Without Limits
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| Without Limits | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster |
|
| Directed by | Robert Towne |
| Produced by | Tom Cruise, Paula Wagner |
| Written by | Robert Towne, Kenny Moore |
| Starring | Billy Crudup, Donald Sutherland, Monica Potter, Jeremy Sisto, Matthew Lillard, Dean Norris, Billy Burke |
| Music by | Randy Miller |
| Cinematography | Conrad L. Hall |
| Editing by | Charles Ireland, Robert K. Lambert, Claire Simpson |
| Release date(s) | September 11, 1998 |
| Running time | 117 min |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English Finnish German |
| IMDb profile | |
Without Limits is a 1998 biographical film about the friendship between running star Steve Prefontaine and his coach Bill Bowerman, who had co-founded Nike, Inc. Billy Crudup played Prefontaine and Donald Sutherland played Bowerman. The film was written and directed by Robert Towne.
Without Limits was produced by Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner and Cruise/Wagner Productions, and released and distributed by Warner Brothers. Cruise originally wanted to play the role of Steve Prefontaine, but decided he was too old. Tommy Lee Jones turned down the part of Bill Bowerman.[1]
Due to a very low-key promotional campaign, the $25 million film grossed only $777,000 at the box office but received mostly good reviews from major critics.[2][3] The film also stars Monica Potter, Jeremy Sisto, Judith Ivey, Matthew Lillard and Cruise's cousin, William Mapother.
Sutherland received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor.[4]
[edit] Comparison to Prefontaine
Without Limits is often compared to Prefontaine, a similar movie on Prefontaine's life that was released a year earlier by Disney. While the two films both focus on the same events, the Disney Film tells the story from the point of view of the assistant coach who was with him day-to-day, Bill Dellinger and Prefontaine's girlfriend at the time of his death, Nancy Alleman. It includes a cast of Jared Leto as Prefontaine, Ed O'Neil as Bill Dellinger and R. Lee Ermey as Bill Bowerman. Siskel and Ebert reviewed it and gave it two thumbs up.
Without Limits is told from the point of view of Bill Bowerman, with Dellinger as a minor character and Mary Marcks, who was a previous girlfriend of Prefontaine while at Oregon. In this film there is no Nancy Alleman and Mary is his girlfriend all the way through. Bowerman is played by Donald Sutherland and is given guru status, whereas Ermey had portrayed Bowerman as more of a hard-line general-type.
In both films, Prefontaine is shown as headstrong and difficult to coach. Bowerman did remain active with the Oregon program and with Prefontaine after his retirement.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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