Review of LIMITLESS - Moderately entertaining and a fascinating premise in Bradley Cooper starrer.
(2-1/2 out of 5 stars)
Between its generic title (I prefer The Dark Fields, from the novel by Alan Glynn it's based on), a less-than-engaging lead in Bradley Cooper and Robert De Niro’s usual tough guy routine, I expected LIMITLESS to be God-awful. Yet I left moderately entertained and even fascinated by the premise. The film is buoyed by a brash style and moments of levity, and Eddie Morra is a believable superhero for our modern miracle drug age.
The scraggly, unshaven Eddie we first meet suffers from depression and low self-esteem, a writer unable to write. (Been there, done that. But Cooper as a writer? And how did Morra get a book contract?) Then he runs into his douche-y ex-brother-in-law Vernon (Johnny Whitworth), a former drug dealer now thriving as a consultant for a pharmaceutical company. Vernon peddles a translucent pill called NZT that he claims will allow Eddie to use his brain’s full potential, but falsely assures him it’s FDA approved. Morra swallows it and ta-da! He’s Uber Eddie.
…And his lightning quick mind enables him to finally write that novel -- in four days. He remembers everything he’s ever seen or heard and soon speaks Italian and Japanese fluently. He makes a bundle on the stock market. He’s a hit at parties, beds beautiful ladies and wins his girlfriend back. (Abbie Cornish is the smart, sophisticated Lindy -- how did he score her before?) He even morphs into an expert fighter based on Bruce Lee films from his childhood, one of many fun glimpses of things from his past now yielding fruit.
But Vernon’s violent death and our sneak peek of a potentially dark future for Eddie sets the stage for consequences. He’s threatened by addiction, weird side effects (blackouts, hallucinations, a limp) and his own insanity. He’s also linked to a murder, people on the drug die and he’s paranoid that he’s being followed. And what happens when his finite supply of NZT runs out?
His quick winnings off the stock market eventually catch the eye of the powerful Carl Van Loon, an intimidating figure in need of Morra’s wisdom for a corporate merger. De Niro flashes his acting chops during the Machiavellian Van Loon’s sly but revealing pitch on why Morra should remain his advisor.
As Eddie rises from the trash heap of his former life, you consider how you’d revamp your own life on the pill. You delight in his newfound ability to solve complex problems quickly, from overcoming writer’s block to confronting a killer. When Eddie’s mind skyrockets, you zoom with him -- the screen is lit, the sun shines and his blue eyes sparkle brilliantly. When the next dose falls down a vent or is snatched from his hand, the screen darkens and pace slows as you shudder at the emotional swan dive to come. You want this everyman to escape his own weaknesses and life’s disappointments yet judge his vanity in the face of undeserved compliments.
LIMITLESS is too simplistic to qualify as a great or even good film. But it does offer harmless escapism and inventive moments, such as the camera work trippily gliding the city streets to replicate Eddie’s over-stimulation. And the film’s conclusion finally hints at Morra’s ambitious aims for the future, leaving the door open for a sequel. If it succeeds at the box office, who knows?
More on MovieJungle.com forLIMITLESS:
Genre/s: Action Thriller
Release Date/s: March 18, 2011 (Showtimes & Tickets)
Distributor: Relativity Media
Production Company: Relativity Media
Official Site: Visit the Official Site for Limitless
M.P.A.A. Rating: PG-13 for thematic material involving a drug, violence including disturbing images, sexuality and language.
CAST and CREW FOR Limitless
Starring: Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Anna Friel and Robert De Niro
Directed By: Neil Burger
Written By: Leslie Dixon based on the novel by Alan Glynn
Produced By: Leslie Dixon, Scott Kroopf, Ryan Kavanaugh