Paul "Wrecking" Crewe (Burt Reynolds) had it all. He was an NFL quarterback. But it wasn't enough. So he shaved a few points in a game to make a little bit more. The only problem was that he got caught, and when he did, he not only got thrown out, he earned the scorn of everyone else - even convicts. This doesn't concern most people, and it doesn't concern him.
But when he decides that he's had enough of just being the boy toy, he takes off in the car and ends up driving it into the bay. That earns him a trip to the beautiful state prison, courtesy of the warden who wants to get his semi-pro football team (consisting of the guards) to the next level: The championship. And he wants Paul Crewe to get him there by coaching. There's just one problem, and that is that Crewe doesn't want to do it.
This is complicated by the fact that Crewe has been told by the same guards that he won't be doing any such thing - they don't need him. So he declines the warden's offer and gets stuck on "swamp reclamation" duty - essentially digging up parts of the swamp and moving it to other spots in the swamp to keep the prisoners busy during the day. It's during this back-breaking work that the warden comes up with another idea.
If Crewe won't lead the "pro's" team, he can lead the "con's" team, and with that Crewe becomes the most popular guy in the pen, because playing on the team means you get out of work detail, and you get special food to help you prepare for the game. The only problem is that he has just a month to prepare.
Luckily there are some people helping him - notably Caretaker, who can get just about anything needed. So gradually, the Mean Machine, as they dub themselves, gradually build up a halfway respectable team, and slowly begin to believe that they might have a chance of beating the guards.
On the day before the big game, a light bulb bomb meant for Crewe goes off and kills Caretaker, which does nothing but motivate the cons. They suit up in their stolen uniforms and take the field. The first half ends in a virtual deadlock. The only odd thing is why a fake conversion on the first touchdown resulted in only one point. But it's not important. At halftime the warden asks Crewe if he wants to spend a long time in the prison for his part in sending Caretaker to his death, or if he's ready to throw another game. You get just one guess which option he takes.
The only request Crewe makes is that once the warden gets his desired lead, he lays off the cons, so that no one gets hurt. The mistake that the warden makes is that once he gets the lead, the guards are instructed to do as much damage as possible, and this fires up the cons, so they come storming back, setting up the winning drive, which (you guessed it) takes place from the one yard line.
While this film has been remade, there's nothing quite like the original.
Rated R for adult content and violence.
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