|
Limitless
| Released |
23 March 2011 |
| Director |
Neil Burger |
Starring
|
Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Abbie Cornish, Anna Friel |
| Writer(s) |
Leslie Dixon |
Producer(s)
|
Leslie Dixon, Ryan Kavanaugh, Scott Kroopf |
| Origin |
United States |
| Running Time |
99 minutes |
| Genre |
Thriller |
| Rating |
15A |
|
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Of limited interest.
For one day wouldn’t you just love to borrow some of the great superpowers of movie history? Soar through the skies, run faster than a speeding bullet, lift a freight train above your head or suddenly have an encyclopaedic knowledge of Supreme Court judges! So, that last example might not seem as exciting as the rest but it’s just one of the handy little tricks gained by Eddie (Bradley Cooper) in Limitless. The struggling writer, just dumped by his successful girlfriend has a chance encounter with his ex brother-in-law who gives him an experimental drug that will help him creatively. And so it does- clearing the mind, allowing him to access memory and information at a second. Returning to get another hit, he finds his brother-in-law murdered but thankfully, the perpetrators didn’t find his stash and Eddie comes into possession of a large bag of little pills. Suddenly, the world is his oyster.
It is an intriguing idea and for a while, Limitless hurtles along enjoyably as Eddie transforms himself from zero to multilingual hero. Then, unfortunately the film has a Jekyll and Hyde moment, suddenly becoming two things at once with decidedly uneven results when Eddie decides to use his new found brain power to play the stock markets. One moment, Limitless is a high-concept action flick where Eddie runs from gangsters and discovers he knows how to fight like Bruce Lee and the next, we are plunged into the “intrigue” of high finance, where time suddenly slows to a crawl- even Robert De Niro as an energy magnate looks suitably bored.
Throughout, director Neil Burger (The Illusionist) tries to keep the visuals dynamic with some hyperactive camera effects- zooming through the city streets, suddenly turning upside down or populating the screen with several Eddie’s to demonstrate his mental state. At times, this is effective (particularly the quick edits as Eddie experiences temporary memory loss) but mostly it only threatens to induce motion sickness. The central character himself is similarly difficult to get a grasp on. At the beginning, Eddie is a likable slob but as his fame, fortune and intellect grows, his charm plummets.
So, Limitless is a tale of two movies. At times, it’s a fun and dynamic watch but it can also suddenly take a turn toward the tedious.
- Linda O’Brien |
