eric262003 "The Express" falls in the annals of the ever-so-growing sports drama of one individual having to break barriers in impossible odds only to come out on top in the end. It's part of the same category of other classic sports films like "Remember the Titans", "Glory Road" and "Pride", we can say that is something that we have all seen before and you know what's coming next. Not to sound dull-minded, "The Express" focuses primarily on one individual by contrast to the team, the film concentrates on the triumphs and hardships college athletes of African-American extraction had to endure as they opened unlocked doors and opened minds.Though dependent on superficial Hollywood dramatization, "The Express" conveys an insightful look into how African-Americans struggled to be noticed and even more focus is on being accepted. Even though it sparks realism in storytelling, it still has fabricated hyperbole in its execution. The structure defies routine, and the emotional stirrings emanates by the 90 minute mark, all the while leaking out an overlong diatribe about why our central character hardly ever gets the credit like his teammate and friend Jim Brown.Our story proceeds around the year 1960 in Texas during the Cotton Bowl as the Syracuse Orangemen are up against the all famous Texas Longhorns. The star halfback and our central character Ernie Davis (Rob Brown) is one of three black guys on the Syracuse team. Ernie must fend off against the biased crowd while overcoming racial taunts. As he's at the line of scrimmage, his mind wanders into flashbacks to his youth in Pittsburgh, up to his recruitment of Coach Ben Schwartzwelder (Dennis Quaid) and his team to an undefeated season.Football is the symbolic meaning of life here in "The Express". Ernie's emotional stages seems to be synonymous with the United States in their quest for equality. It's sadly refreshing that the racial integrity isn't just focused on the South, but, the Northeast States exhibits equal amounts of racial ignorance and cold shoulders especially when he arrives in Syracuse's all Caucasian campus. When Syracuse goes down South, the racism is welcomed with open arms and how he had to sleep in different hotel rooms due to his skin colour. Although Ernie Davis is main character we follow here, there's a lot of intriguing character development in Coach Schwartzwelder being he's a West Virginian who had a disdain towards African-American, but soon shows a change in heart and eventually becomes sympathetic towards Ernie Davis.Though the acting isn't grandiose, it's still very well in it's subtle manner. Rob Brown adds good charm and great intentions as the mild-mannered Elmira Express. His intensity speaks volumes in his performance than his words. With the prejudicial abuse surrounds his well-being, he's able to utilize his eye movements to express his inner anger. Dennis Quaid is the veteran performer here and excels better as a supporting player here, even though he seems to be playing a familiar role we've seen before by him. He's been in sports themed movies before like "Any Given Sunday" and "Everybody's All-American", only here he's playing a coach rather than a player. Other significant notables include Charles S. Dutton as Ernie's grandfather, in limited role, but of great value and Darrin Dewitt as football great Jim Brown who was prominent in helping Ernie sign with Syracuse.Outside the football scenarios there are personal moments that happen in Ernie's life in this film including his relationship with his grandfather and his mother. The love relationship between Ernie Davis and his love interest Sarah Ward (Nicole Behaire) never fully envelops. They appear as friends, but there's no indication if they're just platonic, engaged or married. Some important scenes surrounding Ernie's life that could've been a personal interest was edited out or just neglected. As film about chasing your dreams and dodging racial bullets, "The Express" is the ideal biopic. And while he made history on the college level gridiron, it's his civil approach towards the racially enhanced environment that earns our admiration and a worthy film to watch.

Maniac-9 Ernie Davis is probably the best football player to never play football professionally and may have had even better of a career then Jim Brown who was his predecessor at Syracuse and would've been his teammate on the Browns.Ernie was one of the few blacks on the campus of Syracuse but always kept a positive attitude and treated everyone well around him.The football scenes are extremely well done and they look like it's an actual football game going on. Dennis Quaid gives a great performance as the head coach of the Orangemen.The period scenes were done very well and you felt like you were actually back in the late '50s/early '60s.

lmoser13 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.

PudgyPandaMan ...lines that aren't part of any game." These are the opening lines of the film. It's speaking of the lines of segregation that were so prominent when football great, Ernie Davis, was growing up and what he had to deal with during his short, but memorable, football career.This is an inspiring story about a young black boy with great athletic ability that overcame many obstacles to rise to fame as the first black Heisman Trophy winner.I think Rob Brown did an amazing job playing Ernie. He brings a real warmth and class to his portrayal. I also liked Omar Benson Miller as Jack Buckley ( I read he was based on a player named John Brown). Miller nails the part of affable and supportive friend with occasional comic relief. Its amazing that he is 10 years older than Rob Brown - his baby face makes him look younger than his 29 years. Dennis Quaid bears some resemblance to the coach he played - although they should have grayed his hair up some.My biggest complaint is the amount of language in this film, even though it only had a PG rating. There were a ton of GD's that weren't at all necessary to the telling of the story. Okay, some will say that is the way coaches and players talk at the college level. Fine - then if you want the realism, then at least be realistic with the rating and give it a PG-13 or R. We watched this with my 12 year old son based on the PG rating. Overall, I enjoyed the film but feel the director and writers could have done something to make it more riveting and emotional. Especially the ending with the sad fate of Davis - it just wasn't presented with much heart. It almost felt like a side note to the story. The movie, while good, doesn't rise to the level of REMEMBER THE TITANS or many other sports films with racial conflict.