| Without Limits | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Robert Towne |
| Written by | Robert Towne Kenny Moore |
| Produced by | Tom Cruise Paula Wagner |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Conrad L. Hall |
| Edited by | Charles Ireland Robert K. Lambert Claire Simpson |
| Music by | Randy Miller |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
Release date |
|
Running time | 117 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $25 million |
| Box office | $780,000[1] |
Without Limits is a 1998 Americanbiographicalsports film. It is written and directed byRobert Towne and follows the relationship between record-breaking distance runnerSteve Prefontaine and his coachBill Bowerman, who later co-foundedNike, Inc.Billy Crudup plays Prefontaine andDonald Sutherland plays Bowerman. It also starsMonica Potter,Jeremy Sisto,Judith Ivey,Matthew Lillard andWilliam Mapother.
The film was produced byTom Cruise (Cruise and Mapother are cousins) andPaula Wagner, and released and distributed byWarner Bros. Due to a very low-key promotional campaign, the $25 million film grossed only $777,000 at the box office, even though it received positive reviews from many major critics.[2][3] Sutherland received aGolden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the film.
 | This sectionneeds an improved plot summary. Please helpimprove the plot summary.(March 2025) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
The film follows the life of famous 1970s runner Steve Prefontaine from his youth days in Oregon to theUniversity of Oregon where he worked with the legendary coach Bill Bowerman, later to theOlympics in Munich and his early death at 24 in a car crash.
20 years prior to the film's release,Kenny Moore, a friend of late Steve Prefontaine, approachedRobert Towne with the intention of making a film about Prefontaine but Towne was unavailable at the time. Three years later, the two worked together on the filmPersonal Best and they again explored the idea. In 1994, the two met and Moore began writing a script for Towne to direct.[4] Mary Marckx, Prefontaine's former girlfriend and friend of Moore, gave Towne over 200 personal letters written by Prefontaine, which provided an insight into his thoughts and she also shared information on the relationship he had with his mother.[5] Explaining how Tom Cruise got involved in the project, Moore said:
Robert and I happened to be working on a project with Tom Cruise, who is also a runner and was training for a triathlon at that time. Robert showed him seven minutes ofFire on the Track, a documentary about Steve Prefontaine. Tom immediately loved the story and wanted to see it made as a dramatic feature.[4]
Towne originally envisioned Cruise in the role of Prefontaine, but it was decided he was too old.[6] For the role, Billy Crudup who had been a college athlete trained for four months withPatrice Donnelly (she starred inPersonal Best) to run short distances as he was expected to run 110 to 200 yards for a 5,000 meter race sequence. He also watched actual footage of Prefontaine to imitate his moves.[4][5]Tommy Lee Jones,Harrison Ford andClint Eastwood were considered for the part of Bowerman but they all turned it down and Donald Sutherland eventually landed the role.[5][7] Monica Potter played the role of Prefontaine's girlfriend and spent a lot of time with Mary Marckx to prepare for the part.[4]
The film was shot on location inOregon using theUniversity of Oregon'sHayward Field. Scenes were also filmed atHeceta Beach, Oregon.[4]Bill Bowerman's house served as a shooting location.[5] After two months of filming in Oregon, the production moved toLos Angeles to film the Munich sequences atCitrus College.[4] Some visuals of the Munich Olympics came from the documentaryVisions of Eight:
Because Disney wouldn't let us use ABC's coverage, we were stuck for footage of the race. But then we found, in the vault at Warner Bros., outtakes from [the 1972 Olympics documentary]Visions of Eight So we were very lucky because we found perfect, unexposed 35mm film of that race that had never been put into any other film. The result is that you have full shots of Munich stadium and shots of Steve waist-high that cut to Billy and back, and you can't tell the difference.[8]
Without Limits met with positive reviews from critics. On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 79% "fresh" approval rating with an average score of 6.6/10, based on 39 reviews. The website's consensus reads: "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."[9]