Ernie Davis was the first African-American to win football's Heisman Trophy. The passage of time and the brevity of his career and life have made him a forgotten figure, something the workmanlike football drama "The Express" aims to change. But it's a movie that rarely strays from its sports-drama formula, something that robs the history and the tragic trajectory of the man's story of its heart.

Davis, "the Elmira Express" (a better title for the movie, by the way), followed Jim Brown to Syracuse University, wore Brown's number and faced racism both on campus and when he traveled with the team down South. Inspired first by Jackie Robinson, then by his idol, Jim Brown, Davis (Rob Brown) became racially aware, and insisted that his "don't make waves" coach (Dennis Quaid) see what he represented and let him make a stand for racial equality in the America of the early 1960s.

Director Gary Fleder ("Runaway Jury," "Imposter") treats this story with such reverence that he rarely lets us see the flesh-and-blood Davis. Racial strife in the locker room, light moments of dating and the many, many game sequences are all played at the same "this is important sports history" pitch — very dry. The football games are well-filmed, but the movies have done well by football for decades. Nothing new there.

Although "The Express" is decently crafted, it fails to generate much heat or emotion. Davis deserves to be remembered, and the movie is an almost instantly forgettable version of his life.