The Express: The Ernie Davis Story (Blu-ray) PG

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Format:  Blu-ray
item number:  9GWE
on most orders of $75+
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Also released as:
The Express for $12.60

Blu-ray Details

  • Rated: PG
  • Run Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes
  • Video: Color
  • Encoding: Region 1 (USA & Canada)
  • Released: January 20, 2009
  • Originally Released: 2008
  • Label: Universal Studios

Performers, Cast and Crew:

Starring &
Performer: , , , &
Directed by
Screenwriting by , , &
Composition by
Produced by
Director of Photography:
Executive Production by

Entertainment Reviews:

Fresh61%

TOMATOMETER
Total Count: 118

Upright74%

AUDIENCE SCORE
User Ratings: 820,214
Rating: 75/100 -- While there's nothing remarkable about the way director Gary Fleder has brought The Express to the screen, this is a solid film that does justice to Davis' legacy.
Apollo Guide
Jan 4, 2009
Rating: 3/5 -- While never as trailblazing as its subject, The Express is a worthy addition to the lengthy canon of sports biopics. Full Review
Empire Magazine
Dec 5, 2008
Rating: 2.5/5 -- At times The Express couldn't decide whether it was telling a story of racial tensions, a general inspirational sports film or the tragic biography of Ernie Davis Full Review
7M Pictures
Mar 5, 2009
Steams ahead with express-train determination, scooping on to its cow-catcher any cinemagoer hoping he can outrun yet another true-life drama about black sportsmen overcoming bygone bigotry. Full Review
Financial Times
Dec 5, 2008
3 stars out of 5 -- Fleder adds nifty '60s period detail....His real MVP is Quaid, who adds an intense emotional core as Davis' mentor.
Empire
Jan 1, 2009
Rating: 2.5/4 -- It makes the most of its on-the-field drama, but it tends toward gross generalizations and oversentimentality. ... As a result, the film is burdened with hokiness.
Times-Picayune
Oct 23, 2009
Rating: 2.0/5 -- The Express is running on two rails at the same time. There's sentiment, which is true. And there's sentimentality, which is not. At its best, The Express is a moving tribute; at its worst, it's conventional manipulation. Full Review
Fayetteville Free Weekly
Feb 1, 2009

Product Description:

As the first African American to receive college football's prestigious Heisman trophy, Ernie Davis (Rob Brown) is one of the most inspiring--and tragic--figures in the game (he died of leukemia at 23, before his first NFL game) His rise to athletic stardom coincides with the birth of the civil rights movement, and despite setbacks like a speech impediment, biased referees, and fear of white mob reprisals, Davis grabs the glory for a better America. Dennis Quaid plays Davis's coach and mentor, Ben Schwartzwalder, who lays on the discipline and training, first yielding to racist pressures, then supporting and spurring Davis to his peerless heights for Syracuse University's Orangemen. THE EXPRESS would need to work hard to fumble this ball, and it doesn't, making a smooth cinematic touchdown with heart, intelligence, guts, rapid-fire editing, and a minimum of cliché. The gridiron action is vividly and excitingly rendered as is a superb supporting cast, most notably Omar Benson Miller as Davis's wisecracking teammate. Plus, one can't go wrong with having seasoned sports movie go-to guy Quaid as Schwartzwalder; he's got this stuff so down, he could get an audience to stand up and cheer just by reading a grocery list. What sticks in the mind later though is the joy in watching these characters grow, as athletes and as people. And as they mature, they take all of America with them.

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Product Info

  • UPC: 025195052337
  • Shipping Weight: 0.25/lbs (approx)
  • International Shipping: 1 item

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