Limitless is a techno-thriller loosely based on the 2001 Novel The Dark Fields (Alan Glynn). The premise is that a failed writer Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) is offered an experimental drug (NZT-4 which makes him super-smart, enabling him to achieve great success, but at the cost of personality changes, side-effects and the attentions of unsavory gangsters and wall-street tycoons.

Techno-thrillers are my favourite type of film, because they present sci-fi concepts in a way which appeals to both the imgination and the intellect. The plot here is distinctly average, but there are still a few deliciously convoluted scenarios in Eddie’s need to outwit the attentions of a Russian mobster Gennady (Andrew Howard), wall-street tycoon Carl Van Loon (Robert de Niro), and a mysterious hit-man. The trouble is these villians are stereo-types and its sometimes hard to see them as credible threats towards someone supposed to be super-intelligent (why oh why was the hit-man in the park trying to kill people with a knife instead of a gun?). Still, the plot does provide fair entertainment value.

The best aspect of the film is undoubtedly the depiction of the effects of the drug on the main character – there are some supurb camera effects, for instance, letters and numbers tumbling from the ceiling when Eddie is writing his book or playing the stock market. The audience really does feel they are on a trip themselves.

And taking a drug to enhance intelligence really is a great premise. Suddenly Eddie can write novels fast, win tons of money on the stock market at trading, seduce women, learn languages quickly, absorb facts at speed and draw complex conclusions and scenarios and know how to fight his way out of various hairy situations. These are all realistic and entertaining possibilities. Also realistic is the potential side-effects such an untested drug might have, and the actual changes it might make to a persons personality (Eddie gets a lot more cocky!) And what happens when the stash of drugs runs out? Bradley Cooper does a pretty good job acting out these things in a way that engages the audience. The trouble is the other characters are simply not that interesting.

Overall , the weak plot and lack of other strong characters means the film is relatively light-weight. The premise simply isn’t explored in enough depth and the villains are weak. The film has the effect of a pleasant stimulant rather than an earth-shattering epiphany generator. But still enough fun to be worth a look.

My Rating: 3/5 stars