Just Keep Running 
by Elizabeth Weitzman 
 
Who was Steve Prefontaine before he died in 1975, at the age of 24? Rebel, track runner, hero. That's all we really learn in the worshipful biography Without Limits, and maybe that's enough. Do we really want to know the true character of our heroes--especially the ones chosen for their physical strength? Apparently not, since as far as we can tell from this movie and last season's Prefontaine, the man's personality had plenty of limits: he was an arrogant, vain, shallow jerk who happened to be consumed by a talent much greater than himself. 

That's not to say he didn't have plenty of strong attributes -- it's just that, according to director Robert Towne, they all centered around his feet. As embodied by Billy Crudup, he was driven (to run), charismatic (on the track), and confident (about his greatness as a runner and, therefore, his whole self).  Our first glimpse of the man who would be Pre is during a recruiting mission; it's clear he's already adored, and it's clear he expects it. Though he's been offered scholarships around the nation, Steve knows what he wants--to work with Oregon's legendary, and legendarily tough, coach, Bill Bowerman (Donald Sutherland). Once he arrives at school, however, Steve aggravates Bowerman incessantly, steadfastly refusing to play by his rules. He also frustrates just about everyone else around him, from his girlfriend Mary (Monica Potter) to his second-place teammates to the members of the Amateur Athletic Union, who controlled the Olympic hopefuls with a tight and corrupt fist. 

Just like its protagonist, Without Limits has a split personality. Off the track, it's a dull, almost movie-of-the-week biopic. The film keeps assuring us there was dramatic tension between the student and his coach, but where is it? Sutherland practically plays Bowerman (who, incidentally, also invented the first Nike sneaker) as a teddy bear. Pre says No, Bowerman says, Oh, c'mon, please? As his love interest, Potter just gazes moonily and displays none of the strength of the real Mary Marckx, who became a writer. What of the big AAU fight that inspired later athletes to break from its reign? According to this script, all Pre did was pitch a couple of hissy fits. And though he clearly puts his heart into it, Billy Crudup often appears as an actor who's spent hours watching old videotape, picking up and repeating all the little mannerisms in a way slightly too reminiscent of a Cher impersonator. 

However, and it's a big one, Towne and cinematographer Conrad Hall have done such a superb job shooting the action on the field that when we see the subject in his element, our hearts beat as quickly as when we watch Olympic meets at home.  The training, the races, the interaction between runners (standing out from the pack, as usual, is Jeremy Sisto as Pre's primary competition) are marvelous, full of drama and suspense. These scenes may be some of the best competition we've ever witnessed on screen. So all we want is that Pre keepsrunning, for us as well as him. Is that so wrong?.