in an abandoned hospital by a wandering band of savage cannibals, a small group of survivors intent on repopulating a post-apocalyptic world must fight for their lives and the future of the human race. We've run out of gas, and now the civilized world is a fading memory. Still, there are some who would work to see society rebuilt. One such group has taken refuge in an empty hospital. Upon discovering a young girl who has somehow managed to survive an attack by a nomadic horde of cannibals known as Rovers, the frightened heirs of humanity are forced to defend themselves against a predator that knows precisely what they fear most. Now, as the Rovers methodically emerge from the wasteland to pick off their savory brethren one at a time, the remaining survivors must adapt the same hunting skills as the flesh-eating sub-humans who stalk them if they hold out any true hope of saving the legacy of mankind from certain tragedy. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Rachel Miner, Nicole DuPort, (more)
WWE superstar "Stone Cold" Steve Austin stars as a death row inmate who gets a rare second shot at life in director Scott Wiper's adrenaline-charged action thriller. Jack Conrad (Austin) is a dangerous convict currently awaiting execution in a corrupt Central American prison. "Purchased" by a wealthy television producer and transported to a deserted island, the formidable inmate is offered the opportunity to avoid capital punishment and win back his freedom by fighting to the death against nine other condemned criminals in an illegal game to be broadcast uncensored over the Internet. Rick Hoffman and Vinnie Jones co-star in a brutal battle royal of non-stop carnage. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, Robert Mammone, (more)
A privileged man with a profitable job, a beautiful girlfriend, and a loving family becomes hopelessly entangled with a vengeful drug dealer who assumes the role of his best friend before revealing his diabolical true colors. Tristan Price (Jesse Metcalfe) has a bright future, but when the shade begins to eclipse the sun, things turn bad more quickly than he could have ever anticipated. It seems that sometimes the most stable of folks are also the ones who crave adventure most, and Jesse is a prime example of that penchant. When Jesse meets up with charismatic cocaine dealer Sebastian Cole (Corey Large), the allure of fast cars, fast women, and automatic weapons find the thrill-seeking everyman suddenly drawn into a dangerous world of sex, drugs, and violence. But Jesse's new best friend is also his new worst enemy, and if he has any hope of pulling out of his current tailspin and salvaging relationship with his faithful girlfriend (Monica Keena) he will have to confront the man that could take it all away with the lightening flash of a finger on the trigger. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jesse Metcalfe, Erin Gray, (more)
- 2007
- R
A man who has turned his back on violence must reclaim his skills as a fighter for the sake of his family in this sentimental drama. Sean Kelleher (Michael Madsen) is an amateur boxer who goes too far while sparring with his brother and accidentally kills him; horrified by his actions, Sean pledges to never enter the ring again and pursues a career as a car salesman. After a rare cardiac ailment takes the life of his wife, Sean learns that his young son Mikey (Luke Whelton) has contacted the same disease, and that his only hope for survival lies in experimental surgery that can be performed by one doctor in the United States. The cost of the operation would be $250,000, money Sean doesn't have, but he learns of an annual underground bare-knuckles boxing tournament held each year by a band of gypsies called the Travelers. The purse for the winner would cover the price of the surgery, and Sean signs on to compete. A neighborhood priest who once coached boxing (Richard Chamberlain) helps Sean train for the contest, and he's embraced by a family of Travelers led by Papa Boss (Patrick Bergin), but the odds don't look good for Sean when he learns that he'll have to fight Smasher (Vinnie Jones), a hard-as-nails boxer who won the Travelers' contest in the previous year and has already killed two men in the ring. Strength and Honor was the first feature film from writer and director Mark Mahon. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Madsen, Vinnie Jones, (more)
When a threatening gang of terrorists hijack an oil rig off the coast of California, it's up to a former Navy Seal to ensure that their deadly plan is thwarted in this explosive action entry from veteran genre specialist Anthony Hickox. When Lamont Dixon (Eddie Griffin) took a job as a tugboat captain, he thought his days as a fighting military man were behind him, but when an offshore drilling protest unexpectedly turns into a terrorist hijacking, Dixon must leap into action to save the entire state of California. As the hijackers reveal part of their scheme and Dixon begins to suspect that there is more to the elaborate plan then they let on, his only hope is to team with sexy FBI agent Lisa Reed (Vivica A. Fox) to coordinate a counterstrike from the shore and save the lives of both the hostages and thousands of unsuspecting citizens. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Eddie Griffin, Breckin Meyer, (more)
A skilled soldier of fortune discovers a force more dangerous than any he's encountered in this action thriller. Chris Cody (Steven Seagal) is a top-ranked mercenary who took part in an undercover operation to scuttle a major terrorist strike on U.S. soil. However, Cody had to break a number of laws in order to do the job, and he's residing in a military prison when he's given an offer by the United States government. Cody and his crew will have their sentenced commuted and receive 100,000 dollars each if they can capture a notorious terrorist who has kidnapped five American soldiers and bring them home. Cody agrees, but he soon learns that there's more to the five soldiers than he's been led to believe -- they're actually the products of a secret C.I.A. experiment in mind control, and have been programmed to become ruthless killing machines with the right commands. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steven Seagal, Nick Brimble, (more)
Written and directed by Alec Berg, David Mandel, and Jeff Schaffer, Eurotrip is a teen comedy from the Montecito Picture Company (makers of similar movies Old School and Road Trip). Mainstream teenager Scott (Scott Mechlowicz) forms an online friendship with German student Mieke in order to get a passing grade in his high school German class. When he finds out Mieke is a buxom blonde girl (Jessica Böhrs), he travels to meet her with his pals Cooper (Jacob Pitts), Jenny (Michelle Trachtenberg), and Jamie (Travis Wester). The group of randy teens head to Berlin by way of London, Paris, and Amsterdam. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Mechlowicz, Jacob Pitts, (more)
A pair of elderly career criminals may have ended their old lives before they can start a new one in this streetwise drama. Tommy (Donnie Montemarano) and Mic (Vinnie Argiro) are a pair of aging wiseguys who used to work on the fringes of the New York mob. Now in their mid-sixties, Tommy has just been sprung from prison after spending seven years behind bars, and Mick has offered to put him up at his place -- a room in a seedy Los Angeles flophouse called the Golden Eagle, which is overrun by junkies, streetwalkers, and bums with no where else to go. While Tommy's been in stir, Mick has been living the straight life; he's gotten a legitimate job, quit drinking, stopped doing business with prostitutes, and has saved up enough money that he and his best friend can head to Las Vegas and start new lives with real jobs there. However, Tommy isn't so sure he wants to live quite so clean, especially on his fight night out of the joint. Tommy meets another resident of the Golden Eagle, Amber (Natasha Lyonne), an attractive young woman who happens to be a hooker. Not having been with a woman for seven years, Tommy is eager to retain Amber's services, but Amber is working for Rodan (Vinnie Jones), a brutal and short-tempered pimp. Tommy's treatment of Amber manages to anger Rodan, and now Mick and Tommy have to get away from the pimp if they have any hope of getting to Las Vegas (and out of Los Angeles) alive. A low-budget labor of love for director Adam Rifkin, A Night at the Golden Eagle's supporting cast includes James Caan, Ann Magnuson, Sam Moore (of the popular singing group Sam and Dave), Fayard Nicholas (of the legendary dance team the Nicholas Brothers), and Francesca 'Kitten' Natividad. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Vinny Argiro, Donnie Montemarano, (more)
Director Dominic Sena follows up his stylish action film Gone in 60 Seconds (2000) with this high-tech thriller. John Travolta stars as Gabriel Shear, a charismatic spy who plots to steal a multi-billion-dollar fortune in illegal government funds. In order to make his scheme work, however, Gabriel needs some help from a computer hacker, which is where Stanley Jobson (Hugh Jackman) comes in. Stanley has been paroled from prison after serving a lengthy sentence for penetrating the FBI's cyber-surveillance operations. Issued a restraining order that keeps him away from computers and living penniless in a trailer park, Stanley wants only to be reunited with his daughter Holly, who's in the custody of his ex-wife, now remarried to a pornographer. Gabriel and his partner Ginger (Halle Berry) offer Stanley the chance to get his child back in exchange for his help, but the hacker soon realizes he's a pawn in a larger operation than the high-tech bank heist he thought he was perpetrating. In the meantime, a dedicated federal agent (Don Cheadle), the same man who once arrested Stanley, is trying to expose Gabriel's operation. Swordfish also stars Sam Shepard and Zach Grenier. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- John Travolta, Hugh Jackman, (more)
