Prefontaine [DVD]

Liked how it really showed the mindset of Pre. Did not like the bad makeup and interview style of the ‘characters’ but I did feel that what they had to say gave good insight. Worth watching to understand Pre.

Some have criticized "Prefontaine" as too bland, colorless, akin to a tv movie. Those people probably hated Rocky, The Karate Kid, and The Natural too. No, this is a well-made film, inspirational, and also received two thumbs up from Siskel and Ebert. Much of the story is told as flashbacks by the people in his life, long after his death--mother, father, girlfriends, and coaches. As opposed to the Warner Brothers bio of Steve Prefontaine “Without Limits,” this film makes more use of other people in “Pre’s” life, especially his parents and his high-school girlfriend.No one could fault either actors’ performance as the iconic “Pre.” Both actors bear an uncanny resemblance to the real man, even his upright running style. Analyzing the Olympic scenes of both the real guy and the actor, its hard to distinguish the two. "Prefontaine" spends more time on the Olympic hostage crisis, a good lesson for those who may have forgotten or never knew what happened there.One amusing difference between the two films is the explanation for how Pre hurt his foot (requiring stiches) on the eve of his first NCAA championship meet. In “Without Limits” it resulted from some acrobatic sex with a local girl, while it was a foolish swimming stunt in “Prefontaine.”Any critic must recognize “Prefontaine” as an example of the great work Jared Leto has created since this film. His version of Pre is more combative, determined than Billy Crudup’s. He’s not trying to win any popularity contests, although both films stress Pre’s confrontational attitude with those governing amateur American athletics at the time. The film is about fighting the establishment and hypocrisy but even more about single-minded determination and not allowing any limitation to stand in the way of achievement.Lesson for life both films drive home: While winning is important, giving every thing you have every second is more important. Pre was quoted prior to competing in the 5,000 meter race at the Munich Olympics: “if it’s a guts race, I’m the only one that can win.”It is hard to imagine such a monumental cultural impact on sports and culture coming from a track athlete, but it really happened—Nike co-founder Phil Knight compared him to Mohammed Ali, and the obvious comparison is to actor James Dean. I highly recommend this film to track and field fans and also movie-lovers who cherish true-life inspirational stories.

Decent flick

This is a good film. It entertains totally. Jared Leto does a splendid job of maintaining the center of attention for almost the entire film. This is a sign of a considerable actor to hold our attention for two full hours as the figure almost always on screen.It is an inspirational film but also a cautionary one. I say this because Prefontaine's ambitions and self assurance seem adolescent at first. Like many young high school seniors, he knows everything and no one can tell him anything. He just happens to be one of the most talented and determined high school seniors in the nation. The film takes Prefontaine through a series of events that begin to teach him his personal limits, his priorities, his commitment to others, and finally that he must adjust to events larger than himself. In a sentence, this film is about an extremely self-motivated and self-centered talented young man who becomes a better person as he adjusts to the hard knocks that come to all of us in life. The major hard knocks for Prefontaine are the terrible events in Munich and his performance which disappointed him. IN many ways this is the best part of the film for we get to see the terror of the events in Munich and we get to see Prefontaine's reactions to those events.Jared Leto goes a good job playing this young man. I wish he had been able to reap the rewards of maturity.

A longtime runner, myself, who'd forgotten about this rising star in the runner's world, can testify to "Prefontaine" being the best athlete bio-pic of recent memory that surprises, informs and inspires in the best sense of the word.You'll lace up the running shoes after this film. The script was generous to all the supporting people who nurture greatness in the form of Steve Prefontaine. Special mention should go to the casting and artistic control of this looking back upon the start of the jogging era. Jared Leto plays Prefontaine like a glove, at first running on brashness to finish on unselfish awareness. Certainly, there are parallels to James Dean here, but when actual Munich footage enters effectively, Leto's portrayal ascends with the laurels Prefontaine earned. Next to "Jim Thorpe--All Merican" in inspiration, "Prefontaine" uplifts with its sad ending, while "Thorpe" falls away despairingly. When you watch this film unfold as much about a gifted athlete as a giving one, and you reflect upon the selfish ones today, you will want to learn more about this comet who blazed once brightly. And that makes this the exceptional film.

This story blows my mind, great film

Another movie that is a must see for runners of all ability. I would definitely say that I rate "Prefontaine" above "Without Limits." From the makers of "Hoop Dreams," Prefontaine follows in the same footsteps and creates a docudrama that is unforgettable and very watchable-even to those not interested in the sport. The main cast, Jared Leto and R. Lee Ermey as the unforgettable Bill Bowerman, are really quite good for a film of this budget. "Prefontaine" follows Pre's story more closely than "Without Limits" and definitely offers more for runners to sink their teeth into.Admittedly, the film's appeal is probably limited to those who are truly interested or inspired by the sport of running (or know someone who is). But athletes of all sports will enjoy Pre's story of defiance and heart. If you watch one of the two films, I'd see this one.

A story worth knowing

Wrong region code NOT indicated.BEWARE WILL NOT WORK ON Europe Region2 machines.

This is the story one of two available of Americas tragic loss of a very gifted young person who is still holding world records unbeaten at present, the other story is Without limits, another great version of the legendary Prefontaine, i hope that when people are wearing Nike running shoes realise that this man was the forerunner who's trainner (Bill Bowerman - the inventer of the tread on the base of trainner's)realise where the idea came about regarding the perfect running shoe.

Ok, I admit I'd never heard of the guy and had no real interest in him, I'm a Leto fan. But the film was actually really fascinating and I enjoyed it a lot.

There are 2 movies out about Prefontaine. In my opinion this one comes out on top, because of the actors, casting, screen play and most importantly the cinematography. I highly recommend this film. It truly catches the human spirit of this American hero, Prefontaine epitomizes the real spirit of running. The price for this movie and because it was on Blu-ry is anice suprise. Thanks...

Jared Leto was fantastic, and you should definitely see it.