Based on the non-fiction book Ernie Davis: The Elmira Express, by Robert C. Gallagher, The Express: The Ernie Davis story seems to lose itself in it's own title. The name change signifies a young culture and generation completely unaware of the legend of Ernie Davis. Wait a second... there's a good title.

Off the bat, I have to credit Rob Brown. At 16 years old this kid was squaring off impressive verbiage with Sean Connery and held his own. Now, his confidence shines even more. As Davis, Brown emotes without saying a word and strides through a script that tries but sheds little light into Davis's mind.

Coach - er, Dennis Quaid disappears into the father role, replacing Davis's grandfather Pops (Charles Dutton) and polarizing every scene.

God, I wish they had more for Clancy Brown to do. I mean, come on - it's Clancy Freakin Brown.

So anyway, with most sports films, we get the basic hero plot wrapped around big game action scenes and the occasional fistfight. By the third act, the protagonists/ pioneers have broken through barriers, stumbled through plot twists and plot holes like a paint by numbers series and after winning the big game, celebrate - with hands high, flashing Colgate smiles and cheer into the epilogue.

The Express follows the same formula until one remembers the nose bleeds. Wait a sec, it happens more than once? Yeah. That a loose plot? Not really. That was the relationship between Davis and Jim Brown or Davis and his girlfriend. What's her name? Sarah. There's just not enough depth invested into these relationships. So anyway, the nose bleeds are symptoms of acute monocytic leukemia. The hints are there like after-school special bookends and we, like Davis, have no clue what's happening. We want to dismiss it and move on - just like he does. That's the inspiration in this film. And it feels good.

Overall, this is a film for the masses. It's strength is the push of a young man who was unaware of his own limitations in any event. Be it secure confidence or misguided pride, without that awareness - Davis could proceed and achieve to no end. The filmmakers stretch what they have to cover what they don't. All the facts are here. The history is too. But I wanted more. I wanted to see his struggle with the Big L - the unseen antagonist we waited for. Arrogant teammates, West Virginia racists, or even the slew of em in Texas (before the seemingly rushed ending) are nothing comparable. We move past it, onto the big night in Cleveland. But, that might be the writer's intention.

I didn't have any sense about this film other than football. I had heard of Ernie Davis however I couldn't recall any significant details of his life to save my own. The details of Jim Brown and the Heisman Trophy are lost on non football fans. Even the fact that Davis led Syracuse to it's first national championship becomes a mute point. This film is about a man... not a football star.

Brown and Quaid shoulder this film. The performances are so strong and touching... how Davis infects his weary eyed coach with his wisdom is a joy. The whole student teaching the master cliché is good. Oh yeah, there was this whole white/ black racial politic thing and everything (and anything) racist hits the front burners. Still, the meat of what drove Davis is key here. What caused this man to tick? What kept him focused and determined? When did he forget he was black?

I have to big up Mark Isham's tender, yet powerful score. There were cues in this film that bring tears to one's eyes. Other good notes are any scenes with the wonderful, fresh faced Nicole Behaire as Davis's wife Sarah and Darrin Henson as a firm, but less formidable looking Jim Brown and again... Clancy Brown.

Ernie Davis's story is remarkable to discover. The Express does it's best to give us the stuff of this young man's legend. Even through the gloss and shine of Hollywood's spin... it just feels good.

Before I write the review proper of The Express, I have something to nitpick: I know when films are made "based on a true story" some events are going to be exaggerated. Nonetheless, I expect most of what happens in those movies to reflect a certain truth and be as accurate as possible. So when I read here on IMDb that the taunts of the Syracuse vs. West Virginia game from WV stadium members NEVER HAPPENED and that the coach that Dennis Quaid played had actually worked near the surrounding areas, that marred some of the enjoyment I got out of this movie based on Ernie Davis, whom I actually read about in elementary school in a literature textbook during the '70s. I wasn't bothered by some other inaccuracies I read about, however, since many of them were more minor and therefore, doesn't ruin the picture for me. The performances of Rob Brown as Davis and Quaid as head coach Ben Schwartzwalder had me riveted for most of the movie and I also enjoyed Charles Dutton as Davis' grandfather and Nicole Beharie as Davis' girlfriend, Sarah Ward. The tragic fate of Davis in the last 15 minutes also was handled tastefully and reading about President Kennedy's eulogy before the end credits was especially inspiring. So despite my misgivings about the whole West Virginia scene, I'm recommending The Express for anyone curious about this nearly forgotten time in college football history. P.S. I was pleasantly surprised to read in the end credits that part of this movie was shot in my birthtown of Chicago, Ill.