'Limitless' Movie Review

Bradley Cooper starts off Limitless looking like something the cat dragged in on one of its worst nights out. But never fear, ladies, he gets progressively better looking as the film goes on. You just can't hide that much handsome sexiness for long, can you? And just as Cooper progressively gets better looking, so does Limitless. What could have been a run-of-the-mill thriller winds up being an intriguing psychological drama thanks to Cooper's performance in the lead role, some pretty nifty visual tricks, and a storyline that doesn't need to dot every I and cross every T in order to work.

Limitless was directed by Neil Burger, the filmmaker who gave us the gorgeous romantic thriller The Illusionist in 2006. And with this new thriller, Burger once again delivers an impressive, engaging, and entertaining genre-defying film.

Limitless - The Story:

Eddie Morra (Cooper) has an idea for a book, an advance to work on it, but absolutely no idea what to write. He's got a writer's block going on the size of a New York city block, and his solution is to drink his way past his problem. With unkempt hair pulled back in a loose ponytail looking haggard and used up, Eddie is regarded by his fellow NYers with the same 'I'm not really acknowledging your presence' glance as they give to those who live on the street. He's a mess, but for some reason his pretty, successful, and highly motivated girlfriend, Lindy (Abbie Cornish), sticks by his side. Apparently she's got the patience of a saint, but even she can't stick it out forever. Lindy calls their relationship off, giving Eddie even more of a reason to turn to drinking.

Then one day as he's walking down the street being studiously avoided by all who share the same sidewalk, he runs into his ex-brother in law. Vernon (Johnny Whitworth) used to deal drugs, but he now looks like a Wall Street banker all cleaned up and respectable. But the fancy outer wear just goes to prove that Vernon's drug dealing has earned him megabucks. And that's because Vernon doesn't dwell in the world of ordinary illicit drugs. No, he earns his money by selling NZT, an experimental, illegal drug that enhances the user's brain power. Instead of using just 20% of our brain, NZT fires up the synapses and makes the brain work at 100% of its capacity.

Eddie's not really into pills, but he follows Vernon down the rabbit hole and winds up cranking out his novel in just a matter of days. He also learns to play the piano in a few hours, can speak any language he studies, fights like Bruce Lee, and can recall anything he's ever seen, read or heard. Eddie's a genius, albeit one only when he takes a pill. And that's the catch. If Eddie goes off the drug, he starts suffering horribly debilitating side effects and goes back to being the regular old guy who couldn't concentrate long enough to put one sentence together to kick off his novel.

After Vernon's murdered and his condo's trashed by someone looking for NZT, Eddie calls 9-1-1 and while waiting does his own search for the pills. He's luckier than the murderer and actually discovers where Vernon's hidden enough pills to keep him smart for many months.

Eddie quickly deduces that his genius intellect is being put to ill-use writing books. He can cash in on his newfound brain power by entering the investment game, and he rapidly accumulates cash and the attention of major power-players. Financial mogul Carl Van Loon (Robert De Niro) is one such interested party who wants to put Eddie's ability to correctly predict stock prices and the market to use as he works a deal to merge with another Fortune 500 company.

But, Limitless isn't Wall Street 3 so the financial dealings of the market's new whiz kid play second fiddle to the film's main story. Limitless is actually a drug movie, with Eddie being hunted down by Russian mobsters and a relentless figure who isn't adverse to killing innocent bystanders in his quest to get to Eddie's miracle drugs.

The Bottom Line

Shia LaBeouf was originally cast in the role of Eddie Morra but had to leave the project after injuring his arm. Cooper then came on board, and that's probably a good thing for Limitless. Cooper has such screen presence that when the plot gets real iffy, you can shirk off reality and just go along with Cooper. He's fascinating to watch as he transitions from scruffy to scrumptious, from an average Joe to a pill-popping brainiac. Cooper handles the load here, with De Niro barely on screen, and he's completely up to the task.

Burger chose to use vibrant colors and a sharper focus to show the NZT has kicked in, and that's a cool little visual treat, as is Eddie's hyper-zooming visions of Manhattan streets while he's on the drug. Even Bradley Cooper's blue eyes are brighter in color when Eddie's high on the untested miracle pill. It's a smart way of showing the effects of the drugs, and it provides the viewer with a better idea of what Eddie's experiencing as his synapses fire away on the super pills.

Limitless doesn't really delve into Eddie's intelligence other than to have him make millions off of his newfound brain power. And Eddie doesn't ever seem to think through the consequences of his actions, despite the fact he's smarter than anyone on the planet. There are so many questions that could have been addressed and answered concerning Eddie's super-intellect, but Limitless opts for the drug angle which is a bit of a letdown.

GRADE: B

Limitless was directed by Neil Burger and is rated PG-13 for thematic material involving a drug, violence including disturbing images, sexuality and language.

Theatrical Release: March 18, 2011