This is my second football-related movie I reviewed this week and just when I think it could not get better, I am proven wrong.  Although, these are the precious moments in life when I don’t mind being proven wrong.  The Express explodes right from the gate with the narration that follows the Universal Studios logo.  “Twenty-one straight lines…five yards apart, that’s a football field, but there are other lines that run deeper and wider all the way through the country that aren’t part of any game.”  What a powerful way to start an equally powerful movie.  As my father would emphatically scream in the words of Hank Williams Jr….”are you ready for some football?”  This is the inspirational story of The Express.

The Film 

The Express, directed by Gary Fleder, was theatrically released by Universal on October 10, 2008.  It is based on the life of Syracuse University running back Ernie Davis, the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy.  The film stars Rob Brown, Dennis Quaid and Charles S. Dutton.  While The Express did not score a big touchdown at the box office, it did earn mostly positive critical reviews, including this one. 

The Express is both a powerful and inspirational story on many levels.  Not only does it contain some of the best football sequences ever showcased on the young Blu-ray format, but it tackles (no pun intended) some bigger-than-life issues too.  One that comes to mind is the heated topic of racism.  I, for one, am so glad I was not alive during the 1950′s to witness how minorities were treated.  I don’t think I could have ever been part of that inhumane world.  I know we still have problems even today, but we have come a long way as an American society since the days of Martin Luther King Jr.  Ernie Davis, was a hero in his own right, as he defied the odds and barriers placed upon him by restrictive racism and became a symbol of hope and inspiration to the African American community.  Until you really sit down and psychoanalyze events and people like Ernie Davis you can’t really put into perspective just how much sport stars can truly be modern day heroes to their respective communities, fans and the youth of America

The Express follows the inspirational life of college football hero Ernie Davis Rob Brown) and his defiance of the odds, which forever changed the face of professional sports.  The film opens up with a scene from the early childhood of Ernie Davis, and shows how even at a young age, he was plagued by the restrictions and violence associated with racism.   He was raised in a poverty-stricken town in Pennsylvania, but managed to get by excelling in various sports throughout his high school years.  Eventually, his football performances warranted the interest of the Syracuse Orangemen, whom just recently were losing their all-star running back, Jim Brown, to the Cleveland Browns.  With the assistance of Jim Brown, Syracuse coach Ben Schwartzwalder (Dennis Quaid) attracted Ernie to come to Syracuse University with the hopes that one day he could be just as good as Jim Brown, never realizing the legend he truly would become.  Ben Schwartzwalder was obsessed with winning a national championship, but at the same time he was also caught up in the turmoil that racism causes.  It was Ernie Davis who never took no as an answer, as he refused to play by the racist rules and broke through one barrier after another to alter the ways fans looked at men of his color.  I guess you could say he was an inspiration to millions as he smashed through barriers not only on the playing field, but off it too.

Did I mention this was a football movie too?  In addition to the deep storyline, be prepared to witness one of the greatest sport epics ever laid on film.  The sports action is plentiful as viewers are treated to beautiful visuals of every sweat and tear that goes into making a high school athlete a national champion.  I said this before in my Friday Night Lights review and I will say it again.  I am not a college football fan by any stretch of the imagination, but this inspirational story truly touches the heart and serves as motivation demonstrating that nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it and one has the right kind of support from friends and loved ones.   Enough with the babbling, let’s move on to why you are all here…the Blu-ray specs!

Video 

Universal scores a touchdown with their 1080P VC-1 video encode of The Express.  The film is presented in a 2.40:1 aspect ratio.  There is really nothing to complain about here, as the visuals are immaculate on this Blu-ray release.  I was tempted to give the score a 4.5 because of some intended stylized grain occurring during flashback scenes, but I can’t blame the Blu-ray transfer for director’s intent.  The Blu-ray’s video faithfully reproduces exactly how the movie was originally intended to be seen.  Let’s just go over the laundry list of everything the video transfer gets right.  The blacks are solid, the colors are rich and vibrant, flesh tones are natural and the fine detail is prominent throughout.  From the gloss of the orange helmets to every single bead of sweat on the actor’s faces, you cannot find extreme examples of fault anywhere on this disc.  The video transfer of The Express gets a 5-star rating in my book.

Audio 

When Universal scored a touchdown on their Blu-ray video transfer, they attempted a two-point conversion here and got it from the help of the Blu-ray’s DTS Master Audio 5.1 surround track.  The Blu-ray release of The Express gets a 5-star rating again from me in the audio department.  It is like I went into the store, expecting to have a hard time trying to find what I am looking for, and to my surprise I found exactly what I was looking for right on display.  For a sports/drama movie, the surround effects were well done.  The rear channels were utilized throughout making The Express a very interactive experience.  The music is mixed perfectly and prominently even in the rear channels.  The film’s dialogue was always loud, clear and intelligible throughout.  What did it for me was the low-end bass.  The drumbeats were insanely intense!  For what the filmmakers set out to accomplish, Universal truly delivers with an A+ audio score.  I found no reason whatsoever to bump the score down a notch.  I thought the audio was perfect for the presentation I enjoyed.

Special Features 

Universal also delivers with a plethora of football goods in the special features department.  In a rare treat, the majority of the special features are all presented in High-Definition.  Just like Twizzlers make mouths happy, special features in HD make my eyes happy.  Let’s see what’s in store for the fans of The Express.

• Deleted Scenes (SD) – The deleted scenes also contain optional commentary by director Gary Fleder.  The deleted scenes account for 7 minutes of runtime.
• Making of the Express (HD) – Clocking in just shy of 14 minutes, filmmakers and cast discuss how they created the look of this film set in 1959.
• Making History: The Story of Ernie Davis (HD) – This 13-minute documentary has the director, cast and Jim Brown discussing the impact of Ernie Davis’ life on and off the field during the civil rights movement in the late 1950′s.
• Inside the Playbook: Shooting the Football Games (HD) – Here we have a 7-minute look at how three plays, from a variety of angles, were shot to show the progression from start to finished film.
• From Hollywood to Syracuse: The Legacy of Ernie Davis (HD) – This is a quick 5-minute documentary chronicling the legacy of Ernie Davis.
• 50^th Anniversary of the 1959 Syracuse National Championship (HD) – This a 16-minute featurette that uses rare archival footage and thorough interviews with players, coaches and fans, to discover how Ernie Davis and his team won Syracuse University their only football national championship in 1959.
• Feature Commentary - The feature commentary track consists solely of director Gary Fleder.
• BD-Live – BD-Live allows you to access even more content through your internet-connected player.  My Scenes Sharing allows you to bookmark your favorite scenes and share them with your friends.  You can also access additional content, the latest trailers and more at the Download Center.

Final Thoughts 

As you can see, there is clearly more than meets the eye with The Express.  The film not only showcases the awe-stricken talents of one of the greatest athletes to ever live, but it offers and gives the viewing audience so much more.  With extraordinary audio, exceptional video and an abundant High-Definition special features package sure to please any football enthusiast, The Express will have you cheering over and over again.  I give this movie, although overlooked in the theatres, my highest endorsement for a Blu-ray purchase for any sports enthusiast and/or inspirational film watcher.  It is the Rocky of the football movies.  As a side note, it was also a rare treat to see my Cleveland Browns depicted as a winning team in the late 1950′s.  You can’t say that much for them now.  Maybe history will repeat itself in 2059.  In the meantime, pre-order your copy of The Express today!

I hope you enjoyed my review of Universal’s The Express Blu-ray release.  Please feel free to share your thoughts and comments below.  I look forward to receiving feedback from my readers.

The Express will be released on Blu-ray January 20, 2009.  If you like what you read in the review above, then please show your support for our site by clicking the shopping cart link above to pre-order and save with Amazon’s Everyday Lowest Price Guarantee.  Thanks!