Co-writer/director Steve James’ (Hoop Dreams) Prefontaine tells the story of Steve Prefontaine, considered by many America’s greatest long distance runner of all time. Holding the American record in seven different distance track events, Prefontaine was favored to win gold at the Montreal Olympics in 1976. Just 24, he was killed in a car accident on May 30,1975 before his dream could be realized.
Like most sports films, Prefontaine has its share of predictable moments of beating the odds, and individual hubris, but Steve James goes beyond that, providing a raw, unvarnished look at one of the most gifted, and most unstable, Olympic athletes in recent history.
A small kid, Prefontaine (Jared Leto) wasn’t a starter for his little league team, and got beaten up on the football field. Though he wasn’t built like a runner, and one leg was shorter than the other, Prefontaine was determined to be good at something. Sheer will and determination lead him to the winner’s circle. It’s not long before he’s being scouted by legendary Oregon coach Bill Bowerman (R. Lee Ermey). Bowerman, who manufactures running shoes in his garage with the help of his wife’s waffle iron, would go on to co-found Nike. For Prefontaine, his desire to achieve greatness often seems at any cost. Yes, it takes a lot of talent, and dedication to be an elite athlete, but Prefontaine suggests that Steve’s need to excel was an obsession. For him, victory was everything; falling short not an option.
Prefontaine intermixes fictional recreations with documentary style interviews to create a fascinating portrait of a complex main. The film is particularly fascinating in the second half, as Prefontaine represents his country at the 1972 Summer Olympics. The filmmakers do a wonderful job of creating a sense of time and place. This is particularly evident in their recreation of the tragedy at the Munich Olympic games, and the central role the events played in Prefontaine’s life afterward.
The film features a solid cast of talented performers who seem to understand their characters. Jared Leto delivers a fine performance as the lead, mixing the confident man on the track with the insecurities derived from his youth; insecurities that drove him, but often made life away from the track difficult. Ed O’Neill and R. Lee Ermey are terrific as Prefontaine’s coaches, they both of whom have an undeniable love for the track, and seem to know every detail about the sport. The film also benefits from Breckin Meyer as Pat Tyson, Steve’s roommate at Oregon, and Amy Locane as Steve’s girlfriend Nancy.
Prefontaine arrives on Blu-ray with a rather dull 1080p transfer. Print wear is regularly evident, via black splotches. Macroblocking is an issue throughout the film. black levels are weak, with darker scenes appearing messy and likely to suffer from brightness around the edges. Colors are rather flat, lacking any real punch. Depth is minimal throughout, and any real detail is the most basic you’ll find. This transfer is similar to a lot of Blu-ray’s found in the early days of the format, not 2016. That said, it’s done well enough to allow viewers to get absorbed in the onscreen events and forget about the dull transfer.
Prefontaine‘s Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtrack is as pedestrian as the video. The audio has been pushed toward the middle. Sound, even music, rarely stretches all the way across the front. The most basic separation is apparent, but it never sounds lifelike. Crowd scenes, press gatherings, and the like can sound slightly muffed depending on your systems volume level. Dialogue is based in the center, and plays clearly, with reasonable prioritization.
There are no subtitles available.
There are no extras included.
