Without Limits (1998)

Director:

Robert Towne

Writers (WGA):

Robert Towne (written by) and
Kenny Moore (written by)

Release Date:

11 September 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

Pre-The Way he Competed...The Way he Lives his Life

Plot:

The film follows the life of famous 1970s runner Steve Prefontaine from his youth days in Oregon to...

Plot Keywords:

Olympics | Running | Box Office Flop | Olympic Games | Athlete

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 1 win

Cast

Billy Crudup	...	Steve Prefontaine
Donald Sutherland	...	Bill Bowerman
Monica Potter	...	Mary Marckx
Jeremy Sisto	...	Frank Shorter
Matthew Lillard	...	Roscoe Devine
Dean Norris	...	Bill Dellinger
Billy Burke	...	Kenny Moore
Gabriel Olds	...	Don Kardong
Judith Ivey	...	Barbara Bowerman
William Mapother	...	Bob Peters
Adam Setliff	...	Mac Wilkins
Nicholas R. Oleson	...	Russ Francis (as Nicholas Oleson)
Amy Jo Johnson	...	Iowa's Finest
Lisa Banes	...	Elfriede Prefontaine
Frank Shorter	...	Fred Long

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for brief sexual material and brief strong language.

Runtime:

117 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Finnish | German

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Finland:K-12 | UK:12 | UK:15 (video rating) | Argentina:Atp | Australia:M | Chile:TE | Portugal:M/6 (video premiere) | USA:G (short version) | USA:PG-13 | Spain:7 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Citrus College - 1000 West Foothill Boulevard, Glendora, California, USA

Company:

Cruise/Wagner Productions

Trivia:

Robert Towne wanted Tommy Lee Jones to play Bill Bowerman, but he turned it down.

Goofs:

Audio/visual unsynchronized: When Bowerman goes to talk to Pre at The Paddock, you hear Donald Sutherland say, "I haven't noticed you working out all that much," but his mouth doesn't move.

Quotes:

Mary Marckx: Do you believe in God?
Steve Prefontaine: I believe in myself.

Movie Connections:

Version of Prefontaine (1997)

Soundtrack:

Yitgadal Veyitkadash

Terrific Sports Drama

Having run track competitively, I had a special interest in this film and I was not disappointed. This film dramatized the life of Steve Prefontaine, a pre-eminent U.S. distance runner in the 1970's.

Though some of the details of his life were fudged for dramatic purposes, the essence of Prefontaine was preserved, namely his brash egotistical style of running and living. In addition to its realism regarding the sequences filmed on the track, this film gives a good account of the psychology of running.

Robert Towne did a fabulous job overall with this film, but especially with the realism of the scenes on the track. The dramatic element, focusing on character development of Prefontaine as a person as well as a runner was also well done, elevating it above your typical sports documentary and improving its entertainment value.

Billy Crudup gives a fine performance as Pre. He captures the arrogance and the crushing disappointment of his life. He was also terrific in the running scenes.

Donald Sutherland was also great as Coach Bill Bowerman. Sutherland played the part with the perfect balance of patient guidance and frustration as Pre continued to ignore his prudent advice. It was as if he were trying to guide a lightning bolt.

This was an excellent sports story. I rated it an 8/10. Even for those who are not fans of track and field and never heard of Steve Prefontaine, this is an entertaining and absorbing film.