Limitless [M]

Eddy is an unpublished writer with an IQ of 4. But his life changes when he bumps into his ex-brother-in-law and is a given a new top-secret smart pill that allows him to use 100% of his brain. After just one dose, Eddy’s life is miraculously transformed, but soon his reliance on the pills reaches a dangerous level and his enhanced abilities attract shadowy forces that threaten his life. 

I think I’d have to watch this movie more than once to really understand the ingenuity of it. It’s a brilliant story about addiction and how it can enhance primal human instincts such as desperation and flight or fight, but I couldn’t quite grasp the conspiratorial thriller part that was obviously vital to the story. Nevertheless, after watching this movie just once, it has left me with a satisfied feeling and a good deal to think and write about.  

Eddy is an unpublished writer with an IQ of 4. But his life changes when he bumps into his ex-brother-in-law and is given a new top-secret smart pill that will allow him to use 100% of his brain. With just one dose, eddy’s life is miraculously transformed to perfection, but soon his reliance on the pill reaches a dangerous level and his enhanced abilities attract the attention of shadowy and sinister forces that threaten his life. 

There were a lot of different stories running parallel with one another that made up this movie. Obviously, the central focus of the story is the miracle of this new smart drug and its effect on unlocking human potential, Eddy’s potential in particular. Then we have the smaller story of Eddy’s addiction to his own potential, which soon escalates into a huge charade that he cannot afford to shatter. Running parallel with the story of Eddy and his addiction is the conspiracy and corruption story that sees everyone who uses the drug becoming either critically sick or killed. And then, on top of everything else, you have a story of wits and competition, which I didn’t really follow, between Eddy and his new boss. 

There were a lot of elements that made this movie memorable, the mind-tripping camera zooming and multiple Eddys in particular. The use of colour and lighting was something that was really amazing too, which is good because in most films, you never really acknowledge the poor people who do the lighting and, really, we’d all be in dark without them. 

Starring Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish, Anna Friel, Andrew Howard, and Robert De Niro Limitless is a brilliantly trippy movie filled with action, violence, corruption, addiction, paranoia, desperation, and drama. You need to watch it more than once to really understand the ingenuity of it, but it’s definitely a film that you must see.