Sans limites

'LIMITLESS': Three Stars (Out of Five)

Bradley Cooper has came a long way from TV's 'ALIAS'. Here he headlines his first major motion picture, taking over a role once filled by Shia LaBeouf (who backed out of the film after hurting his arm in an automobile accident). A film with Robert De Niro playing a supporting player! As a whole the movie is entertaining but nothing great and Cooper's leading man performance is adequate but not spectacular. I think he's better in ensemble pieces like 'THE HANGOVER' and 'THE A-TEAM'. The film tells the story of a down on his luck writer who takes a secret drug which enhances the level his brain is able to function at, making him 'super smart'. It's directed by Neil Burger and written by Leslie Dixon (based on the book 'The Dark Fields' by Alan Glynn).

Cooper plays Eddie Morra, a New York City writer who's recently been dumped by his girlfriend (Abbie Cornish, who has also recently been seen co-starring in 'SUCKER PUNCH'). He's struggling to meet a deadline for a book he's been contracted to write when he stumbles upon his ex brother-in-law (Johnny Whitworth) who offers him a free sample of an unknown pharmaceutical drug called NZT. The drug provides him the ability to use a hundred percent of his brain's full capacity, as opposed to the supposed normal twenty percent, and makes him super confident. When he comes across a full stash of the drug he begins succeeding at everything he had always dreamed of. Then the side effects kick in and he discovers there are others after the drug as well that will stop at no cost to get a hold of it.

The movie has an interesting premise and is played out at an amusing pace but it's full of holes and moral detachment. Without giving away too much I'll just say that if you stop to think about many details in the story they don't really make sense. There's also several things the main character does in the film that are highly morally questionable yet they're portrayed as if they're heroic actions. I also think Cooper isn't quite cut out to carry a film like this and makes the character even a little less likable. With all it's flaws the movie is still somewhat interesting and intriguing and definitely entertaining. It's a mixed bag but worth the watch.

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