Rating: 
Summary: Inspiring story of unmatched desire
Review: As a person who is too young to have actually had the pleasure of watching Steve Prefontaine run, I am so glad that this movie gave me a chance to learn about his life. Anyone who watches this movie will be taken back by Pre's sheer will power and supreme confidence in himself. While there are some inaccuracies, they only occur because there has never been a biographical account of any person on film that was 100% accurate. As a runner, I was inspired by this movie and try to maintain Pre's attitude while I run. I have also watched this movie with people who do not run, but have enjoyed the movie as much as I did. We should all strive to live our lives with the same spirit and drive as Pre did. I have also seen "Without Limits," and enjoyed that movie, but not as much as "Prefontaine." However, both movies have a similar effect on the viewer's emotions because of the great subject, Steve Prefontaine.
Rating: 
Summary: A decent, homey version
Review: I give this movie three stars for general moviegoers, most of whom did not bother to see either this version or "Without Limits" the first time in theaters -- probably for reasons sufficient to them.People who run long distance, who love Steve Prefontaine and/or what he stood for, are throwing stars at both of these movies for those reasons, I suspect, not for the movies as artworks. Since I attended Prefontaine's high school a number of years later, I met him my first week of school, I ran long distance and even posted faster two-mile times then Pre as a freshman and sophomore, and I was in the Marshfield stadium when his running colleagues carried the coffin onto the field for a memorial service before the body was taken to its final resting place south of town, I fight to retain some objectivity myself. "Prefontaine" was made by the people who made the marvelous high school basketball documentary "Hoop Dreams." It maintains a home movie/documentary style, with rough cuts, uneven video quality, and faces talking directly to the camera (but they are actors, not the real people from Pre's life). Leto does a magnificent job of appearing to be Pre, among shots of the actual man racing. Not much else is distinguished about this film, however. "Without Limits" is a much slicker movie, which has its advantages, but I find it hard to rate one over the other. They're just different ... and probably equally wrong in many of the details. They reflect different folks' conceptions of the man they knew: Pre's folks in "Prefontaine"; Bowerman, Kenny Moore, and a particular girlfriend in "Without Limits." I'm delighted that any film got made about this man, let alone two; I'm gratified that either movie has served to inspire younger runners; but I think it's ridiculous to argue that one or the other "really" captures the man. Just enjoy them for what they are, and cherish the memory of an incredible athlete.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than "Without Limits"-A Must See for Runners
Review: Another movie that is a must see for runners of all ability. I would definitely say that I rate "Prefontaine" above "Without Limits." From the makers of "Hoop Dreams," Prefontaine follows in the same footsteps and creates a docudrama that is unforgettable and very watchable-even to those not interested in the sport. The main cast, Jared Leto and R. Lee Ermey as the unforgettable Bill Bowerman, are really quite good for a film of this budget. "Prefontaine" follows Pre's story more closely than "Without Limits" and definitely offers more for runners to sink their teeth into. Admittedly, the film's appeal is probably limited to those who are truly interested or inspired by the sport of running (or know someone who is). But athletes of all sports will enjoy Pre's story of defiance and heart. If you watch one of the two films, I'd see this one.
Rating:
Summary: Overfocus on Pre
Review: I liked the movie. It carries the plot loyally and consistently. It shows the athletic talent, as well as the human side of a young man obsessed with competing to the limit, playing fast, and winning gold in Munich. However, I was not particularly fond of the overfocus on Pre as if he was the greatest of his time - a far cry from the truth. I did not care for the image defamation of Lasse Viren, who is depicted like the bad boy of Munich only because he is an introverted and quiet Finn and - let's face it - a better athlete than Prefontaine. I guess the storyline tries to hypnotize the audience with Pre's feats in the US (that frankly were more of a show than an international athletic milestone), and in so doing, fails to remind it that there were legendary long-distance runners at that time from Tunisia to Finland. After all, Prefontaine never ranked in the top 10 list of 5000 or 10000 meter runners between 1970 and 1974! As digressing a question as this may sound for a film review, how come he did not compete in Munich's 10000 meter race (like Puttemans, Bedford, Gammoudi and Viren did)? His times were great... in the USA, but with the exception of Frank Shorter, American long distance runners have not made much of a name for themselves since 1970. You want to make a long-distance runner movie? Make one about Lasse Viren winning the gold medal in the 10000 meters at Munich in world record time after falling down in the middle of the race!
Rating:
Summary: if you dont have it, get it
Review: This movie is amazing, I have to watch it before all of my big track and cross country meets. It is very inprational and one of the best movies I have ever seen. If you are a runner this movie inspires you to be even better that you could possibly imagine. If you don't have it, get it. It is worth it.
Rating:
Summary: A decent, homey version
Review: I give this movie three stars for general moviegoers, most of whom did not bother to see either this version or "Without Limits" the first time in theaters -- probably for reasons sufficient to them. People who run long distance, who love Steve Prefontaine and/or what he stood for, are throwing stars at both of these movies for those reasons, I suspect, not for the movies as artworks. Since I attended Prefontaine's high school a number of years later, I met him my first week of school, I ran long distance and even posted faster two-mile times then Pre as a freshman and sophomore, and I was in the Marshfield stadium when his running colleagues carried the coffin onto the field for a memorial service before the body was taken to its final resting place south of town, I fight to retain some objectivity myself. "Prefontaine" was made by the people who made the marvelous high school basketball documentary "Hoop Dreams." It maintains a home movie/documentary style, with rough cuts, uneven video quality, and faces talking directly to the camera (but they are actors, not the real people from Pre's life). Leto does a magnificent job of appearing to be Pre, among shots of the actual man racing. Not much else is distinguished about this film, however. "Without Limits" is a much slicker movie, which has its advantages, but I find it hard to rate one over the other. They're just different ... and probably equally wrong in many of the details. They reflect different folks' conceptions of the man they knew: Pre's folks in "Prefontaine"; Bowerman, Kenny Moore, and a particular girlfriend in "Without Limits." I'm delighted that any film got made about this man, let alone two; I'm gratified that either movie has served to inspire younger runners; but I think it's ridiculous to argue that one or the other "really" captures the man. Just enjoy them for what they are, and cherish the memory of an incredible athlete.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Beautiful
Review: I may be only 18 years old, but I am fully aware of how spectuacular and god-like Steve Pre Fontaine was. I only heard of him before I saw this movie. It's wonderfully depicted with a good cast. I got into the races and cried...balled at the end. It is a spectacular historical piece. R.I.P. Pre. And may running rule all.
Rating: 
Summary: Good premise but poor execution...
Review: I recently caught this on HBO and was dissapointed by what could of been. The story of distance runner Steve seems like it could of been interesting since a character study based on a long distance runner captures on of sports most exciting events. This movie falls into the classic problematic sport movie dichotomy...ok sport scenes and horrible everything else. The races in Munich is the one real exciting scene in the movie. You feel like you are there and the movie does a good job at getting into the little known strategy behind long distance running. The problem with this movie is that it fails everywhere else. The main character is doubly flawed- the actual charater is a problem as is the actor who portrays him. Steve Prefontaine is a self centered prick who is cold and distant. Besides this he is also completely one dimensional and most of the dialogue is cliched and boring. We get no insight into why he is such a great runner and all the non-sport scenes center on his shallow boring relationships or where he is going to proove himself next but nothing about what makes him tick. I quickly grew tired of Pre's continuing attempts to further himself in the sport becuase I cared little for his personal achievements since I didn't care for him. At the end when he turns down the big bucks for his dreams or racing the Finns we are supposed to feel empathy for him when his arch rival cancels, but by this time I was too bored to care. If you want to watch an uniteresting diluded ass for 2 hours than this is the movie for you. The other problem dooming this movie is the poor cast. Jared Leto is a no talent hack who has no buisness attempting a leading role of this magnitude. Again he fails magnificently as his one tone delivery of dialogue is reminiscent of a bad high school theater production. He was awfull in My So Called Life, he stank in Requiem For a Dream and he somehow managed to be even worse in this (although his "performance" in Panic Room might take the cake) He has that "Im not that quite there" look in every movie and it drives me crazy. The rest of the cast is misplaced but tries their best. Amy Locane is underused and their relationship is so underdeveloped that it just takes up time in the movie for no purpose. The great Ed Oneil is misused here in a cliched performance. Lee Emery has parlayed a one role oddity of amazmement (Full Metal Jacket) into a movie career that shouldn't have been. Bottom Line: By the end of this movie I found myself laughing at it out loud- not something you want to be doing with a serious biopic that is trying to take itself seriously. "Go Pre, Go Pre" - gimme a break.
Rating:
Summary: Prefontaine or Without Limits
Review: It's been a few years since I first saw 'Prefontaine'. I'd seen it several times and I finally saw 'Without Limits' tonight. Prefontaine: Acting
I thought the acting in this movie could have been much better. The principle actors were decent, but it was a long drop off to the secondaries as far as acting talent. I felt Leto was more brash, cocky and arrogant. In comparison to Crudup, it made me feel Pre was this way on many occasions more out of fear or a need to be arrogant, as opposed to true belief in himself. More like a prima donna. Facts
Given that these are movies and not documentaries, I really don't care about the small ones such as how close a race was, etc. But would like to get the truth on the the bigger issues such as personal relationships, how he hurt his foot (there either were witnesses, or there were not), and how directly he was involved in the fight against the AAU. I liked the added details in Munich and his life after Munich, showing his continued successes. These details were great from an informational perspective, but it certainly made the direction seem choppy. Without input from Pre himself, so many aspects of his friendship and love life are skewed by the perspective of the person that is recounting it, and can be questioned in both movies. To observe it is to change it, as they say. I would certainly say if you asked for the story of my uneventful life from 2 different ex-girlfriends, you would probably get 2 completely different stories. Racing
This movie seemed a little shallow in this area. It seemed like all it did to teach the audience about strategy and Pre's abilities was to say, "You are too slow to sprint, so you have to push the pace faster to make the kickers tired". Maybe that is as much detail as the common viewer wants, but I would have liked to have seen more. I thought the race sequences in both films were good. The interviews mixed with tradional story telling might have worked better if the casting had been better. Production quality was not as good as WL. Without Limits - Acting
By FAR the superior movie. Crudup and Sutherland's relationship just felt so much more real. And a million times more mature. You have to question authenticity of course, but their philosophical conflicts truly drive this movie and make the overall product much more mature. Facts
This is not meant to be a documentary, and I can understand having to summarize 3-4 events into 1 event to make an accurate point - whether you are talking about Pre's love life or his races - for the sake of drama or time. I still would have liked to seen at least a few minutes talking about Pre's races after Munich instead of leaving the new viewer to thinking that he only ran 1 meet after Munich, and he died later that night. To me this was a weakness in the film. It left a lot of places where you have to fill in the blanks - such as Bowerman's appointment as Olympic coach, the Pre graduated and was no longer a student, etc. Now that I've seen both films and have a stronger grip on the true facts, skipping these details aren't as big of a deal as they are merely background to what is happening to Pre - as long as you are already aware of them. Racing
In addition to focusing on Pre's relationships, it spent more time on race strategy, introducing other athletes than just Viren, and seemed to engage the sport at a deeper level. As a former competitor, this interested me quite a bit. Prefontaince had more race sequences, but I thought the sound effects in WL were great to create the feel of the race. The tension felt of running in the pack was expertly done, and the acting of Crudup in these sequences was good. I would have liked to see a little more pain on their faces and a little less closed-mouth running. WL did a better job at showing exactly how fast a 63 second quarter is. This movie went out of its way to focus on Pre, Mary, and Bowerman's relationships. This just felt more authentic and mature. I think it is a shame they had to sum up so many of Pre's races - before and after the Olympics - but this was a conscious decision made to embrace Pre's story by showing fewer of his races - which can be felt as redundant in this medium, and humanizing him more. Prefontaine did a great job showing Pre's drive and heart, but I thought WL was more rewarding by showing his struggles with himself and those close to him - which surely must have existed. While both movies showed some sides of Pre that aren't always listed as 'good' characteristics, only in WL did it truly feel like reality. The dialogue in Prefontaine certainly felt more like a Disney movie and combined with delivery, it was all a little contrived. Once again, I felt that Without Limits was more the thinking-man's version of the movie, while Prefontaine did an excellent job with the facts of Pre's racing career and had an emotionally high value throughout the movie. Both raw emotion and embracing a new philosophy can inspire someone, and they both succeed at this. I would probably choose Prefontaine to show to people that do not know Pre's story, but for my own viewing, I would probably watch Without Limits repeatedly to get to the heart of the human story and struggles with philosophy, passion, and desire.
Rating:
Summary: To An Athlete Dying Young...
Review: Not having seen the other films on Steve Prefontaine's life, I can't make a comparison between them. But I can say that this film convinces me that A.E. Houseman's poem, "To An Athlete Dying Young" was written for phenomenal athletes such as Steve Prefontaine.
Jared Leto gives a straightforward and sensitive performance as the daring young athlete. He seems to be in a hurry to experience all of life's processes, and at the same time, he is a very likeable and down-to-earth guy to whom everyone can relate. We come to appreciate his youthful idealism, especially in the face of tragedy at the Games in Munich, and the substantial contributions that he makes to sport.
My first introduction to R. Lee Ermey was as the hilariously bombastic drill sargent on The History Channel's show, "Mail Call". While the accuracy of his portrayal of Coach and Nike entrepreneur, Bill Bowerman as a Redneck is questionable, I gradually came to accept him as a fine choice to play Pre's mentor. It was also nice to see Ed O'Neill in a serious role as Bill Dellinger.
A viewer comes to feel how loved and supported Pre was when observing the portrayal of those closest to the ill-fated runner.
Lindsay Crouse and Peter Anthony Jacobs are his generous and supportive parents, Laurel Holliman's Elaine Finley is his calm and intelligent-looking first girlfriend; The always sweetly-impish-faced Amy Locane portrays his second girlfriend, track runner Nancy Alleman.
It's interesting to see them reminiscing about Pre about 20 years after the story ends. The make-up jobs that add two decades to the actors' appearances is detectable, but reasonable.
Young Robert Carl Burke introduces us to Pre's athletic and determined spirit as a child, Brecken Meyer, as Pat Tyson gives a cheerful sense of camaraderie to the film as Pre's friend and fellow runner.
The tragic sense of loss in Munich is profound. But the Great Athlete rallies, and works to improve the conditions of Amateur athletes as he continues to dazzle the crowds with his speed and grace on the track.
His end is graphically reenacted. But we are left with a sense that maybe he did all that he was meant to do with his life, as unfair as life itself can sometimes be. Bill Dellinger feels convinced that Pre may have triumphed at the Summer Olympics at Montreal in 1976. But it doesn't seem right to speculate about such a thing. We have to feel that Somehwere, Pre is running The Perfect Race where the Gold will never again be elusive.
I was too little to appreciate all this man meant to the world of sports when he was alive. But I have learned.
The final tribute to Pre in the Stadium where he ran is solemn, but stirring, with fans shouting "Go, Pre!" just as he would have wanted. It is a moving moment of life, rememberance, and hope despite a great loss.
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