The film follows the life of famous 1970s runner Steve Prefontaine from his youth days in Oregon to the University of Oregon where he worked with the legendary coach Bill Bowerman, later to Olympics in Munich and his early death at 24 in a car crash.
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.
– Peter Travers,
Rolling Stone,
11 May 2001
fresh:
Without Limits is an admirable departure from the norm, but its greatest strength doubles as an undermining weakness.
– Rick Groen,
Globe and Mail,
12 Jul 2002
fresh:
Without Limits wins as a sports film precisely because it's not really about sports or a great victory.
– Louis B. Parks,
Houston Chronicle,
21 Jul 2005
fresh:
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.
– Todd McCarthy,
Variety,
5 Aug 2008
fresh:
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.