REVIEW: 'The Express' sure to bring it home

three and a half out of 5 stars

By: Natalie Abreu

Posted: 10/14/08

In the past several years, inspiring sports films about the underdog, of upcoming obstacles and of victories past have been as popular and as formulaic as the average romantic comedy. Whether it be "Glory Road," "Pride" or even "The Great Debaters," these sports films often deal with the subject of race. "The Express" is about football star Ernie Davis and his quest to become the first black man to win the Heisman Trophy. Though obvious playing up to fans of football and this sports genre, it also has enough to deliver messages of hope and perseverance to general audiences everywhere and emotions always run high throughout.

"The Express" stars Rob Brown as Ernie Davis and Dennis Quaid as his Syracuse University football coach Ben Schwartzwalder as well as a great supporting cast throughout. Both main players of this film do great jobs of portraying sports figures, especially Quaid, who seems to be born to play a football coach. It is surprising he has not played one before.

While the football scenes are engaging and exciting to watch, keeping viewers at the edge of their seats to see Ernie Davis shine at the field, the scenes off the field are just as powerful. The dynamic of the relationship between Davis and his coach, Ben Schwartzwalder, is interesting to watch. Davis takes over for the former black running back in the team, Jim Brown, whom Schwartzwalder did not have a good relationship with. The tension from that coach/player relationship is passed on to this one but both coach and player must overcome the perceptions of the past and use their energies on the field rather than in the locker room. This idea of perceptions of others also transcends to perceptions and prejudice of race, which although is an obvious part of the film in scenes such as the Rose Bowl game, does not really take it over.

The Davis/Schwartzwalder relationship is also interesting to see in regards to Schwartzwalder as a father figure for Davis, who was raised by his mother and a coal miner grandfather. Like a father, he shapes and molds Davis into becoming a better player and essentially a better person with tough love, persistence and practice.

"The Express" is not transcending the genre of inspirational sports films in style or story plot, but is never the less moving and emotionally packed. Some of the best scenes of the film occur when Schwartzwalder is rallying up player emotions during a big game in the locker room and this film will surely rally emotions well into the movie theater as well.