Limitless starring Bradley Cooper is about a man who goes from failure to multi-millionaire.
The movie opens with Eddie Morra, played by Bradley Cooper, a well-dressed, good-looking man standing on a balcony ledge about to jump. Men are pounding on the door but Eddie tells us he’d rather die quickly than have them kill him slowly. Why does anyone want Eddie dead?
Not too long ago Eddie, a disheveled mess of a man, was walking aimlessly around New York City. He had just been dumped by his girlfriend Lindy (Abbie Cornish) who is tired of paying the bills while Eddie wrestles with writers block. He bumps into his ex-brother-in-law and drug dealer, Vernon (Johnny Whitworth) who offers to buy him a drink. It’s not long before Vernon offers Eddie NZT, a pill which might get Eddie on track.
Suddenly Eddie is organized, clear-headed, steady and focused. He cleans up his apartment, himself and writes the book. Next on the agenda, get more NZT.
Vernon is happy to oblige if Eddie doesn’t mind running some errands first. By the time Eddie returns, the apartment has been ransacked and Vernon murdered. The NZT is all Eddie’s now.
There are some nasty side effects like not being able to account for eighteen hours. That’s easy to overlook after earning two million dollars in ten days.
Enter Carl Van Loon (Robert De Niro), a wealthy businessman who wants Eddie to help with a merger. Van Loon is a more legitimate thug than the many others who are after Eddie.
This is a fun movie to watch. When the NZT takes effect we see several Eddie’s cleaning the apartment. While typing, words seem to fall from the ceiling. Sometimes you feel like you’re looking in a mirror into another mirror into another mirror. The camera will suddenly flip the scene upside down or funnel you through the lens.
New York City adds an unmistakable vibrancy and character to the action. There probably aren’t many cities, thankfully, where a woman can be chased through Central Park and no one takes notice.
Bradley Cooper spoke of his admiration for Robert De Niro on Inside the Actor’s Studio. The respect the two actors have for each other comes through onscreen.
Limitless is solid entertainment, well worth the price of admission. In the end, living with our natural limitations may not be so bad after all.
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