Review: "The Express"

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.

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'The Express' web reviews

Gary Fleder's "The Express" tells the story of Ernie Davis (Rob Brown), the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy in 1961. Dennis Quaid co-stars as Ernie's coach. Let's quickly look at what other online critics have to say about the feature ( I will post my review later today):

• Cinematical's Jett Kernion: "'The Express' follows the usual conventions of sports films, which can be satisfying and even comforting if you like the genre."

• Mack Rawden at Cinema Blend: "It’s just a series of brouhahas, tied together by the fact they all involved Ernie Davis."

• LatinoReview's George Roush: "It's a nice drama, but its formula is just like every other inspirational sports movie."

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