Without Limits
Warner Brothers
2.35:1 and Pan&Scan/Dolby Digital English&French 5.1/
16x9 widescreen
Region:1
Also: English and French Subtitles
Running Time:1 Hour 58 Minutes
Rated:R
"Without Limits" is the second film about historic runner Steve Prefontaine. The first film, from Disney came and went out of theaters
in a matter of weeks. This film, from Warner Brothers, was delayed for months after the failure of the Disney film and when released, it
only appeared in a handful of theaters and, like the film that came before, it was gone in a matter of weeks.
That's not to say that both of the film's aren't any good. Not at all. They just failed to find an audience.
Prefontaine was the runner that brought track into the headlines. He was not the average runner; he had the persona of your average rock and roll star.
He wasn't always easy to get along with and he wanted to win his way, which was full power running from begining to end, not saving anything
for a "final push" to the finish line.
This film focuses on the relationship between Pre and his coach, Bill Bowerman(who went on to build Nike). Pre is played very well by Billy Crudup, making
him still a rebel, but this film makes him a more sympathetic and more fully written character. We still don't get a detailed look and what makes Pre
the rebel he is, but I enjoyed Crudup's Pre-formance. I also really enjoyed Donald Sutherland as Bowerman who gives his usual excellent performance. The always
very cute Monica Potter(who made "Patch Adams" bareable) was enjoyable as Pre's girlfriend.
I think that Hollywood took a look at the life of Prefontaine and thought it would make a hit picture; you've got a rock-star sports hero, a coach
who went on to found Nike and a car accident that takes the life of the young hero far too soon. It's unfortunate that I think the film's event have faded
from the memories of most viewers. It's unfortunate that "Without Limits" doesn't make the story more compelling; a lot of the film is standard fare
and director Robert Towne doesn't let the performers go far on their own as the film basically fades into a standard sports film. There are some excitingly
staged sports scenes, but much of the film feels like it could have run a little further down the track.
The DVD:
Video Quality: To tell the truth, I was a tiny bit dissapointed in the video quality of "Without Limits". I did not see the the film in theaters, but this transfer of the film
looks a little on the washed out side at times. If it was that way in theaters, then this transfer is accurate, I suppose. Images are generally sharp and detailed, but in my eyes, the colors of the film are never really vibrant. Contrast
is generally very good. I did see some minor but visable compression artifacts in one of the darker scenes, but overall, artifacts are kept to a minimum. Skin tones are accurate
overall. The disc has a widescreen transfer of the 118 minute film on one side and a pan/scan version on the other side. I would call this a "good" transfer, but I wouldn't call it flawless. I thought maybe the flaws were a problem with the player, but after checking through many, many other
discs, there were no problems with the player.
Sound Quality: Great. I was very pleased with the audio quality of the disc. The sound during the race scenes is wonderful; the score by Randy Miller is thrilling and involving
during the track races; the audio brings the sound of the crowd, the dialogue of the announcers and the score together in a well done mix that has impact and clarity. When the crowd
during the first race chants "Pre!" "Pre!" you feel like you're in the middle of the action. I almost got up and cheered myself. Perfect sound for a sports film; the sound
of the crowds especially is rendered excellently and excitingly.
Menus:Basic, but good looking, with pictures of the film. No animation.
Extras: Just the trailer.
Grades:
Video Quality:B
Audio Quality:A
Extras:C-
Menus:C-
The Film:B+
Value:B+
Overall:B+
Overall, this is quite a good film and a good value from Warner Brothers for $19.99 retail price.
