The Express (Universal Pictures)
Brians Tune
The Express is a horribly named film that has an air of Brians Song about it but never hits the right notes to push it over the top. The film is based on the life of football great Ernie Davis and the story is a lesson on civil rights and the art of the game. Rob Brown and Dennis Quaid co-star as Davis and his Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder.
Davis comes to the attention of Schwartzwalder right after Jim Brown (Darrin Dewitt Henson) graduates from Syracuse. Brown has been a lot of trouble for Schwartzwalder to handle but he sees real talent in Davis. He recruits him to come to Syracuse University and Davis accepts.
Davis proves to be everything Schwartzwalder hoped he would be and is soon winning game after game for him. But this is the early sixties and some schools at this time did not welcome black athletes even on competing teams. These feelings, as shown in the film, boiled over at the 1960 Cotton Bowl in which Davis was the star player. Dallas, Texas was the host city and her citizens showed their worst colors as they jeered at Davis.
The movie is at its strongst when showing these unpleasant events. But when the film tries to depict Davis the man, it falters. The audience only gets a glimpse of who the man behind the athlete is.
The acting in the film is uniformly good with Quaid giving a strong but sensitive portrayal of the determined coach. He and Brown are a good team and do establish a strong rapport on screen. Omar Benson Miller is also good as Davis best friend and teammate Jack Buckley.
The film is rated PG for profanity and violence.
There have been some who have argued that certain scenes portrayed in the movie never happened. This is common when Hollywood tries to dramatize an individuals life story. There is always a battle between what is real and what is dramatic or more interesting. Just rely on the major events being true.
Ernie Davis lived a legendary life on the football field. Off the field he was probably an interesting man too but this movie never tackles that area with any satisfaction. The moviemakers just wanted to make another Brians Song but they dont reach those heights.
I scored The Express a tackled 6 out of 10.
