From the trailers, I understood that Robert De Niro was a devil (like) character who offers Bradley Cooper a shot at the world--lifelong success--via a clear pill, but at a price. I thought Bradley Cooper sold his soul or made a deal and the devil came to collect once Cooper reaped the benefits of the pill.
Boy, was I wrong.
Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper) is a down-on-his-luck writer who happens to run into his ex-brother-in-law (via his marriage with his ex-wife, played by Anna Friel of "Pushing Daisies" fame), who used to be a drug dealer.
Well, in a way, he still was... (this actually reminded me a bit of the indie flick "Twelve" starring Chace Crawford)
He tells Eddie about this clear pill called NZT that is unlike anything that exists. It clears your mind--i.e. all your memories become accessible to you--you utilize 100% of your brain. The general belief is that we only utilize 20% of our brain, which leaves 80% locked (this has since been found out to be untrue). In the movie, Eddie takes NZT and immediately calculates, plans, scenarios... all functions of the brain at full capacity. He is the most productive he's been in a LONG while. When his juice runs out, well... of course he wants more. He's at his best when he's on NZT.
And therein lies the rub.
De Niro plays a fat cat, ahead-of-his-game, head-of-empire Carl Van Loon. He is reminiscent of Michael Douglas in "Wall Street" (1987)--cold, calculated, impersonal, shrewd businessman. He has had a lot of experience and a lot of success throughout the years. He is cautious and makes sure that only experts are trusted when it comes to his investments and time. Eddie's boss (after Eddie starts working for a stock company--I think it may be a brokerage firm) pushes him in to a meeting with Van Loon and from there, this "newb" starts playing with the 'big boys.' Van Loon's right-hand man, Pierce (played by Robert John Burke, of 'Thinner' [movie based upon Stephen King's horror novel of the same name] fame and most recently as Bart Bass on 'Gossip Girl'), scoffs at Morra and doesn't trust him because of his newfound fame and success--he came too quickly on to the scene.
When Morra finishes his first dosage of NZT, he goes back to his ex-brother-in-law, and to make a long story short--he ends up dying, and the movie begins to unravel the truth behind NZT.
A subplot involves a Russian loan shark who is constantly on Morra.
The movie revolves around NZT (for obvious reasons), and I would recommend you watch this film.
Abbie Cornish (who's also in newly released "Sucker Punch", which I sadly wanted to see, along with "Battle: LA", but may not have the $$ to spend--or willing to spend) plays Morra's girlfriend (from the beginning of the film--hearing of his 'ex-brother-in-law' confused me at first).
"Limitless" is based upon a novel by Irish writer Alan Glynn, called The Dark Fields, now being re-released under the Mass Market Paperback movie tie-in edition, Limitless. Hearing the title The Dark Fields makes me think of 'A Scanner Darkly' (and its novel). Ssssh... Not that I'm ruining anything (o; [b/c I'm not]
Get thee to the theatre (or download SSSHH!) now!! Enjoy!
Overall Grade: B+/A-
(maybe more like a B++ lol if that exists)
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