Vinnie Jones, besides his now near-legendary introductory role as Big Chris in Guy Ritchie's Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, was also the one who delivered the best (only?) quotable line in the X-Men trilogy, despite his few minutes of actual screen time. His no-nonsense style of introducing himself to Kitty Pride (complete with language you shouldn't utter to your mother) made for an instant quote among young, usually drunk males throughout the world. While he often plays thugs, hooligans or similar intimidating-type people with names like 'Bullet-Tooth Tony' or 'Brick' or simply 'Killer,' it's important to note that he was first and foremost a professional intimidating thug/hooligan type football player for nearly 15 years with Leeds United, Wimbledon and Chelsea. He was considered one of the most aggressive midfielders of the pitch in the late eighties and early nineties, with a relatively famous picture shows him grabbing an opponent's junk with less than subtle grace. He was featured in a notorious football-related video called 'Soccer's Hard Men' which featured him and various other non-role model tough guys of the football field and dispensed advice on the less-than-sportsmanlike aspects of the game. This little foray cost him 20,000 pounds and he was given a six month suspension. He was sent off 12 times in his career and holds a record for quickest disqualification three seconds into a game with Sheffield United, which is frankly astonishing.
Been there, done that but not too well. Continually financially restrained. Now (and still) lives in Western Canada and talks some hockey and parenting on ogieoglethorpe.blogspot.ca and watching trailers on 2minutemovies.blogspot.ca.
