Finally, a 4 star movie from Netflix. I've had a bad run on Netflix movies lately. But, as I'm learning, you can almost never go wrong with a sports movie that stars Dennis Quaid.
"The Express" is the story of Ernie Davis, the first African American to win College Football's Heisman Trophy. In this movie, we see Ernie Davis (played by Rob Brown) from his childhood, up through his winning of the Heisman Trophy. Davis is recruited to play football at Syracuse University by Ben Schwartzwalder (Dennis Quaid). As one of only 3 African American football players on the Syracuse team, Davis faces racism from his teammates and from the teams they play. But through his tireless work ethic, Davis eventually wins over his teammates, coaching staff and some fans. Sadly, Davis never plays a down in the NFL, losing a battle to Leukemia at only 23 years old.
I think "The Express" has everything a good sports movie should have. The football scenes are actually nail biting at times, the actors are excellent, and the story makes you feel good. Rob Brown, who I've never seen before, was solid as Ernie Davis. Dennis Quaid is fantastic as hall of fame coach Ben Schwartzwalder. Schwartzwalder probably goes through the biggest transformation in the movie, as he learns to quit accepting things as they are and adapts to how they should be.
Set in the late 1950's, "The Express" shows the racism that occurred at that time in our country. I told my wife that I couldn't believe people used to behave like that, but then I see how some people behave today, and totally believe people could behave like they are portrayed in this movie.
Overall, just a very solid, 4 star movie. As good as "Remember the Titans" and better than movies like "Glory Road". Enjoy!
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