IMDb > The Express (2008)
The Express
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The Express (2008) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 36 | slideshow) Videos (see all 21)
The Express (2008) -- Open-ended Trailer from Universal Pictures
The Express (2008) -- Clip: Coach's half-time speech to the team
The Express (2008) -- Behind The Scenes: Scoring a touchdown
The Express (2008) -- Interview: Dennis Quaid "On the key to making sports movies"
The Express (2008) -- MattTrailer.com - Trailer (Flash)

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Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   3,705 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 16% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Writers (WGA):
Charles Leavitt (written by)
Robert Gallagher (book)
Contact:
View company contact information for The Express on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
10 October 2008 (USA) more
Genre:
Plot:
A drama based on the life of college football hero Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
1 win & 1 nomination more
NewsDesk:
(72 articles)
Top 7 Actors playing Athletes in Sports Films
 (From Scorecard Review. 3 October 2009, 7:30 AM, PDT)

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 (From Dread Central. 28 September 2009, 3:59 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
Superb film that everyone should see...a great history lesson! more (32 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Rob Brown ... Ernie Davis

Dennis Quaid ... Ben Schwartzwalder

Darrin Dewitt Henson ... Jim Brown

Omar Benson Miller ... Jack Buckley

Nelsan Ellis ... Will Davis, Jr.

Charles S. Dutton ... Willie 'Pops' Davis

Justin Martin ... Young Ernie Davis

Justin Jones ... Young Will
Nicole Beharie ... Sarah Ward

Aunjanue Ellis ... Marie Davis

Elizabeth Shivers ... Elizabeth Davis

Clancy Brown ... Roy Simmons Sr.
Danny McCarthy ... Bill Bell

Regina Hoyles ... Sister

Chelcie Ross ... Lew Andreas
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Additional Details

Also Known As:
The Express: The Ernie Davis Story (USA) (promotional title)
more
MPAA:
Rated PG for thematic content, violence and language involving racism, and for brief sensuality. (edited from PG-13 version)
Runtime:
130 min
Country:
Language:
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
Filming Locations:

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
While taking his Cleveland Brown's physical, the doctor feels Ernie's neck and asks him if has not been feeling well. Swollen lymph glands on the neck are a symptom of Leukemia. more
Goofs:
Factual errors: The movie shows the team being notified outside the Cotton Bowl that the hotel where the banquet is held will not allow the team's black players to attend and the team decides to skip the banquet and go for Barbeque. Fact is the team attended the banquet awards ceremonies (including the three Black players). Once the awards were over, the team was informed that the three black players could not stay for the dinner or dance festivities. The team then stood up and left the banquet before dinner began. They actually were hosted dinner at two different establishments after leaving. more
Quotes:
Ben Schwartzwalder: I won't tell him he'll be the next Ernie Davis, because there'll never be another Ernie Davis. more
Movie Connections:
References Wings of the Hawk (1953) more
Soundtrack:
Too Hot To Handle more

FAQ

A Note Regarding Spoilers
Is "The Express" based on a book?
Any recommendations for other "first Black" movies?
more
16 out of 19 people found the following comment useful.
Superb film that everyone should see...a great history lesson!, 27 October 2008
10/10
Author: pjmbdm from United States

My husband and I saw EXPRESS yesterday and truly enjoyed this movie. We love movies based on true stories and also enjoy sports so this was a winning combination! We found this movie to be truly captivating and beautifully told. The acting was superb.....everyone did a fantastic job of making it all very real. We didn't know anything about Ernie Davis and feel so privileged to know his story. Of course we knew Jim Brown, but Ernie never even had a chance to show his real talents to the world via the Cleveland Browns. What a gifted young man he was and all the difficulties he had to face made him even more special. As far as the people who don't appreciate WV being shown in that light, my husband was in the Army in 1960-1963, and whether it was WV, NC, SC, or any other state in that vicinity that is exactly how it was and he experienced that type of hate first hand. Thank you for bring us such a meaningful film. We hope it is a huge success.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more (32 total)

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for The Express (2008)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
Ernie davis was the MAN whaledogs911
My High School Football Short Film rainefilms
Syracuse v WVU racism LIE in this movie DawnReinas
To me this movie is Syracuse's Rudy kylenuss
Why change the scores? Judger
Were all three really drafted by Cleveland? ladies_man134
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