Limitless

Rating: 4 and 1/2 Shurikens

I went into this movie with no idea what I was going to see. It was the only movie starting at the time I got to the theater, so I took it. I hate walking in even a minute after the movie starts, let alone the trailers. I got into my seat as the screen came up, closer than I wanted to be because the theater was rather packed.
The opening was arresting. The sequence before the credits was a wild visual ride through streets and sidewalks as if someone took a camera and zoomed in a straight line several miles away. It went in the back of car windows, out the fronts, along streets and down sidewalks, into doorways. It was awesome! Sitting close to the screen as I was made it even better. The movie is narrated by the main character, who starts out in a precarious position, ready to jump from a tall building rather than be killed in some heinous fashion by the people who are trying to break down his door.

Eddie Morra is played by Bradley Cooper, who was seen in the recent movies The Hangover and The A-Team. The plot is that the guy is a starving author who is pretty smart, but has no idea what he is going to write about. It isn't clear how he could ever be considered an author, because it seems he hasn't written a thing. His girlfriend, Lindy, is breaking up with him because he is such a loser. Lindy is a beautiful blond, played by Abbie Cornish, who is also in Sucker Punch. She is rising in her career as he is going nowhere, and he reminisces about his very short first marriage, as a way of introducing a couple of people who figure into the story later on. He goes on trying to write his book, and walking around the streets of New York trying to clear his head, he runs into his ex-brother-in-law.

Vernon is played by Johnny Whitworth, who was a costar in 3:10 to Yuma, the remake. He also is to appear in the upcoming sequel to the most excellent Ghost Rider. Anyway, Vernon seems to have run afoul of some bad people, and is dealing in pharmaceuticals. He is like a drug dealer, but the drug is new and isn't illegal, although it isn't approved by the Food and Drug Administration. Vernon gives Eddie a clear little pill, which Eddie takes on the way home. This is where the movie starts to get good. Eddie is suddenly a genius, and everything in his brain works perfectly, and he is able to start his book.

After the drug wears off, he goes back to being normal, and seeks Vernon so that he can get some more. Vernon sends him out on an errand, and when he returns, he finds Vernon dead. He searches the place, which has already been thoroughly torn up, and finds the secret hiding place where Vernon kept the pills. With a supply of the wonder drug, which is called NZT, Eddie becomes a celebrity, and enjoys a new life where everything he does turns out right, because he is really smart when he takes the drug. Apparently, he was already pretty smart to start with, which really helps when taking NZT.

Like most things in life, there is a downside, and that is the dark side of NZT. Eddie learns the side effects, which cause some harm to the body and brain from having such high levels of performance. It's like steroids for the brain, with some consequences. Eddie decides to make the best of it, and tries with little success to use his enhanced brainpower to make money in a down economy. He is forced to see a loan shark, so that he can get seed money for his plan. The loan shark turns out to be a very mean person, one of several plot dimensions that make the story interesting. Robert de Niro plays Carl van Loon, who Eddie needs to help him make the big score. Then there is the mysterious person who seems to be following him around, with bad intent.

The first part of the movie is told in flashback, then comes back to the ledge, where he is ready to jump. But, does he? You'll have to go see it to find out. To say any more would give away too much of the story, and that is not what I am here for. I just want to say that this film has a lot to offer in terms of edginess, intrigue, and even good old-fashioned violence. The story is riveting, and the premise is very interesting. The intro at the beginning and a similar scene in the middle of the movie make a greatly entertainment effect. But, like with the wonder drug NZT, there is a downside, which is a possibly unintended message relating to drugs. The way the story presents a substance that is very much like an illegal drug, might give tacit support to the use of illicit drugs as a way of dealing with life's problems. There is a philosophical side to this story. I am a little bothered by that aspect of the movie. Parental guidance may be in order here.

Otherwise, I rate this a "See". I give it 4 and 1/2 Shurikens, for a captivating story, good acting, and all-around good entertainment value for the ticket price.