This inspirational sports biopic set in the the civil rights era is interesting even for non-football fans, and features a great performance by Dennis Quaid as tough-but-fair football coach.
This inspirational sports biopic set in the the civil rights era is interesting even for non-football fans, and features a great performance by Dennis Quaid as tough-but-fair football coach.
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Average Rating: 3.1/5
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Finding Forrester star Rob Brown steps into the cleats of Heisman Trophy-winning gridiron giant Ernie Davis in director Gary Fleder's inspirational sports docudrama. As a young boy reared not far from the northern Pennsylvania state line, Davis dreamed of blasting through the end zone and scoring a triumphant touchdown while fans rose to their feet and cheered. When Davis later became a star running back for the Syracuse Orangemen, his dreams were finally on the way to becoming a reality. Under
the wing of coach Ben Schwartzwalder (Dennis Quaid), it seemed as if there is nothing that could stop Davis from entering into the annals of sports history; even during an era in which the civil rights movement was just gaining momentum, this fledgling gridiron giant never once doubted his ability to rise to the top. When Davis was diagnosed with leukemia shortly after being drafted into the NFL, however, his will to survive soon eclipsed his dreams of success. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
The film does the job, in its conventional way. But it's geared to throw the prime screen time in the direction of the guy playing the guy coaching the guy who's supposed to be running the movie.
It makes the most of its on-the-field drama, but it tends toward gross generalizations and oversentimentality. ... As a result, the film is burdened with hokiness.
At times The Express couldn't decide whether it was telling a story of racial tensions, a general inspirational sports film or the tragic biography of Ernie Davis
The Express is running on two rails at the same time. There's sentiment, which is true. And there's sentimentality, which is not. At its best, The Express is a moving tribute; at its worst, it's conventional manipulation.
A fine addition to the recent genre of socially-conscious sports flicks highlighting individual triumphs not merely in and of themselves, but for the collective meaning of those historic moments to the masses of black people ever in search of civil rights
If the best thing said about a football movie, oddly enough, is that it can be entertaining for anyone who could care less about sports, then this is a solid touchdown. Skeptical couch potatoes take heart, a knowledge of the game is rarely required.
While there's nothing remarkable about the way director Gary Fleder has brought The Express to the screen, this is a solid film that does justice to Davis' legacy.
Fact-based or fictional, no genre sticks to the playbook more rigidly than the sports drama. Creditable addition to the canon though it is, The Express does not buck the trend.
Steams ahead with express-train determination, scooping on to its cow-catcher any cinemagoer hoping he can outrun yet another true-life drama about black sportsmen overcoming bygone bigotry.
Although 'The Express' doesn't live up to the standards of movies such as 'Remember the Titans' but it manages to keep viewers excited and thrilled. Its talented cast manages to pull of the inspirational characters.
April 22, 2010
Jason Lalljee
Super Reviewer
The Ernie Davis story; it's told from his child hood back in 1949 up until his death in 1964. For those who are sports fans, this movie is an instant classic in which I would put second only too "Remember The Titans", as we get an inside look at the child hood, life, and career of a true sports legend and those who
surrounded him during his journey. It was amazinly done.
For those who are not sportsmans - the movie has a solid plot with personal and life struggles,, it has an alright soundtrack (but ive seen better). Everyone knows that a great film needs a great soundtrack as it what truly brings some of the more emotional scenes alive; the movie however does lack that. It has top notch actors in Dennis Quaid and Rob Brown, and really just barley missed a beat. My only complaint is there is certain parts of the film that seem repeated, as if we seen this earlier in the film, but it happens rarley.
In Conclusion I would say it's lack of soundtrack taking away from some of the better scenes that could be nothing short of amazing; and a storyline that sometimes seems repetive at points - it stands out as better than "Friday Night Lights", but not as quite up to par with Disneys "Remember The Titans".
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