Without Limits (1998)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Simply A Masterpiece

This is one of the few movies I've ever seen where the whole audience broke into spontaneous, loud applause a third of the way in.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

What's the difference between winning and victory? Is it semantics, like religious and spiritual? Maybe there isn't one. On the other hand, some would say there's all the difference in the world.Steve Prefontaine (played by Billy Crudup), was a distance runner in Eugene, Oregon with scholarship offers from Yale, Brown, Villanova, Princeton and Nebraska. The one school he wishes to attend, however, has remained silent. Two distance runners from the school and its assistant coach make a personal visit to his home but Prefontaine (Crudup) is not impressed. In the less-than-three week period between that visit and the date when he must sign his letter of intent, Bill Bowerman, head coach of the University of Oregon track team, sends a genuine plea to young Prefontaine asking him to attend. On his first day, he shows an amazing inability to notice the obvious by asking a female student, Mary Marckx (played by Monica Potter) to direct him to an area that is clearly visible ahead of him. He enters the building and sees a long line of fellow team members who recount tall tales of Bowerman's exploits in the military. He is summoned from another room and, on the floor in front of him, he finds his head coach. Bowerman (played and earlier voiced by Donald Sutherland) is making outlines of his runners' feet on tracing paper for the purposes of making shoes specifically for them, explaining that taking an ounce off a runner's shoe amounts to pounds they won't have to carry during a race. The freshman athlete sarcastically compliments him and that is the end of their first interaction. The next day, during a simple workout, Steve gives one hundred percent, finishes ahead of his teammates, and, according to Bowerman, with a pulse rate north of one hundred and ninety. So begins the struggle that would define their relationship: a coach's desire to instruct and an athlete's desire to put forth his best effort, regardless of the consequences.Much has been made of the fact that Without Limits and Prefontaine, a Disney film covering the same subject matter from a different perspective, were released within months of each other. The general consensus seems to be that, while Prefontaine is more accurate, Without Limits is the better film. As I have not seen the former from beginning to end, all I can tell you is that Without Limits is a masterpiece. Sutherland is mesmerizing as Bill Bowerman and Crudup, in the first role I ever saw him play, is just as entertaining, if not more so. The conflict between them rings true and while you understand the position of the coach, you root for the runner who seeks to leave the field knowing he's done his best. I have seen this film many times and, if you haven't even seen it once, you should. Now.

Knowing exactly when you're gonna die, as Edward Bloom realizes in Tim Burton's Big Fish (2003), can give you courage and strength to endure everything else in your life. Nothing you encounter then seems as awful or impossible. But most people live their lives as though they believe they're going to live forever. Pre must have had a premonition of his early demise as he lived every day as though it were his last. He refused to "pace" himself as his wise coach Bill Bowerman attempted to advise him and as all us mere mortals must do if we hope to make the "finish line." Though Pre was not limited by conventional concerns or constraints as an athlete, he did have definite obstacles to overcome as a person. These seemingly negligible human concerns can sometimes trip up and cripple even the most gifted athletes, and Pre is almost undone by his own negligent hubris. But, as if on a divine mission, he heroically persisted in his own unique quest for excellence, for immortality.Thanks in no small part to this fine film, Pre may in fact succeed at his lofty goal of immortality, as anyone who has had the good fortune to experience Without Limits will never forget it. While it excels as a fairly accurate portrait of a truly remarkable individual, it absolutely soars as a tribute to that indomitable spirit that moves men to greatness. Robert Towne has captured the essence of the mystery of our competitive natures, of how it's more than just about winning, or being the best, or being known for it. There's still something else undefinable that drives athletes, that eludes description, just beyond the grasp, but of which we all somehow have intimate knowledge. This is Without Limits' most admirable attribute; it's subtle and graceful exploration of the human soul. People oblivious to this aspect of Towne's creation will likely find the film to be only average or even dull. That's their loss.Billy Crudup inhabits the role of Steve Prefontaine so effortlessly, and is so physically similar that it's still jarring for me to see actual footage of Pre; the two are indiscernible. Donald Southerland as the curiously mannered coach is a delight, so relaxed yet commanding. Monica Potter is very attractive and alluring as Steve's main squeeze. That Pre would die at 24 in a car crash is almost fitting for someone who lived life so fully, so intensely. But he wasn't reckless, he wasn't self destructive, and that's why his death is all that more tragic. There are so many people that had it all and threw it away out of pride, ignorance, fear, or weakness, but Pre seemed to have conquered his demons and was well on the right track to a life of genuine meaning and joy when he was suddenly cut down in his prime. It's a tragedy of epic proportions, the stuff of legends.

This movie really gets a 9/10 I know some of you may not like that fact that Tom Cruise play a role in making this movie,but if you look past that little fact you will find a lot more. This movies is about long distance runner Steve Prefontaine one of my heros, so i was happy to see this movie. You will mostly feel happy and at the same time rather sad when watching this movie, but that should not stop anyone form seeing a movie about a amazing runner who stunned the world and anyone who ever watched him run, "a race is a work of art" Pre said taht just one great quote from the film. I don't want to give anything away this movie is great to watch with the family or by yourself it will make you want to do something new it promise you wont be upset with this one!!!!!!!!!!111

What a great fantastic film. I bought this film on the reviews I read on IMDB and I was not let down. I don't really know much on any sports as you wouldn't ever catch me on a track! But, watching a film about one mans faith in himself & his sport means I have a new found interest, and one I will follow over the following future sports events. I really now want to read about Prefontaine and find out more about his short but amazing life. Billy Crudup is just compelling to watch and would like to know more about the research he did on this role on such a bright light of a human. What I like about Donald Sutherland is you sooo easily can see how he lives & captures the moment that you believe him with no doubt - he is Bill! Everyone in production, etc, have put their heart & soul into this story, which makes the film enjoyable and one you don't wish to end but it does very tragically. It's just inspirational in every sense about a man who won't ever be forgotten. A must!