Jason Statham and Adam Sandler have had two very different careers, but they both starred in failed remakes of a 1970s sports movie classic. Legendary funnyman Adam Sandler first gained attention in the early 1990s when he appeared as a cast member on Saturday Night Live. His career quickly jumped to the big screen where he starred in a handful of blockbusters like Billy Madison and Happy Gilmore. Known for his intentionally juvenile humor, Sandler’s style would influence the next generation of comics both on stage and on the screen, and he’s still a bona fide movie star today.

Statham is known for his gritty action hero roles and has made a career out of playing one tough guy after another. It was his appearance in Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels that would gain him instant attention in 1998, and he soon began popping up in dozens of action films across the ensuing decades. Though Statham has appeared in horror and family films, it is the action genre that has been kindest to the British movie star. One ’70s hit would bring the two disparate actors together, but neither could capture the original’s essence.

Jason Statham & Adam Sandler Both Starred In The Longest Yard Adaptations During The 2000s

Both Stars Appeared In Remakes Of The Burt Reynolds Film

The Longest Yard is a classic sports film from the 1970s that combines the sports/comedy genre with a bit of exploitation grit. It cast Burt Reynolds in the starring role as a washed-up ex-NFL player who is sent to prison after getting into a high-speed chase with the police. Once inside, Reynolds’ Paul “Wrecking” Crewe is persuaded to form a team of inmates to compete against the guards, and it soon becomes very personal for the former sports star. The film was a smash-hit, and even snagged an Oscar nomination and won a Golden Globe for Best Musical or Comedy.

Nearly 30 years after the release of the original film, the Brits remade The Longest Yard in 2001, but they made some major changes. When The Longest Yard debuted in the UK, it was released as The Mean Machine, and the remake opted for a sleeker тιтle by dropping the first word. Mean Machine stars Vinnie Jones as ex-soccer player Danny “The Mean Machine” Meehan, who is sent to prison where he quickly forms a team of inmates to compete against the guards. Though the basic principle behind the film is the same, the execution and humor were distinctly different.

Just a few years later, Adam Sandler starred in a more straightforward American remake of The Longest Yard, and his version even kept the original name unchanged. Sandler slots in for the Burt Reynolds character, and his inmate team is composed of recognizable comic actors from his other films as well as real-life sports stars. Burt Reynolds even appeared in the 2005 remake, but switched roles to play Coach Nate Scarborough (the part originally played by Michael Conrad). Sandler’s version dropped the grittiness of the original, and instead opted for his signature brand of low-brow humor.

Mean Machine & The Longest Yard 2005 Were Both Poor Adaptations Of The Original Movie

Neither Remake Could Capture The Essence Of The ’70s Classic

One thing that becomes clear when watching the early 2000s remakes of The Longest Yard is that neither was able to capture the original’s tone. 1974’s The Longest Yard is a gritty dramedy that is actually more drama than comedy, and it has a grimy and realistic style that is befitting its setting. While Mean Machine is a bit rougher around the edges, 2005’s The Longest Yard is a slick Hollywood production that is often lost in its own glossy veneer. It’s set within a prison, but it fails to convey the dour nature of the insтιтution through its visuals.

Additionally, the humor of Sandler’s film feels somewhat out of place at times. The 1974 version had its funny moments, but the classic sports movie still treated prison and the plight of prisoners with appropriate gravitas. The jokes in the original are situational, while the 2005 film has outlandish characters that border on absurdity. Mean Machine is also a bit absurd with its comedy, but the British comedy style leans more toward grounded situational humor as opposed to over-the-top bits. It also treats its prison setting a bit more seriously, and there is a sense of danger.

Mean Machine also lacks the narrative drive of both American versions of The Longest Yard, and sometimes meanders before finally getting to the point. On a more detailed note, Mean Machine also fails to capture a lot of the social satire of The Longest Yard, because it doesn’t adapt the messaging to apply to the UK. The 1974 film is distinctly American, and is a brutal skewering of the culture of the mid-’70s that is still quite applicable today. Mean Machine borrows heavily from American prison cinema, but doesn’t inject any commentary about the prison system in the UK.

Statham Vs. Sandler: Whose Version Of The Longest Yard Is The Least Worst

Mean Machine Still Holds Up Better Than Sandler’s Remake

Even though both early 2000s remakes of The Longest Yard miss the mark by a mile, Mean Machine is still the remake that’s worth watching all these years later. Remakes must do something to justify their own existence, and though Mean Machine is far from a perfect film, it at least tried to offer an original vision that nods to The Longest Yard. Vinnie Jones is a stronger lead, and a much better replacement for Burt Reynolds than Adam Sandler. Though Sandler clearly loves sports, it isn’t very realistic to see him take the gridiron.

The Longest Yard films include:

Meanwhile, Jones’ real-life background in soccer allowed for his actual skills to play out on screen, and the sequences on the pitch are much more convincing. Jason Statham also steals the show as the hyperactive netminder, Monk, and it’s a role that allowed him to stretch beyond his usual stoic action heroes. The rest of the supporting cast also fills out the team without the unnecessary distraction of celebrity cameos, and Mean Machine is a much more immersive experience because everything feels a bit more real.

Finally, it’s hard to ignore the more problematic elements of Sandler’s The Longest Yard, and there are certainly parts that haven’t aged well. The original film, and Mean Machine for that matter, approach the prison setting seriously, but 2005’s The Longest Yard makes jokes that feel like they are at the expense of incarcerated people. Furthermore, several outright homophobic moments not only mock the LGBTQ+ community, but make light of very real issues of violence within the prison system. Even if Mean Machine isn’t perfect, it’s a much more engaging film all around.