Limitless is an action-thriller that provides a decent amount of entertainment, and it is mainly due to the performance of Bradley Cooper and a crazy, yet interesting vision from director Neil Burger (The Lucky Ones, The Illusionist). The movie is an exhilarating ride from start to finish, using the power of intelligence and applying it to the real world. It shows us what we could be capable of if we were able to use our entire mind. Fun and fascinating – it leaves you questioning if offered a drug that could make you the smartest human being alive….would you take it?
Eddie Morra (Cooper) is a down-and-out writer who gets dumped by his girlfriend (Abbie Cornish) and realizes he has nothing left to lose. He is a zero with no future. But when he runs in to an old friend, all of that changes. Eddie gets offered a pill that would allow him to use 100 percent of his brain. Hesitant at first, he wants nothing to do with it, but by the end of the day he tries one. From there, he becomes the most confident, smartest, and focused man walking the planet. He knows everything about everything. He uses his power to not only finish his novel in four days, but to rise to the top of the financial world. Eddie goes from a nobody to a superhero who does not wear costumes, but fancy, tailored suits instead.
However, with all of his fast success, he gains the attention of a business mogul named Carl Van Loon (Robert DeNiro), who wants the enhanced Eddie to help him make a merger and make billions in the process. No way can Eddie and his super powerful pills go unnoticed. Others want to know his secret and will get it at any cost. And just like with all medicine, especially something as significant and strong as these pills, there are deathly side effects.
Limitless is a great staring vehicle for Cooper. He is able to show off his skills as an actor and makes it work for this movie. He is charismatic, confident, and is able to be physical and convincing with his character. His character has many flaws, but the main two are addiction and greed. Who wouldn’t want to be invincible and obtain the American dream with the swallow of a pill? Want to talk about going from a zero to a hero, Eddie is living proof. But no matter what the audience likes or dislikes about the guy, Cooper breathes life in to the character and carries the movie really well. Cedar Rapids made a leading man out of Ed Helms and this movie did it for Cooper. These Hangover guys are the real deal.
Burger uses the camera to show how Eddie’s mind is wired before the pill and after the pill. And he literally takes the camera in to his brain in a few scenes. But when he takes the pill, everything moves at a quicker pace with the world getting brighter, clearer and more distinct. It is a clever way to show what this pill does besides just the physical changes to Eddie. Burger makes Limitless sharp, energetic, and intriguing.
Brandon Vick is a member of The Music City Film Critics’ Association and the Southeastern Film Critics Association, the resident film critic of the SoBros Network, and the star of The Vick’s Flicks Podcast. Follow him on Twitter @SirBrandonV and be sure to search #VicksFlicks for all of his latest movie reviews.
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