Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Some years ago I had seen the 1998 movie about Prefontaine starring Billy Crudup and really enjoyed it. Now I have found this version with Jared Leto on Netflix streaming movies. It is very well done with generous old stock footage used too. In fact Leto is so good in this role it is often hard to tell if we are seeing him or the real Prefontaine in some running scenes.I remember Prefontaine well from the early 1970s because I was a young adult then and still an avid track and field fan. It is too bad his life and running career were cut so short with the automobile accident.A good segment of the middle of the movie depicts the 1972 Munich Olympics, the one where Arab militants killed some Israelis, and throwing the games into turmoil. Pre's big race, the 5K run, was held anyway and going for gold, in the last few meters just lost 3rd place, and a medal, by a fraction. Thus the comment, "They might name 4th street after me." Jared Leto is Steve Prefontaine, R. Lee Ermey is good as coach Bill Bowerman who invented the "waffle sole" running shoe and went on to establish the company Nike. And Amy Locane is good as Pre's girlfriend Nancy Alleman.Those who are indifferent to track and field might not enjoy this movie, but for us fans it is truly a fine movie.

I rented this one accidentally thinking it was "Without Limits" starring Billy Crudup. I had seen that before and thought it was a great telling of a terrific story. This one was garbage. The acting was generally bad -- like sitcom bad -- and the makeup was ridiculous, as silly as that sounds, but the actors were made to look older for parts of it and it looked ridiculous. In short, this movie sucks. The other one is actually really good. Don't make the same mistake I made. Get "Without Limits" instead. It's way better. I'm really annoyed I just sat through this with my wife and brother. It takes a great story and makes it super-boring. There are not nearly enough races in this movie considering it's about racing.

Being benched during his Coos Bay, Oregon grade school football games only makes young Steve "Pre" Prefontaine more determined to succeed. He grows up to be beautiful, blonde, and cocky Jared Leto. Fulfilling his athletic dreams in becoming a college track star, Mr. Leto makes it to the 1972 Munich Olympics, which are targeted by terrorists. Leto looks forward to his next Olympiad, but fate has other plans… Mr. Prefontaine was the subject of two biographical films released almost simultaneously, this one and the bigger-budgeted "Within Limits" (1998) starring Billy Crudup. The two life-telling movies elevate Prefontaine and, upon seeing them, the attention seems warranted. After you get used to his sometimes looking more like a carefully made-up 1970s physique model than a runner, Leto slowly convinces. The use of pseudo-interviews, wobbly camera, actual sports footage, and other filming tricks are less successful, in the long run.****** Prefontaine (1/24/97) Steve James ~ Jared Leto, R. Lee Ermey, Ed O'Neill, Amy Locane

It's a little disturbing to me that anyone found this movie inspiring. As conjured by Jared Leto, the character of Steve Prefontaine was an unlikeable pretty-boy SOB, who basically inspired disbelief in me...does it really require that level of narcissism to be an exceptional athlete? The guy reached out to the little kid who was ahead of him in a spontaneous race and pulled him back, saying. "its not your time, kid'" or something like that, and later after getting all high an mighty about the (fictional) Amateur Athletic Association rules, he all but shuts down the special event they finally agreed to because HE was not going to meet his match there. Yet all the other characters were always in his thrall (you'll know why at the end). I did like the "mock documentary" style, once I figured it out. The 70's style rugs on some of the "younger" male athlete's heads were pretty funny though.