Unless you are a fan of running star Prefontaine, or have an abiding interest in the sport of running, or come from Oregon, this film has little appeal. The central character is unpleasantly arrogant without the saving grace of having achieved the greatness he strived for, an Olympic gold medal.
The film does engage your interest in places. The races are very well done, in particular the mixing of slow with normal motion.
Donald Sutherland plays, for once, a seemingly normal person. For a coach he appears to be very distant from the person being coached, to the extent of being a 'non-coach'.
Viewed from the point of view of a dramatic work rather than as a biography, the film is overly long at 114 minutes (on video) and the pacing is uneven. Ultimately, a flawed film about a flawed person, but there are much worse films than this on current release.
The film does engage your interest in places. The races are very well done, in particular the mixing of slow with normal motion.
Donald Sutherland plays, for once, a seemingly normal person. For a coach he appears to be very distant from the person being coached, to the extent of being a 'non-coach'.
Viewed from the point of view of a dramatic work rather than as a biography, the film is overly long at 114 minutes (on video) and the pacing is uneven. Ultimately, a flawed film about a flawed person, but there are much worse films than this on current release.