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 NEW)
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) -- ZuGuide.com - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
7.1/10   3,613 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 10% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Gary Fleder
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:
Biography | Drama | Sport more
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)

Pandorum Review Now Live
 (From Dread Central. 28 September 2009, 3:59 PM, PDT)

User Comments:
The Express Movie Review from The Massie Twins more (31 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
more
Create a character page for: ?

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:
USA | Germany
Language:
English
Aspect Ratio:
2.35 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
SDDS | DTS | Dolby Digital
Certification:
USA:PG (certificate #43975) | Singapore:PG | Argentina:Atp | New Zealand:PG | Australia:PG
Filming Locations:
Berwyn, Illinois, USA more

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: During the West Virginia football game Ernie Davis gets hit out of bounds and is lying on the sideline. The football announcer states Davis is hurt lying PRONE (face down) on the field when in fact the scene shows him lying in a SUPINE (face up)position. more
Quotes:
[watching Ernie practice against high school players]
Jim Brown: He's too fast for these kids.
Ben Schwartzwalder: He's too fast for anybody.
more
Movie Connections:
References Wings of the Hawk (1953) more
Soundtrack:
I Love You Darlin' more

FAQ

A Note Regarding Spoilers
Is "The Express" based on a book?
Any recommendations for other "first Black" movies?
more
9 out of 17 people found the following comment useful.
The Express Movie Review from The Massie Twins, 9 October 2008
6/10
Author: joel massie (GoneWithTheTwins) from www.GoneWithTheTwins.com

There's no doubt that Ernie Davis led an inspirational and tragically moving life, yet the formulaic presentation and stereotypical structure to the motivational sports drama doesn't provide an appropriately unique platform to tell his story. Perhaps his life is the epitome of the genre, but we've seen this same tale numerous times only with different sports and slightly different obstacles. The Express does an exemplary job of recreating an era and a football legend with plenty of heart and exciting action, but an overlong running time and an over-attentiveness to specific dates and historical accuracy diminishes the entertainment and amps up the documentary vibe.

Ever since he was a young boy growing up in Pennsylvania, Ernie Davis was forced to overcome harsh adversity, and perhaps the greatest came when he was recruited to play college football for Syracuse. The Express chronicles the tragically short, yet monumentally accomplished life of the first African-American to ever win the Heisman Trophy.

All the actors involved portrayed their respective real-life characters with enthusiasm and charisma aplenty, however far too many seemed included just to fill a stereotypical role in such films. Since it's based on a true story, perhaps all of these people really existed. Dennis Quaid gives a notable hard-edged, tough-coach-with-a-heart-of-gold performance who admirably avoids too many lengthy inspirational speeches, yet still manages to breach the trying-too-hard to act tough line at a few points throughout the film.

Once again Hollywood has churned out an inspirational sports drama with that winning blend of feel-good momentum and underdog accomplishments. Although the sport keeps changing, the formula stays the same, and so the significance of this based-on-a-true-story adaptation feels overdone and imitative. Realistic, well-acted, but ultimately more of the same tried-and-true storytelling, The Express is a perfect movie-going experience for those who know exactly what the film is all about before watching it.

- The Massie Twins

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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
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
Potentially great sports movie ruined by shoddy filmmaking buffalobills8011
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