"The Express" - spoiler movie review

The inspirational sports movie, whether fiction or based on fact, is nothing new to movies. For a time, there was a glut of them, but that seems to have died off of late.

When the trailer for "The Express" first started, it was obvious it was another one of those. But as the trailer went on, it was also obvious that this wasn't just an ordinary inspirational sports movie. And the movie itself played out as much more. Yes, it wasn't just about a kid from the wrong side of the tracks making it good. Not only did he have to fight a disadvantaged childhood, but he had to fight something even worse - racism in the late 50s/early 60s.

The film is about Ernie Davis, who was known as the Elmira Express. He was recruited to Syracuse University the year after Jim Brown graduated - without winning the Heisman Trophy. The color barrier was definitely still in place.

Ernie Davis was amazing on the field, but his success didn't translate into an exemption from the then-current status quo - he was stared at on the campus of Syracuse University because he was one of very few black (they still used "negro" back then) students, and his coach made it clear to him that it wasn't acceptable for him to show any interest in white girls.

Ernie encountered even more racism when playing in the south - a January 1, 1960 Cotton Bowl game in Dallas against the University of Texas turned incredibly ugly, but Syracuse managed to win the game, earning them their first national championship, and Ernie was named MVP of the game, and two years later, he was nominated for and won the coveted Heisman, the first black athlete to do so.

After Syracuse won the game and Ernie had been named MVP, the coach informs the team that the trophy presentation ceremony is going to be held at a country club - one that has their color barrier firmly in place. One of Ernie's teammates speaks for the team by saying they'd rather have barbeque, and the team instead adjourns to a local restaurant where all colors are welcome, and the celebration is mighty. Heck, I'm sure they had a much better time there than they would have had at some stuffy country club!

There are parts of the movie that are incredibly difficult to watch. I've always had a problem with the incredible abuse that one person can heap on another, especially for something that I find as inconsequential as the color of one's skin. I cringed in the beginning of the movie when the kids were taunting Ernie and calling him names - I can imagine how difficult it was for those young actors to play that scene. There's a game where the team is leaving their tunnel - and the fans are throwing bottles and dumping popcorn on them, and the opposing players are tackling Ernie and throwing punches and kicking him while he's laying on the ground, and the officials are doing nothing to stop it and even calling non-existent penalties on Ernie. That kind of mentality is just so incredibly alien to me. To think that such things went on so recently - and continue to this day, though on a smaller scale - is something I don't think I can ever understand.

I'd not heard of Ernie Davis before, so I didn't know his story. From the trailer, though, you pretty much knew that he was going to end up being the first black Heisman trophy winner. In mid-September, I accidentally heard about the real-life outcome of Ernie Davis. He ended up with a disease that killed him before he ever had the chance to play in the NFL. Knowing the outcome of his life, it made it a bit harder for me to see some of the events that unfolded, knowing that his hopes and dreams were going to come to nothing. But in the scene when he had the press conference announcing that he was sick, it took me several minutes to stop crying in the theatre. That repeated itself at the end of the movie when on-screen titles listed the date of Ernie's death. I think my reaction was two-fold. It was just tragic for him to have gone through so much, to have endured so much, to have such dreams that were within his reach - only to be cut down so quickly, at the age of 23. The second reason was a bit more personal. I knew that Ernie had died of an illness, but I didn't know what exactly, until the scene of his press conference, when he said the word "leukemia". I have a very good friend who recently was diagnosed with leukemia, and it is in fact a terrifying word. That this strong, healthy young man was cut down so quickly and easily by leukemia just hit home even more with me. My friend is fighting the disease ok for the moment, thank God, but I don't think I would have reacted quite as strongly to the ending of this film had I seen it several months ago.

The performances in this film were stellar all around.

Rob Brown plays the title role, and he is electrifying. He doesn't appear to have done much yet, but he's definitely going to be around for a long time if people are smart and give him more opportunities. There are so many nuances to this role, and he hits each one dead on.

I tend to think of Dennis Quaid more from his movies of some time ago, when he was mostly in lighter movies. He did a terrific job in "Vantage Point", but he is even more spectacular in this role. He is gruff without coming off too mean, cool and detached without seeming cold, and his turn at Ernie's words makes complete sense because you can see it on his face.

In a supporting role, Charles S. Dutton is fantastic as Ernie's concerned grandfather. I especially liked the exchange where "Pops" wants to know what kind of man the coach is because he wants to know what kind of person is going to be teaching his grandson for the next four years.

These are the stand-out performances, but as I mentioned, performances all around were stellar, including the actors who played Jim Brown, Ernie's teammate JB, the coach's assistant, owner of the Browns and Ernie's girlfriend/wife Sarah.

There are people who might be turned off of this film because of the football aspect, but I hope they can see past that and see that it's not just about football.

The movie is based on the biography of Ernie Davis. I'm interested enough in the real story that I'll probably pick up the book to see what actually happened versus what was changed for the movie.