The Express (2008)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Gary Fleder

Writers (WGA):

Charles Leavitt (written by)
Robert Gallagher (book)

Release Date:

10 October 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Sport

Plot:

A drama based on the life of college football hero Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy.

Plot Keywords:

African American | Coach | Syracuse University | American Football | Student Athlete

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

US TV Schedule:

Thur. Nov. 12	6:20 PM	MAX
Wed. Nov. 18	7:45 PM	MAX

Cast

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

Also Known As:

The Express: The Ernie Davis Story (USA) (promotional title)

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

Color:

Black and White | Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

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

Company:

Davis Entertainment

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.

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.

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.

Movie Connections:

References Wings of the Hawk (1953)

Soundtrack:

I Love You Darlin'

The Express Movie Review from The Massie Twins

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