Limitless, slightly Limited

Rating: 7/10 (21 March 2011)

The film centres around a hapless writer Edward Morra who is struggling to write his book, the publishers is slowly getting impatient and no matter how hard e tries the words just don't seem to be coming his way. On top of that his girlfriend Lindy has decided enough is enough. Then a chance encounter with his ex brother in law Vernon leads him to start taking a pill. One that will change his life forever.
The idea for the story is that by taking a pill you can use all the synapses of the brain rather than the 20 % we can utilise now but like most drugs there are side effects.
The film force feeds you all you need to know in small snippets of visual aids and also a narrative from Bradley Cooper ( Edward ). This means you do not have to think to much about what is going on, instead you watch you listen and enjoy his journey.
The pacing is good and you never lose interest or get confused about what is happening, its all there in bite size chunks for you to ingest. The film has drug abuse overtones although these are subtle they are apparent and one scene highlights this. However this is not a film that wants you to pass judgement or think to much, what you get is a popcorn flick with an IQ above average.... barely.
There are many flaws with the story telling that at times leave you questioning certain actions of characters, the good news is that the pacing of the film means you don't get much time to think them through as you are now focused on the next scene and the next e.t.c
The performances are pretty good Bradley Cooper plays a different role from his usual romcom affair but as usual the focus on his baby blues take precedent. DeNiro has little to do except play the tough corporate achiever. Abbie Cornish who plays Eddie's GF is pretty expressionless but solid nevertheless. Anna Friel was rather underused as was Thomas Arana ( did he speak ). Andrew Howard who plays an eastern European money lender and all round bad guy hams it up and pulls it off rather well but overall everyone knows there part and does what is asked.
The things you will enjoy about this film is the pacing and the overall concept and lets not forget this is a concept film. It does not delve deep into the human psyche nor does it open your eyes to something great. What it does do is provide 90 Min's of sharp entertainment combined with a bit of action and decent cinematography.
The things you may dislike is the lack of depth and the force fed storyline although I can see for many that this will be a bonus.
I've given it a 7, I was entertained and it was a polished popcorn flick with a little more depth than most. Its not going to upset anyone or make you jump and applaud so just sit back and enjoy the movie.