The Express (2008)

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

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)
The Express: Un héroe que marcó la historia (Argentina) (DVD title) [es]

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:

Color (Technicolor) | Black and White

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:

Career team record @ Syracuse 1959 11-0 1960 7-2 1961 8-3.

Goofs:

Factual errors: In the 1960 Cotton Bowl game, the movie showed Texas pulling within one point of Syracuse, 15 - 14. While this added drama, the game was never that close in the second half. Syracuse was up 23-6 when Texas scored their second and last TD with 7:39 remaining in the game. Being up 9 points also means that the climatic scene at the end of the game would have been a moot point. Texas was not in a position to tie Syracuse even with a TD and 2 point conversion.

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 The Moon Is Blue (1953)

Soundtrack:

Send For Me

The Express, despite some exaggerations, was a mostly inspiring bio-film of Ernie Davis

Before I write the review proper of The Express, I have something to nitpick: I know when films are made "based on a true story" some events are going to be exaggerated. Nonetheless, I expect most of what happens in those movies to reflect a certain truth and be as accurate as possible. So when I read here on IMDb that the taunts of the Syracuse vs. West Virginia game from WV stadium members NEVER HAPPENED and that the coach that Dennis Quaid played had actually worked near the surrounding areas, that marred some of the enjoyment I got out of this movie based on Ernie Davis, whom I actually read about in elementary school in a literature textbook during the '70s. I wasn't bothered by some other inaccuracies I read about, however, since many of them were more minor and therefore, doesn't ruin the picture for me. The performances of Rob Brown as Davis and Quaid as head coach Ben Schwartzwalder had me riveted for most of the movie and I also enjoyed Charles Dutton as Davis' grandfather and Nicole Beharie as Davis' girlfriend, Sarah Ward. The tragic fate of Davis in the last 15 minutes also was handled tastefully and reading about President Kennedy's eulogy before the end credits was especially inspiring. So despite my misgivings about the whole West Virginia scene, I'm recommending The Express for anyone curious about this nearly forgotten time in college football history. P.S. I was pleasantly surprised to read in the end credits that part of this movie was shot in my birthtown of Chicago, Ill.