Mean Machine

Danny Meehan, once England's captain, is banned for life after being implicated in fixing a national team match against Germany. The ban tarnishes his reputation and ends his football career. This past sets the stage for his later downfall and the trouble that follows him into prison.

After a long drinking session Meehan drives to a local bar and is pursued by the police. Inside the bar, he attacks two officers rather than taking a breathalyser test. He is arrested and later convicted, receiving a three-year sentence to Longmarsh Prison.

Meehan is convicted and sentenced to three years in Longmarsh Prison. Upon arrival, his celebrity status triggers brutal beatings by the guards. The punishment foreshadows the rough environment he must navigate inside.

On arrival, Meehan is beaten by guards simply for his notoriety. The prison governor then pulls strings to have him serve as the head coach of the wardens' football team, but Meehan declines and instead trains a team of convicts to play against the wardens.

Meehan faces an unwelcome reception from cellmates Raj, Jerome, and Trojan. Outside, he befriends an elderly convict, Doc, who teaches him how to survive in prison.

While cleaning the yards with Doc, Meehan is introduced to Sykes, a feared gangster. Sykes reveals that Meehan's fixed England game has cost him a large amount of money, heightening the danger around Meehan.

In the prison cafeteria, Meehan meets Massive, a fast-talking contraband dealer who becomes an ally. Meehan and Massive begin recruiting a team of inmates to play against the wardens, but many are reluctant because of Sykes' influence and Meehan's past as a cheat. The team eventually includes The Monk, a violent maximum-security inmate.

Massive plays football in a prison hallway when a racist guard attacks him; Meehan intervenes to protect Massive, earning the respect of many inmates.

The warden gets into trouble with Barry the Bookie, an unlicensed bookmaker recommended by Sykes. Threatened by Barry, the warden decides to bet on the prison guards' team to try to recoup the debt.

Nitro, a psychotic inmate, accuses Meehan of being a snitch and ambushes him in the showers, but Meehan refuses to reveal information. He then offers to have Meehan killed in exchange for a transfer to a lower security prison, which Ratchett agrees to. Nitro crafts a bomb in his cell and places it in Meehan's locker; Doc arrives at the cell and is killed by the blast.

Doc is killed in the bombing, escalating the tension. Nitro is subsequently sent to another facility, not to the minimum-security prison promised, but to a mental health facility.

The match starts shortly after Doc's death. At halftime, the inmates lead 1–0 and morale is high until the governor tries to blackmail Meehan, threatening a 20-year sentence unless he throws the game.

Forced to confront the governor's threats, Meehan initially pretends to underperform but ultimately uses a square-ball to pass to Billy the Limpet and secures a win for the convicts.

Captain of the Guards Burton congratulates Meehan on the win. The governor's vehicle explodes, and Sykes warns that he and Barry the Bookie will retaliate. Meehan and Massive walk across the pitch victorious.