Limitless

Behind Blue Eyes

I've been a fan of Bradley Cooper, ever since he starred in a low-profile American comedy called Kitchen Confidential. On Confidential, Cooper played a chef at a high-quality restaurant who often got into hijinks through his good looks and charm; a role that he seems to have made his own since the show was cancelled and Cooper became a film star, starring in films such as The A-Team and The Hangover. Since I saw Brad (we're on first-name terms) start off in the business, I am glad to see his name appear in more films and become increasingly widely known in Hollywood.

In Cooper's latest, Limitless, he plays Eddie Mora, an aspiring writer who can't seem to get a grip on his wasteful life, as well as an irritating case of writer's block. When a friend offers him a pill that allows him to use the full potential of his brain power*, Eddie becomes incredibly smart, resourceful and efficient. The pill leads Eddie to a high-paying job and the life that he wants, but with the fantastic benefits, the pill starts to take over Eddie's life, making life insufferable without the miraculous pill.

(*Despite this, research has said that we humans do use 100% of our brain power sometimes, and that the whole 20% thing is just a myth)

I left the screen showing Limitless with a very big smile on my face. The film's premise is incredibly intriguing and like the title suggest, has limitless amounts of potential to access. was surprisingly artistic and well-crafted, with some of the visual set-pieces actually blowing me away, all twinned with an appropriate pounding soundtrack. The storyline does get a bit lazy in parts, with the typical Russian gangsters and scary, all-powerful men-in-suits trying to find out Eddie's secret for themselves but it stays as overall good fun.

Shia LeBeouf was originally cast as Eddie, but then replaced by Cooper, and I can't help feel that the film wouldn't have been as good with the annoying gormless wonder-of-tomorrow as the main star. Cooper does an impressive job as the down-and-out writer, and the make-up department did a very good job at making the normally 'breath-taking' Cooper look like this:

Pretty sure all the girls reading this still would though, right?

Bobby deNiro co-stars as Eddie's Big Boss, and seems a bit wasted, as he occassionally gets to impose his screen presense but is mainly in the background, watching Eddie weave his magic. He could have been used more, but then again, it's good to see him in a role that doesn't involve prancing around in drag or starring in a film without the word "Fockers" in the name.

Overall, Limitless was quite inspiring, I left the theatre full of new ideas to try out for this site, as well as numerous ideas for articles, all of which have drifted into obscurity. Perhaps Limitless is my pill of choice, that will constantly awaken my imagination every time I watch. With the amount of time I've spent on these reviews recently, we can only hope so.

Rating - 8/10