Limitless (2011) Relativity Media/Sci-Fi-Thriller RT: 105 minutes Rated PG-13 (thematic material involving a drug, violence including disturbing images, sexuality, language) Director: Neil Burger Screenplay: Leslie Dixon Music: Paul Leonard-Morgan Cinematography: Jo Willems Release date: March 18, 2011 (US) Cast: Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Robert De Niro, Andrew Howard, Anna Friel, Johnny Whitworth, Tomas Arana, Robert John Burke, Darren Goldstein, Ned Eisenberg, T.V. Carpio, Richard Bekins, Patricia Kalember, Cindy Katz. Box Office: $79.2M (US)/$161.8M (World)
Rating: *** ½
What if people were capable of using their entire brain instead of the average 10-20%? What would be the consequences? These are the questions addressed by Limitless, a brilliant sci-fi-thriller from director Neil Burger (The Illusionist).
It stars Bradley Cooper (Silver Lining Playbook) as Eddie Morra, a struggling writer whose life is far from perfect. He hasn’t written a single word of the sci-fi novel he’s been working on for months. He’s broke, he drinks too much and his apartment is a pig sty. He’s just been dumped by his girlfriend Lindy (Cornish, Bright Star) for his lack of ambition. Just when all seems lost, he has a chance encounter with his former brother-in-law Vernon (Whitworth, Empire Records) who proposes a radical solution to his creativity problems. He hands Eddie a clear-colored pill, a nootropic drug called NZT-48, claiming it will increase his creative output exponentially. It does more than that.
Within seconds of consuming the pill, Eddie is a changed man. Not only does he start and finish his book in record time, he cleans up his entire act. The pill gives him unlimited mental powers. He acquires an eidetic memory and can analyze large amounts of information in seconds. Basically, he can do anything he sets his mind to. He becomes a stock market expert and makes millions in no time. His success catches the attention of finance tycoon Carl Van Loon (De Niro, Goodfellas) who asks him to utilize his skills in analyzing a proposed merger. It bears mentioning that Carl is the kind of person you don’t say no to.
Of course, all good things come at a price. Vernon is murdered by somebody obviously looking for the untested drug. Eddie notices a strange man following him around shortly thereafter. A Russian gangster (Howard, Revolver) wants in on the action. After experiencing first-hand what the magic pill can do, he demands more or else. Naturally, there are negative side effects like blackout periods (“time skips”) Eddie remembers nothing about afterwards. During one such period, it’s possible he murdered a woman he picked up at a club. The police seem to think he did. WHEW! That’s a lot.
Adapted from the Alan Glynn novel The Dark Fields, Limitless is one of the more intelligent films to come down the pipeline in recent years. Screenwriter Leslie Dixon makes the material accessible to mainstream audiences without insulting their collective intelligence. Burger keeps things moving at a rapid clip with some well-orchestrated action scenes. One such moment has Lindy being chased through Central Park by the guy following Eddie. Trapped, she has no choice but to take one of the pills. What she does to neutralize her pursuer is both clever and funny. Jo Willems’ cinematography is a definite asset. He incorporates fractal zooming and jump-cutting in order to create a noticeably kinetic viewing experience that consistently keeps the viewer on edge. It opens with this incredible sequence where the camera whooshes through the streets of Manhattan. It’s a perfect representation of Eddie’s brain on the drug.
It helps that talented actors fill the roles. Cooper is a fine actor even though some of his choices have been questionable. Remember All About Steve? In Limitless, he proves he can carry a movie pretty much on his own although a high-wattage co-star like De Niro certainly bears some of the burden. He’s amazing as a quietly menacing man used to being in complete control. He has no intention of ever letting Eddie go. Their final showdown is really something to see. Cornish is good as Lindy who comes back into Eddie’s life only to bail when she sees what the drug does to Eddie. She has a point. It isn’t always pretty, especially withdrawal. Let’s just saying quitting the drug can be fatal.
Although it tends to rely a little too much on CGI, Limitless is an awesome movie! It tells a good, thought-out story featuring interesting characters with more than one dimension. The subplot about the Russian gangster is something of a cliché, but it doesn’t feel stale in the capable hands of Burger. Really, the whole of Limitless feels fresh and new. It’s smart too. I admire the makers for not dumbing it down for mass consumption. That’s a rare thing these days.
