Released by: 20th Century Fox
Released on: 7/19/2011
Director: Neil Burger
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Robert De Niro, Andrew Howard, Anna Friel
Year: 2011
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The Movie:
Eddie Mora (Bradley Cooper, The Hangover) is a struggling writer with a book deal and no inspiration. His girlfriend Lindy (Abbie Cornish, Sucker Punch) is tired of his crap and she dumps him, putting him into an even bigger depression. But then he bumps into his ex-brother-in-law Vernon (Johnny Whitworth, 3:10 To Yuma), a former drug dealer, who is now legit and working for a pharmaceutical company. After a drink and some catch-up time, Vernon tells Eddie he has just the thing for him: an experimental drug called NZT. This pill will allow him to use 100 percent of his brain.

Eddie pops the pill on his walk to his apartment and sees instant results. He cleans his apartment, screws his landlord, and writes a bunch of pages for his book. This stuff clears his head and makes him razor sharp, enabling him to recall everything he's ever read, and making him incredibly intelligent. Vernon only gave him one pill, so he of course needs more, and Vernon will give him some. But Vernon is obviously not on the level and some people are after him. A turn of events puts Eddie at an opportunity to get a giant stash of NZT, and he uses it daily. He decides the writing gig isn't what will get him rich, so he goes into day trading. Within a couple of weeks he is seen as some sort of wonder boy and gains the attention of high powered businessman Carl Van Loon (Robert DeNiro), and they begin planning the largest corporate takeover in U.S. history.

All is not well, of course, and NZT starts showing some nasty side effects. Eddie learns more people have taken it and are not fairing so well once they run out. And there's another problem to contend with. The loan shark (Andrew Howard) that Eddie got involved with to start his plans of becoming rich learns about the NZT and will stop at nothing in order to get what Eddie has. And some creepy man has been following him. He too, will stop at nothing to get what Eddie has. Everyone wants what Eddie's got in his pocket.

This was an entertaining enough film. It's got plenty of twists and turns to keep you guessing, it's pretty fast paced, and has a good cast. Cooper as Eddie does a great job with his character, transforming from a down-and-out writer to a wonder-boy day trader. DeNiro is of course DeNiro. Andrew Howard was very effective as brutish loan shark. Visually it has some interesting things to offer. There's plenty of CGFX on the screen, but it's really well done and certainly not distracting. One of the more interesting effects is a point of view perspective while traveling really fast through New York City, which is the opening credits sequence. Another involves the main character doing many things on the screen at once.

The way the movie starts, the narration method used, and certain visual elements might remind some of Fight Club, but that feeling will probably go away after the first 20 minutes. Once things get rolling it feels more like its own movie and it gives a pretty much non-stop ride throughout. A couple of good plot twists keep you wondering for the most part. The film's ending might leave a weird taste in your mouth, depending on how you interpret the end message. The message this viewer took away from it might piss of Nancy Reagan a little bit.

Video/Audio/Extras:
The movie looks great. This 1080p AVC encoded disc has an aspect ratio of 2.40:1 and has a really clean picture. The detail is sharp, and the black levels nice and deep. The colors, when not intentionally dreary, really stand out. For the audio there's the choice between an English 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio track and a French language 5.1 Dolby Digital one. As far as the English one goes, it sounds fantastic. Lots of city noises all around, heavy subwoofer action, and enhanced sounds when NZT is reeking havoc. The balance sounds good, although sometimes the music was a little overpowering. No disc issues to report.

The extras start off with an audio commentary by the director. Not a good track. When he does talk, a lot of it is describing what's happening on the screen. He does provide some interesting bits, but there's way too much wasted time. A second participant would have help tremendously. Two featurettes included make up about 20 minutes or so, and are decent enough. Worth a once over. There is also an alternate ending to check out. Another item to note that this release offers the PG-13 theatrical version and an unrated extended cut. And there's an additional disc that contains the digital version for all your tiny phone screens.

The Final Word:
Limitless offers a slick movie that holds your attention and offers some satisfying eye food. Aside from the boring commentary, the extras are decent and just about all you need for a movie like this. And the disc delivers a great picture. This one may not warrant repeat viewing, but there's certainly worse ways to spend a couple of hours.