Film captures stubborn spirit that drove and divided Pre, Bowerman  
By LLOYD PASEMAN of The Register-Guard  
 
IT MAY NOT BE the best movie ever about running - "Chariots of Fire," the 1981 Oscar winner for best picture, comes to mind - but "Without Limits," the second film biography of fabled distance runner Steve Prefontaine, seems certain to stand as the best movie ever about the man we called "Pre." 

One reason for that is that after two feature films and an excellent locally made documentary, "Fire on the Track," the market for movies about the late, great University of Oregon track star is undoubtedly saturated. 

But the other reason is that it's highly unlikely that any other filmmakers would be able to do a better job than director/co-screenwriter Robert Towne and co-screenwriter Kenny Moore, another former UO runner, did in capturing the unique relationship between the cocky, often-abrasive Prefontaine and his equally legendary mentor, track coach Bill Bowerman. 

Stage actor Billy Crudup portrays the determined, feisty Prefontaine, who rose from humble roots in Coos Bay to become America's pre-eminent long distance runner in the early '70s. Pre believed in putting forth one's maximum effort all the time, a philosophy that allowed him to excel as a runner but put him at odds with the equally stubborn Bowerman. 

Bowerman, played by veteran actor Donald Sutherland, believed in planned races, with the runner pacing himself in the early laps so as to save some energy for a winning kick in the final lap. Prefontaine preferred to be the front-runner and bristled at being held back, for any reason. 

Towne and Moore spend the major portion of "Without Limits" showing us Bowerman's repeated efforts to unsuccessfully break his young colt. And, ironically, the one race in which he finally prevails is the race that nearly broke Prefontaine's spirit - the 5,000-meter race at the 1972 Olympics in Munich, in which he finished fourth after getting passed in the home stretch. 

The re-creation of that race is, in fact, the movie's highlight. The staging feels absolutely authentic, the cinematography by Conrad Hall is truly gorgeous, and the editing by Claire Simpson and Robert K. Lambert is simply extraordinary. If you're not a runner, it's about as close as you'll ever get to feeling what it's like to be in the middle of a pack of talented distance runners. 

"Without Limits," which was completed last year but held from release until this month, is better written, better acted and much more polished than the first Prefontaine feature, Walt Disney Pictures' "Prefontaine," which was made last year by the people who made the acclaimed basketball documentary "Hoop Dreams." 

Crudup's portrayal of Prefontaine seems dead-on, right down to his shaggy hair, penetrating gaze and muscular running style. He lets Pre's compassionate side show through in his scenes with Monica Potter, who is convincingly sweet and gentle as Pre's girlfriend, Mary Marckx, whom he met at the UO. And he's credible in displaying Pre's mixture of awe and assertiveness in his relationship with Bowerman. 

But Sutherland nearly overpowers everyone else in the movie with his outstanding portrayal of the caustic and cagey Bowerman, who was in the process of inventing the running shoes that launched Nike when Pre came to Eugene to enroll at the UO. Sutherland clearly made the character his own. 

There are little things about the movie that may irritate those of us who lived through the Pre era: casting an actor, Dean Norris, who bears no resemblance whatsoever to the UO's Bill Dellinger, then giving him virtually nothing to do; placing a "McArthur Court" sign on our beloved "Pit" that was never there; casting The Cooler as The Pad because the real tavern no longer resembles its old self. 

A more major problem is the truncated treatment of Pre's battle with the Amateur Athletic Union, which actually got more screen time in  "Prefontaine." My recollection is that that very personal battle became Pre's obsession, and the eventual dissolution of the AAU, which placed severe and unreasonable restrictions on amateur athletes, is as much a part of his legacy as were his victories on the track. 

It also seemed odd to go into the closing credits - after the scene showing Pre's memorial service at Hayward Field - with some orchestral music by composer Randy Miller that seemed more appropriate for a war film. 

It was particularly jarring given the skillful use of selected pop music from the era to help create mood and atmosphere during the movie. 

Register-Guard Assistant City Editor Lloyd Paseman is a regular reviewer of films for the newspaper. He can be reached at 485-1234, Ext. 2375, or by e-mail at lpaseman@guardnet.com. 

WITHOUT LIMITS 

RATING: *** 1/2 , PG-13 for brief sexual material and brief strong language 

THEATER: Opening locally in early October, date and theater to be announced.