Seen on: October 11, 2008
The players:
Director: Gary Fleder, Writer: Charles Leavitt,
Cast: Dennis Quaid, Rob Brown, Nelsan Ellis, Kris Wolff, Darrin DeWitt Henson
Facts of interest: Based on the book by Robert C. Gallagher.
The plot: The film tells the story of Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy.
Our thoughts: As far as inspirational sports movies go, Gary Fleder’s “The Express”
hits all the right notes. Based on a true story, it centers on an
extraordinary athlete who proved his passion for the game and gave his
people a reason to stand up and cheer during a tough time in the
history of the United States. Yes, the film mostly plays it by the
book, but in this case, that’s not necessarily a bad thing.
Rob
Brown stars as Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the
prestigious Heisman Trophy for his achievements as a college football
hero. Davis’ glorious sports career kicked off when he got an
opportunity to play for coach Ben Schwartzwalder (Dennis Quaid) at
Syracuse University. From there, he led the team into many victories
and all the way to the national championship.
Besides
portraying how Davis’ determination quickly helped him become one of
the best college football players in the country, “The Express” spends
considerable time exploring how the effects of racism and the cruelty
against African-Americans shaped him as a man. Davis was not afraid of
white people despising him and his race. On the contrary, he always
insisted on stepping out on the field and playing the games, no matter
what people thought or what states they were in.
Davis’ fight
to keep his spot on the team and his efforts to withstand the racial
hatred against the African-American community keep the film interesting
throughout, even though I admit the 130-minute running time is quite
long for a feature of this genre. While most of the plot runs rather
smoothly, select parts tend to drag a little bit too much. Other than
that, “The Express” follows all the conventions of a traditional sports
flick, including a pompous score during the film’s many in-game
sequences.
Fleder, who previously directed the engaging thriller “Runaway Jury,” proves he’s a dab hand at helming fast-paced action on the football field. An excellent cinematography and clean editing definitely made it easy for me to applaud the movie’s technical credits. As far as the cast goes, Brown turns in a believable performance as Davis, while acting honors go to Dennis Quaid for his flawless job as Syracuse’s strong-willed football coach.
Freaky quote: “I'm playing, you heard me?" – Rob Brown
The final word:
I’ve seen a lot of good-hearted sports movies over the past years, and
while they all followed pretty much the same routine, most of them were
solid enough to keep me entertained. “The Express” is an enjoyable
ride, and it certainly didn’t leave me emotionless. Fans of this genre
should be pleased by the film; it’s definitely worth the investment.