Endurance

The life of Ethiopian long distance runner Haile Gebrselassie--the Tiger Woods of track and field--is recreated here in questionable docudrama style, bookended by footage of his record-breaking 10,000-meter win at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. While the bulk of this bio-pic focuses on his hardship upbringing in the dry north African veldt in biopic format, with Gebrselassie playing himself, one suspects "writer"/director Leslie Woodhead has enhanced/condensed some scenes for dramatic effect. Nicely lensed and somewhat inspiring, Endurance still doesn't really have enough punch in the long run to keep an audience interested in something as monotonous as marathon races. Optional. (R. Blackwelder)