The Express (2008)

Best movie of this year hands down!

You won't be disappointed!

The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

The Express is a movie able to make the viewer feel both inspired and saddened by Ernie Davis' story. However, there are many minor cinematic errors that inhibit The Express from becoming a truly great movie. Ernie Davis' story is really quite spectacular, being one of the greatest college football players of all time, overcoming racism, being the first black man to win The Heisman Trophy, and dying at a far too young age. The Express depicts these events and issues with emotion and sincerity. With some elite acting, a well-developed story, and lovable characters The Express is able to cover up some of the abundant cinematic mistakes that plague the film.When viewing The Express one thing is absolutely undeniable, Dennis Quaid's performance as Coach Schwartzwalder is absolutely spectacular, and he really carries the movie as a result. While most of the actors in the movie are able to deliver their lines with emotion and sincerity, Dennis Quaid demonstrates his ability to truly become the character he is supposed to be, using actions and facial expressions. Through his near perfect performance he is able to cover up many of the amateur acting mistakes Rob Brown makes. Brown looks like Ernie Davis physically, but when he delivers his lines it lacks a certain emotion that is really needed, especially dealing with issues as vast as racism in sports in the late 1950s.The storyline of Ernie Davis' life is incredible within itself. The way The Express tells the story keeps the viewer intrigued in what is going to happen, even when they know how the movie must end. Gary Fleder (the director) is able create a vital emotional attachment to most of his characters. Due to the back-stories of the characters, such as Ernie's childhood experience of running away from a group of white boys who want to beat him up for being African American, the viewer will be drawn into loving the entire Syracuse football team, thus caring about what happens to each of the characters as the story progresses.Although there are all these triumphs in the way The Express is told that makes it a fun story to watch, as a movie it is not anything particularly incredible. The most substantial issue with this flick is the fact that is actually too flashy. Throughout many scenes there is so much going on technically (with oddly chosen effects or an over-abundance of background music) that it inhibits the storyline from progressing in a sensible pace. The scenes in which football games were actually depicted were prime examples of this, and while it could be due to an attempt by Gary Fleder to make the viewer see how much better Ernie was than the other players in an artistic way, personally, I saw it distracting when trying to understand Ernie's talent on the field. The same was true with the background noise at some point. Again, on the football field powerful noise is needed, but off the field, in the locker room or at school the ambient noise was rather distracting and hurt the dialogue greatly.The Express is an inspirational movie that makes the viewer cheer and cry, but as a film it lacks in multiple technical areas.

** This comment may contain spoilers** The Express is a very inspirational story about a man, Ernie Davis, who strives to be the best football player he can and ultimately become the first black Heisman trophy winner. One of the main themes in the film is racism. We see blacks struggle to become an acceptable part of society. Ernie Davis has a dream to become the next Chris Brown, one of the best running backs for the Cleveland Browns. Once he was recruited to the Syracuse Orangemen, his journey for the Heisman trophy begins. I find this movie to be a very motivational film that sends a message out about racism. It shows that if you continue to follow your dreams no matter how many hardships and obstacles you come across, you can achieve anything. Ernie Davis tried to prove a point during the movie and play for the African Americans all over who were watching. The movie has an amazing, true story plot that makes the film very appealing to the viewers. Ernie Davis will always be remembered as the first African American to win the Heisman trophy and make a big difference in college football.

The Express is a touching, inspiring, and captivating film that should be seen by everyone. Whether you're black or white, a sports fan or not, The Express is undoubtedly enjoyable by all audiences. Rob Brown provides a powerful performance as the football star Ernie Davis. All of Brown's acting is believable. Not once did I feel like I was watching just another cheesy sports movie. The racial issues give The Express its certain depth and meaningfulness. Ernie Davis is able to rise above all these racial barriers and discrimination and become an unexpected superhero. Ernie Davis is proof that nothing is impossible. A person's skin color is no reason to feel hindered and certainly does not make one less worthy than another.My favorite scene has to be the Syracuse v.s. Texas game. Right away, I was floored by just how terrible racism was at the time. The fans were booing, hissing, and even throwing garbage at the black players on the field. This sort of discouragement by the fans would surely intimidate most football players, but not Ernie Davis. He is just as determined to prove his strength and skill as ever before. There is just one problem; Coach Ben is reluctant to allow Ernie to play in this game due to a hamstring injury. Ernie gets fired up and exclaims that he will most definitely be playing in this game. During the game, Ernie gets pelted and tackled constantly by the opposing white players. Despite his injury and lack of support from the crowd, Ernie leads the team to a National Championship. The intensity of this scene kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. I was truly touched to see the determination in Ernie's face as he was pummeling the other players and getting steps closer to breaking through those racial barriers.All in all, The Express proves to be a film worthy of recognition. If you haven't seen it, you are truly missing out. The emotions portrayed by the actors are heartfelt and remarkably touching. This film does an excellent job depicting racism at the time and the struggles that African Americans were faced with. After having seen The Express, I feel much more educated and sympathetic towards anyone who is faced with racial prejudice of any kind.

This film was not about Ernie Davis,this film was about Jim Brown. Using Mr. Brown as a source on this film was a mistake. The film save for a few notable scenes is mostly Hollywood fabrication. I pity Dennis Quaid ever going back home to Texas after his participation in this film! True facts of racism are one thing but to fabricate them for Hollywood are even worse. Read the true stories of Ernie Davis and you will see a much different person than the one depicted in this film. Ernie Davis described by teammates and fellow students paint a much different one than the one Jim Brown made up!Perhaps the directors should have just made a film about Jim Brown and his experiences with racism which he truly endured. There was none of the trash throwing, racism laced hate speech, and other racist events portrayed at West Virgina. There was a brawl at the Cotton Bowl in 1960 and Syracuse was asked to leave the after game awards ceremony but they went to the Dallas Athletic Club and had a great time according to players. Why does Hollywood always have to embellish the truth? If this movie had been about the true Ernie Davis it could have been a very nice piece of college football history! All of the living teammates agree this film was not the history or the Ernie Davis they remember! I believe them and the facts not this movie!