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Without Limits (1998)

tomatometer

79

Average Rating: 6.6/10
Reviews Counted: 38
Fresh: 30 | Rotten: 8

This drama about American track star and hero Steve Prefontaine intelligently looks at the character of this oft mythologized athlete and features a fantastic performance by Donald Sutherland as Prefontaine's trainer.

82

Average Rating: 6.6/10
Critic Reviews: 17
Fresh: 14 | Rotten: 3

This drama about American track star and hero Steve Prefontaine intelligently looks at the character of this oft mythologized athlete and features a fantastic performance by Donald Sutherland as Prefontaine's trainer.

audience

87

liked it
Average Rating: 4/5
User Ratings: 7,591

My Rating

Movie Info

One of two filmed biographies of late track star Steve Prefontaine to be produced in the late '90s, Without Limits comes from director Robert Towne, who previously took a stab at the track-star drama with his directorial debut, 1982's Personal Best. Billy Crudup stars as the ill-fated athlete who overcame physical obstacles to win an NCAA championship and compete in the 1972 Munich Olympics. The film follows Prefontaine from his youth in Oregon where, despite one leg being longer than the other,

PG-13,

Documentary, Drama

Robert Towne, Kenny Moore

Feb 16, 1999

Warner Bros. Pictures

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All Critics (41) | Top Critics (17) | Fresh (30) | Rotten (8) | DVD (6)

Whether he would have won at the next Olympics, we'll never know. What we do know is that Towne, a man of ruefully romantic temperament, has found a soulmate in Steve Prefontaine.

August 5, 2008 Full Review Source: TIME Magazine
TIME Magazine
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With a very good part for a change, Sutherland invests the imposing Bowerman with a host of subtly expressed attitudes toward his most illustrious charge.

August 5, 2008 Full Review Source: Variety
Variety
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he understated cinematography by Conrad Hall and sterling work from Crudup and Sutherland lend a patina of class, yet it's in the end a po-faced film.

January 26, 2006 Full Review Source: Time Out
Time Out
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Without Limits wins as a sports film precisely because it's not really about sports or a great victory.

July 21, 2005 Full Review Source: Houston Chronicle
Houston Chronicle
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Without Limits is an admirable departure from the norm, but its greatest strength doubles as an undermining weakness.

July 12, 2002 Full Review Source: Globe and Mail
Globe and Mail
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As Pre, Billy Crudup is dynamite -- a magnetic star presence who's unafraid to show how Pre's drive also makes him a bit of a prick.

May 11, 2001
Rolling Stone
Top Critic IconTop Critic

intelligent character study of a mythologized athlete

July 24, 2011 Full Review Source: Old School Reviews

A brilliantly performed, gut-wrenchingly sad flick

February 3, 2009
Brag Magazine

Except for a few lapses, co-scriptwriters Kenny Moore and Towne allow Pre's aura to remain undisturbed by overdramatization and psychological speculation.

August 5, 2008 Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide
TV Guide's Movie Guide

Prefontaine's infectious enthusiasm is ably conveyed, although the film might have been a stronger and less earnest effort if producer Tom Cruise had played a more active part.

August 5, 2008 Full Review Source: Film4
Film4

A couple of sterling lead performances by Billy Crudup and Donald Sutherland.

October 14, 2007 Full Review Source: TheMovieReport.com
TheMovieReport.com

Bland biopic about runners

July 26, 2004 | Comment (1)
Film Journal International

Both Crudup and Sutherland deliver superb performances in the support of a thoughtful, committed, and richly visualized film.

November 7, 2002 Full Review Source: Netflix
Netflix

Offers plenty of interesting insights into the beauty, the poetry, the drama, and the science of athletic competition.

March 3, 2002 Full Review Source: Spirituality and Practice
Spirituality and Practice

Audience Reviews for Without Limits

Without Limits is an average sports biopic that features strong performances from Billy Crudup and Donald Sutherland. Not as powerful or captivating as it should have been, but the performances from the leads hold it up. Donald Sutherland is an under appreciated actor in my book. He is one of my favorites and never ceases to amaze me with his performances. It was also cool to see Matthew Lillard in a small role. He too is very under appreciated, although he may have brought some of that upon himself with the Scooby-Doo movies.
June 16, 2011
blkbomb
Melvin White

Super Reviewer

Excellent performances from both Donald Sutherland and Billy Crudup. Good movie...
April 21, 2007
broadwaymo
Moe E

Super Reviewer

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