The Express
'The Express" tells the true story of football player Ernie Davis. It is such a naturally compelling tale that one wonders why it hasn't been filmed before.
Davis battled racism to become the first black player to win the Heisman Trophy. He was drafted by the Redskins, then immediately traded to the Browns, but he died in 1963 of leukemia before he could play professionally. He was only 23.
Obviously, it is a meaty story, and director Gary Fleder ("Don't Say a Word") and writer Charles Leavitt get the job done in capable fashion. But honestly, with such good source material, it would be hard to screw it up.
Davis (played by Justin Martin as a youngster and then by Rob Brown) grows up in Pennsylvania before moving to New York with his mother. His athletic skills are obvious early, and he becomes a star on his high school team before being drafted by Syracuse University.
With hard-driving coach Ben Schwartzwalder (Dennis Quaid) guiding him, Davis becomes a star college player. It isn't an easy time for black players; during a harrowing sequence at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, spectators shower bottles and trash on his head when he hits the field.
The movie smartly avoids turning the characters into archetypes. Schwartzwalder, in particular, is portrayed not as a civil-rights pioneer but as a man who simply wanted to win football games. Quaid's unsentimental performance keeps the character grounded in realism.
The film's final moments are reserved and understated, in keeping with the movie's overall tone. It keeps "The Express" from feeling like a retread.
- By Randy Cordova / The Arizona Republic
The Express
Rating: 3 stars (out of four)
Cast: Dennis Quaid, Rob Brown, Omar Benson Miller, Clancy Brown, Charles S. Dutton.
Running time: 139 minutes.
Rated: PG-13; thematic content, violence and language involving racism, and for brief sensuality.
sports, rated pg-13, Dennis Quaid, Rob Brown, Omar Benson Miller, Clancy Brown, Charles S. Dutton
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