Good film; appalling ending...

Rating: 1/10 (29 June 2013)

This film has so much potential, so much potential; yet unfortunately it falls well below the expected line.
The ubiquitous Bradley Cooper plays the role of a slob who takes a pill that transforms his mental capabilities and allows him to glory his genius by making big money on the stock market. Of course there is a beautiful woman, Abby Cornish, with whom Cooper has a relationship.
This fairly generic formula for the super-hero, flamboyant, flirtatious, protagonist offsets the genuinely inspired plot of the film. The film, in its essence, turns our estimation of drugs on its head. Of course drugs are reprehensible when they lead to decay; yet here they stimulate growth and opulence and thus the limitless drugs are not so much seen as the addictive agent that they are, rather the perpetrator of prosperity which, upon first evaluation, they are.
Unfortunately, despite Cooper's becoming of an analytical machine, there are many fundamental flaws in his logic: firstly, why, upon taking this drug in which there were unknown substances, would Cooper's immediate reaction not be the ruthless stride to comprehend the essence of the drug and subsequently better it so as to ensure his future prosperity?; secondly, why does Cooper not separate the pills into multiple bags so as best to avoid their potential loss?; thirdly, would it not seem rational to correctly check the tin in which he keeps the pills to completely remove the risk of their being a remaining one... It does not take a genius to observe these fundamental flaws!!
Subsequently the loan shark Gennady, who also does not know the components of NZT, take the risk of distilling the pill? It seems nonsensical for someone of absolute logic to take such simple risks; furthermore why did he not correctly analyse the room in which he is killed? Surely he should have noticed the knife as a major threat and sought to remove it from the near-grasp of Cooper?
I end quickly by writing that the ending is appalling. The film in itself is not that bad, unfortunately the ending is not up to par and gives a sense of incompleteness to the film. Its like turning over onto the final page of a thriller novel, and reading the line: 'and they all lived happily ever after for the rest of their days'.
Idea: brilliant. Execution: awful.