Limitless - Film Review

A what-if pseudo science based exploration in the grounds of a personal drama combined with thriller connotations is what drives Limitless, the new outing from The Illusionist director Neil Burger, a story based loosely on Alan Glynn's The Dark Fields, and asking vaguely philosophical questions in order to find a practical fantasy escapism style caper.

It's a classic idea. Struggling (and I mean deadbeat struggling) writer Eddie Mora (Bradley Cooper) can't even write the first words of the book he's contracted to, has just been ditched by unsatisfied girlfriend Lindy (Abbie Cornish), and lives in squalour. By chance he runs into an old acquinatance, who generously offers gives him a test of a new, unreleased clear pill that increases brain activity. And within a few seconds, Eddie's a genius and more.

The drug that 'pharmaceutical consultant' and former brother in law Vernon (Johnny Whitworth) gives Eddie is named NZT, and it's boast is enabling the body to access 100% of the brain. Soon, Eddie is able to finally make a start on his book, bed his landlord's young wife and generally see the world from far brighter eyes. His attempt to gain more of the pills sees him thrust into a crime scene when Vernon is murdered, presumably for the drug, which Eddie is then able to obtain for himself. With a healthy supply, Eddie changes his life, finishing the novel in four days, making powerful friends and large amounts of money in no time, and even changing his career path to become a hugely prolific stockbrocker, making millions over night and coming to the attention of corportate giant Carl Van Loon (Robert De Niro).

But it's not all clear sailing and speeding in fast cars. Concern mounts as a mysterious man (Tomas Arana) tracks his every move, he experiences blackouts and memory lapses, and gets mixed up with Russian loan shark Gennady (Andrew Howard). Then the biggest blow, the discovery that NZT is far from being a safely sampled medicine, leaving behind it a long list of damaged lives and ailing health, including that of Eddie's ex-wife Melissa (Anna Friel). With shadowy figures battling to get their hands on the little clear pills and Eddie's long term health a concern, it's going to be a hell of a struggle before the conclusion to the fable is reached.

Except it isn't, which I'll come to later. First, the positives. Neil Burger's visual flair here really accentuates the film, from the opening, dizzying zoom style tracking through New York's bustling city streets, to the transition into NZT's bright, high focus. It makes a good effort to establish the change in consciousness, as well as using a style which provides a pacy and dazzling mood. And although he may not be the most charismatic of actors, reminscent of a young Sean Penn, Bradley Cooper is solid enough to carry the film, and pulls off the sudden IQ growth fairly well, with his dizzy and slurring old self a million miles away from the slick suit and sharp words of the rich and rising Eddie. Abbie Cornish too is decent, and Andrew Howard clearly enjoys his role as the scenery chewing Gennady, the film's blunt threat. Robert De Niro is, well, Robert De Niro, so you can't fault his perfomance, in a disappontingly underwritten role. And 'underwritten' is a word that represents a recurring theme here.

Because the biggest problem, as far as I can tell, comes in the form of it's underdeveloped script, and I have to be careful to maintain my 'no spoilers' policy here in ruminating on the film's crux. In retrospect the screenplay has the feel of a fairly good first draft, an ambitious story and intriguing idea, but with an arc that badly needs work and suffers a rudderless feel. And frankly, Leslie Dixon goes far too easy on Eddie, perhaps trapped by the film's voiceover narrative into getting too close to the protagnist, and finding it too tempting to allow him an easier ride than the story demands. Solutions are too simple, the outlook is far too basic, and more unforgiveably plot points are dropped, neglected and hastily cleared up, symptoms of a lack of planning and doctoring. The dialogue may work, but the logic mostly doesn't. The words "too easy" spring to mind far too often. The ending, hasty and abrupt, concludes the film with what, in it's own universe, is an old joke, and with a concluding epilogue which indicates that if you take NZT and stay on it, everything will work out just fine without consequences, which is a cheap cop out and renders the film into little more than enjoyable distraction. Imagine Flowers for Algernon if Charlie just kept getting smarter.

Anyway, this more or less ruins the film's promise (ironically), causing the second half to simply be a minefield of convenience and plot hole sweeping that takes a tantalising idea and relegates it into a 100 minute moderately entertaining fairly tale which ultimately has no point. It's a huge shame, because as I've already touched upon the potential is undeniable, but the film's danger elements turn out to be contrived plot twists, and hints at impending danger turn out to be just as hollow as the piece's message. Scratch hollow, make that non-existant. It's arrogant to try and force the idea of deeper meaning on every storytelling medium, but you at least need something more than swish editing and fashion catalogue posturing. It's narration and chronologically displaced prologue suggest a rise and fall, except there's no fall and the scene in question doesn't turn out to be all that important.

So, as much as I'd love to be gushing right now, I'm actually disappointed, and even the day after watching it I'm still thinking of flaws and missing links. This isn't a film limited by it's own hubris, it's one that wasn't fully cooked when it went into post. With more work on the script, it could have been enthralling. As it stands, it's enough to not make you bored for a small portion of your day. All the more frustrating when it could, in better hands, have been a real gem.

5/10