Frosty here. Since both Matt and Brian reviewed “The Express,” I decided to post both of them in one article. Matt didn’t like the movie and his review is first, Brian did like the movie and his is further down. If you'd like to watch some movie clips from "City of Ember," click here.

The Express Review – Matt Goldberg

"The Express" is so boring and predictable that it makes me wonder if I need to keep a stock review for sports films and biopics.  Since most other films have already mined the individuals who broke the color barrier of major sports, "The Express" focuses on the brief career of Ernie Davis (Rob Brown) who literally runs through racism into college football glory.

Except Davis never really breaks any barriers.  He's following in the footsteps of Jim Brown and by the end, it seems like the only reason we focused more on Davis is because he did more to combat racism and led a tragically brief life.  Yes, he was the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy, but since that's a trophy given arbitrarily rather than based on merit (you can't have fellow nominees if you are given an award based on quantifiable ability), it doesn't feel like the massive achievement the film makes it out to be.  Of course, in most films, that would be the triumphant conclusion, but since Davis died young of leukemia, that's another half-hour of dramatic material to mine!  Huzzah!

Director Gary Fleder has a sad jumble of predictable stories on his hands and he has no idea how to tell these painfully simple tales.  For example, Davis wants to focus on football but since the film takes place during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, his cousin informs him that he must make a stand for more than just winning football games.  This would be a strong moral statement except in the preceding scene, this same cousin says that Davis should just focus on football and making it rich in the NFL rather than follow the wishes of their grandfather (Charles Dutton) who wants Davis to focus on his academic career as well as football. 

Of course, these kinds of incongruous scenes and characters match Fleder's schizophrenic editing and use of multiple film stocks as we cut between regular 35mm which then goes grainy from time to time for no apparent reason other than to remind us that THIS REALLY HAPPENED.  It also goes well with the film's complete lack of subtlety as the Syracuse Orangemen go to games in places like Alabama and Texas where the racism is completely unhinged.  If you thought that racism would be more virulent in Alabama than Texas in the 1960s, you'd be wrong.  Everything is bigger in Texas, including racism.  I half-expected there to be a cheering section reserved for the Klan at the big game. 

It's these over-the-top gestures and complete lack of subtlety that takes what should be a simple bore of a movie into one that's insulting to its audience.  Then again, if you're like the woman sitting in the same row as me during the screening and apparently have never seen a sports biopic, you'll be cheering like the game is happening right now.  I'm sure if I could find a way to Eternal Sunshine my memories of all sports movies and biopics from my brain before seeing movies like this, I would probably find it equally enjoyable (minus Fleder's schizo editing and belief that Texas, which didn't enter the Union until six years before the Civil War, would have more virulent racism than Ala-fucking-bama.

(D)

The Express Review – Brian Orndorf

An uplifting historical sports drama primarily concerning racial injustice? Indeed, "The Express" won't win any awards for originality, but it has heart, a big one actually, and tells the story of a man who overcame the trial of racism to influence the world of football with his monumental gifts. "Express" conquers formula by keeping a close eye on pace and giddy, audience-baiting moments of gridiron triumph.

Emulating his hero Jim Brown (Darrin Dewitt Henson), young Ernie Davis (Rob Brown, "Finding Forrester") decided to take his football skills to Syracuse University in the late '50s, under tight coaching from Ben Schwartzwalder (Dennis Quaid). While his talents shine immediately, the racial climate is less kind, leaving Davis the object of scorn throughout the south, yet still remaining a hero to many due to his flair on the field. Rising to the top of the league, Davis found fame, winning the Heisman Trophy in 1961, with the promise of a marvelous pro career ahead of him. While mentally ready to achieve his goals, Davis's body had other plans, much to his frustration and Schwartzwalder's disappointment.

"Express" is a tightly paced football story that, again, has arrived after a plethora of similarly-themed tales of skin-color woe have been reheated and served up. However, the Davis story is not one to dwell on cartoon presentations of antagonistic behavior (typically of the southern kind). No, "Express" is here to inspire and to study inspiration, examining Davis's ride to college football fame initiated by his gifts and the sporting leadership provided by the legendary Jim Brown.

Director Gary Fleder holds a reverent tone toward Davis, boiling down his setbacks to obvious standoffs of race and competition. I was surprised how much football remains in "Express," as the film details Davis's highlight-reel career and his famous contributions to the racially-charged 1960 Cotton Bowl (held, of course, in Texas). Wonderfully played by both Brown and Quaid, the relationship between Davis and Schwartzwalder is the cornerstone of the film, with both characters learning from each other and growing as Davis finds fame beyond his wildest imagination, and the coach hits a winning streak that solidifies his eye for talent. The combative, faintly loving relationship goes a long way to creating tension both on and off the playing field.

Because Fleder is wrapped up in football and the conflicts surrounding Davis's every move, "Express" actually peddles briskly, unlike many of its lethargic brethren, powered in great part by Mark Isham's triumphant score. Of course, a rounded overview of Davis's life is sacrificed to broad moments of triumph and tragedy, leading to a few questions of romantic entanglement that remain unanswered; however, the film's central theme of encouragement is a buoyant one, trumping the thinness of the depiction and cinematographer Kramer Morgenthau's tacky lighting design (the picture resembles a subpar Oliver Stone film), two elements that take away from the ultimate emotional impact.

There appears to be plenty left to learn about Ernie Davis and his illustrious career, but "The Express" nails the pulse of his life just right, incorporating his confidence, leadership, and exasperation into an engrossing, if not exactly groundbreaking, feature film.