Aspiring author Eddie Morra (Cooper) is suffering from chronic writer's
block, but his life changes instantly when an old friend introduces him
to NZT, a revolutionary new pharmaceutical that allows him to tap his
full potential. Soon Eddie takes Wall Street by storm, parlaying a small
stake into millions. His accomplishments catch the eye of mega-mogul
Carl Van Loon (De Niro),who invites him to help broker the largest
merger in corporate history. But they also bring Eddie to the attention
of
people willing to do
anything to get their hands on his stash of NZT. With his life in
jeopardy and the drug's brutal side effects grinding him down, Eddie
dodges mysterious stalkers, a vicious gangster and an intense police
investigation as he attempts to hang on to his dwindling supply long
enough to outwit his enemies
Opening near the close of its story, Limitless introduces a man who's reached his limit: As thugs batter the metal door of his fortified Manhattan penthouse, Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) stands at the edge of the terrace, contemplating a dive toward the pavement dozens of floors below.
Eddie is a formerly struggling writer who became a Wall Street ace by boosting his brainpower with an unapproved "smart drug" called NZT. So this speedy thriller would appear to be a cautionary tale about the perils of intellectual cheating.
Guess again: Limitless
really has nothing against cheating. In fact ultimately, the
filmmakers doesn't sweat the fact that Eddie is a chemically enhanced
fraud. What scares them is any possibility of alienating the movie's
target audience with a downer ending, so they discount all the effort
they've made to push Eddie to the edge, and instead send him someplace
much cushier.
Directed by Neil Burger, whose The Illusionist also pulled an upbeat coda out of a hat, Limitless is entertaining for much of its running time. It's glib, and it's overly fond of hyperdrive pans, psychedelic montages and swift rack-focus shifts. But these music-video effects suit the drug-fueled saga, which at first seems to be about the risks of moving too fast.
The film was adapted from Alan Glynn's 2003 novel, The Dark Fields, and is basically Faust for the ADHD era. (One of the most popular real-world smart drugs is Adderall, officially prescribed for ADHD but often used to amp up performance among certain overachieving sets.) Like the tragic hero of that legend, Eddie doesn't take pills for kicks, but for power — the power of knowledge.
At the start of the long flashback that forms the bulk of the movie, Eddie is so clueless that he sports a scruffy ponytail. He realizes he's lost his way when indulgent girlfriend Lindy (Abbie Cornish) finally dumps him. Then Eddie encounters his former brother-in-law (Johnny Whitworth), an oily longtime dealer who now peddles NZT. He gives Eddie a sample bag; a few tabs later, the blocked writer has finished his long-stalled novel. Naturally, it's a winner.
Opening near the close of its story, Limitless introduces a man who's reached his limit: As thugs batter the metal door of his fortified Manhattan penthouse, Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) stands at the edge of the terrace, contemplating a dive toward the pavement dozens of floors below.
Eddie is a formerly struggling writer who became a Wall Street ace by boosting his brainpower with an unapproved "smart drug" called NZT. So this speedy thriller would appear to be a cautionary tale about the perils of intellectual cheating.
Directed by Neil Burger, whose The Illusionist also pulled an upbeat coda out of a hat, Limitless is entertaining for much of its running time. It's glib, and it's overly fond of hyperdrive pans, psychedelic montages and swift rack-focus shifts. But these music-video effects suit the drug-fueled saga, which at first seems to be about the risks of moving too fast.
The film was adapted from Alan Glynn's 2003 novel, The Dark Fields, and is basically Faust for the ADHD era. (One of the most popular real-world smart drugs is Adderall, officially prescribed for ADHD but often used to amp up performance among certain overachieving sets.) Like the tragic hero of that legend, Eddie doesn't take pills for kicks, but for power — the power of knowledge.
At the start of the long flashback that forms the bulk of the movie, Eddie is so clueless that he sports a scruffy ponytail. He realizes he's lost his way when indulgent girlfriend Lindy (Abbie Cornish) finally dumps him. Then Eddie encounters his former brother-in-law (Johnny Whitworth), an oily longtime dealer who now peddles NZT. He gives Eddie a sample bag; a few tabs later, the blocked writer has finished his long-stalled novel. Naturally, it's a winner.
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