Limitless (Review)

Limitless has a killer premise, albeit a bogus one. It’s based on the idea that we only use 20 percent of our brains, though it’s become common knowledge that this notion is, for lack of a better word, phony. Luckily, this doesn’t become the most important part of the story. Limitless plays into a universal desire that we all have to become the perfect version of ourselves, and it offers this dream in a small, easily ingested pill. While the film doesn’t offer a conclusion that equals the promise of the opening act, the energetic direction of Neil Burger and the fun lead performance of Bradley Cooper help make the film a fun little trip.

Cooper plays Eddie Morra, a sci-fi writer who has a book contract despite the fact he has yet to write a single word of his alleged masterpiece. He’s generally unclean, impoverished and he considers himself a failure – that is until he runs into his ex-brother-in-law on the streets of New York. This guy is something of a drug dealer, and he offers Eddie a pill that would allow him to access every nook and cranny of his brain, and in the process become as focused as he’s ever been. Eddie is hesitant, but he ultimately gives it a go. After popping it, Eddie suddenly becomes a book-writing, apartment-cleaning, female-seducing übermensch. The possibilities for his future are – wait for it – limitless.

However, as this is a movie, complications ensue. People start dying, Eddie feels threatened by an unseen enemy, and using the drug may not be all sunshine and roses. Not all of these developments make much sense, but Limitless tells the story with such conviction and forward momentum that the audience barely notices the gigantic holes flying by.

Films like Limitless often spend their time building toward some grand twist. These revelations can work terrifically well, but they often can derail a film if they become too outlandish. Screenwriter Leslie Dixon, adapting a book by Alan Glynn, avoids this by not giving Limitless much of a climax at all. When you have a premise as juicy as this, it feels like a betrayal to just kind of let it glide to a not-so-exciting ending. The great films – and I argue Limitless, in a different form, could have been one – have a signature moment that successfully drives the entire film home. Limitless suffers ever so slightly because it never takes much of a chance.

As a result, this film is far more effective as a simple thriller. Director Neil Burger injects Limitless with a very Fincherian Fight Club vibe, and Bradley Cooper’s constant narration – something that could have ruined the film – actually becomes an asset. Cooper’s voice takes us entirely inside his head, and Burger employs a great many visual tricks that make the drug trip scenes unusually effective. The drug not only gives the characters a greater sense of clarity; it has the same effect on the audience. The picture becomes brighter and crisper, and suddenly the entire world seems to be there for the taking.

The final bow that ties it all together is the performance of Bradley Cooper, who proves once and for all that he can be an interesting leading man rather than a mere pretty face. Eddie Morra is not that easy a character to play, but Cooper absolutely nails it from moment one. We’re not talking Raging Bull­-level stuff here, but this film proves to me that Cooper has potential to dig into meatier roles as his career progresses.

As enjoyable as Limitless is, there’s still a nagging feeling that there’s a great movie just beneath the surface that the filmmakers, specifically the screenwriter, chose to ignore. This could have been a brilliant, intelligent story, but the lame ending and lack of any real audacity end up making a product that is merely good. There’s a very good chance I may be overrating Limitless, as the last movie I saw was Sucker Punch, and the idea that a movie could be merely adequate was kind of refreshing. I suspect not, however. In a world where most films tend to look the same, an out-of-the-box effort like Limitless deserves a bit of credit.

Rating:  (out of 4)