LIMITLESS – The Review

Here’s a variation of an old ethical question-what would you risk in order to get everything you desire? It’s been explored in stories and fables such as Aladdin and his Genie and the Monkey’s Paw. This time the magic is in the form of an untested drug. Pop the pill and reach your full potential. The catch is that it’s still experimental. There could be side effects. Would you take that risk? These are the conundrums at the center of the new thriller from director Neil Burger (2006’s THE ILLUSIONIST), LIMITLESS.

At the start of the film, Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) is standing on a ledge at the top floor of a brand new high rise. Should he take that extra step and jump or face whoever is attempted to bust through the steel entrance door of  his home? How did he get in this predicament? His mind races back several weeks. We see an unkempt Eddie shuffling across a New York City street. He meets up with his upwardly mobile girlfriend Lindy (Abbie Cornish). She’s frustrated with Eddie’s lack of progress with his science fiction novel (he’s spent almost all of the advance with almost nothing written) and ends their relationship. Leaving the diner Eddie bumps into his ex-wife’s brother Vernon (Johnny Whitworth). Seems that Vernon’s a hotshot sales rep for a pharmaceutical company. He then gifts Eddie a sample of the company’s new, untested wonder- drug MDT which can unleash 100 % of your brain’s potential (we only use about 15%). Eddie’s shrugs him off, but takes the pills. After several hours of procrastinating at a blank laptop screen, he gives the pill a try! Boom! The words of his novel flood out of him and on to the computer. He then cleans up and organizes his sty of an apartment. After dropping off the completed manuscript at his stunned editor’s office, he encounters the angry wife of his landlord. Noticing her law textbook, he helps her write a thesis, and they share a bit of afternoon delight. Eddie then starts to have difficulty focusing. He needs more MDT. After calling Vernon, Eddie is stunned when the worked over,bruised salesman greets him at his apartment. Vernon asks Eddie to pick up some breakfast and his dry cleaning. They’ll work out a deal when Eddie gets back. Returning from the errands, Eddie pushes open the unlocked door and finds Vernon dead from a shot to the temple. After calling the police, Eddie searches through the ransacked rooms and locates several thousand dollars and a huge stash of MDT. Eddie then begins to re-invent himself. He trims down, gets finely groomed, acquires tailored suits, and has a friend put him in at an investment firm. After borrowing a hundred grand from a shady Russian loan shark, Eddie astounds his co-workers with his success in stocks. Eddie is also successful in reconnecting with Lindy. Soon the Wall Street whiz kid attracts the attention of mogul Carl Van Loon ( Robert De Niro ). Seems all’s going great for the new Eddie until he begins waking up in unfamiliar places with hazy memories of weird nocturnal adventures. And there’s a creepy fella following him everywhere. Oh and that thug wants his loan repaid now. Maybe he should up his dosage. Oh oh, he’s nearly out of pills? What’ll happen to his big plans now? Not to mention his addicted brain and body!

For most the film director Burger keeps the story humming along at a fast clip. He uses lots of rapid editing and computer graphics to illustrate  Eddie’s drug-fried brain. During one of his dreamy wanderings, he’s stunned to discover that he’s at the center of a subway brawl. His brain then quickly flashes back to his nine year old self watching a Bruce Lee actioner on the tube. Those bruisers didn’t stand a chance. Cooper brings a lot of energy to the role of Eddie, but I had a difficult time accepting him as a super human computer. Perhaps it’s because he’s so good at playing obnoxious jerks in films like WEDDING CRASHERS and THE HANGOVER. Cornish makes for a great smart, sexy, romantic sidekick. It’s a shame that her character is absent from most of the final third of the film. De Niro’s his usual gruff, intimidating stuff. He just doesn’t have a whole lot to do other than being a very scary version of Donald Trump. The NYC locations are used to great effect during some very tense chase sequences. My main problem with the film is it’s abrupt, almost truncated ending. I was reminded a bit of the sudden shift and stop at the conclusion of UNBREAKABLE. Perhaps a director’s cut or extra scenes in the DVD will help the finale make a bit more sense. Despite the plotting problems LIMITLESS puts a nice pharmaceutical spin on that old adage that warns “Be careful what you wish for”.

Overall Rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 stars