If you’re a football fan, like I am 16 times a year, you might share a special appreciation for a breakaway run. Watch the quarterback hand the ball off to a running back, and watch him shoot like a rocket toward the line, twist and turn, jump and duck, maneuver, fade, feign, and then run for daylight – that’s bliss. It doesn’t matter who the guy is or what color jersey he wears (with one exception): if he can run the ball with skill and grace, I will get up and cheer for him.
The Express is a biopic about a football star named Ernie Davis, who was totally unfamiliar to me before I watched the movie because he never played in the NFL and because he died nearly 30 years before I ever seriously watched a football game. I can’t say it’s a good movie, because it pretty much isn’t (it’s not bad either). What I can say is that the football scenes are choreographed well. In fact, they’re choreographed well enough that I almost got up and cheered multiple times. Also, several times I loudly exclaimed, “Damn!” in praise of some skilled jumping over linebackers.
If you like football, or like someone who likes football, this movie might be worth watching.
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