The Express

Though the title sounds like a generic action movie, "The Express" refers to the Elmira Express, the nickname of college football legend Ernie Davis, whose example and achievements helped break down barriers of racial prejudice in the early 1960s. It's your basic uplifting sports story about the underdog who fights against the odds and triumphs; at times it's quite effective, at others more instructive than alive. Rob Brown is quietly charismatic as Davis, and Dennis Quaid is the tough-love coach who struggles with his own prejudice when he recruits the black high school star for the mostly white Syracuse football team in the early 1960s. Director Gary Fleder provides commentary for the film and seven minutes of deleted scenes, and there's a thoroughly conventional making-of piece and a featurette on the real Davis. Exclusive to the Blu-ray edition is a featurette on Syracuse's 1959 national championship, featuring interviews with eight veterans of the team.