| The Express: The Ernie Davis Story | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Gary Fleder |
| Written by | Charles Leavitt |
| Based on | Ernie Davis: The Elmira Express by Robert C. Gallagher |
| Produced by | John Davis |
| Starring | Dennis Quaid Rob Brown Omar Benson Miller Clancy Brown Charles S. Dutton |
| Cinematography | Kramer Morgenthau |
| Edited by | Padraic McKinley William Steinkamp |
| Music by | Mark Isham |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 130 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $40 million[1] |
| Box office | $9.8 million[1] |
The Express: The Ernie Davis Story is a 2008 American sports drama film produced by John Davis and directed by Gary Fleder. The storyline was conceived from a screenplay written by Charles Leavitt from a 1983 book Ernie Davis: The Elmira Express, authored by Robert C. Gallagher. The film is based on the life of Syracuse University football player Ernie Davis, the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy, portrayed by actor Rob Brown. The Express explores civil rights topics, such as racism, discrimination and athletics. It was the film debut of Chadwick Boseman as Floyd Little.[2]
The film was a co-production between the film studios of Relativity Media and Davis Entertainment. It was commercially distributed by Universal Pictures theatrically, and by Universal Studios Home Entertainment for home media. Dennis Quaid and Charles S. Dutton star in principal supporting roles. The original motion picture soundtrack with a musical score composed by Mark Isham, was released by the Lakeshore Records label on October 28, 2008.
The Express premiered in theaters nationwide in the United States on October 10, 2008. Despite receiving generally positive reviews from critics, the film was a box office bomb, grossing just $9.8 million against its $40 million budget. The Blu-ray version of the film, featuring deleted scenes and the director's commentary was released on January 20, 2009.
- ^ a b "The Express". Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on June 30, 2018. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
- ^ Gary Fleder. (2008). The Express [Motion picture]. United States: Universal Pictures.