Limitless (2011)

Content by Tony Macklin. Originally published on March 25, 2011 @ tonymacklin.net.

In Limitless, Bradley Cooper becomes a full-fledged movie star -- or at least half-fledged. He nails it. Fly, Bradley, fly.

Cooper took over the leading role from Shia LaBeouf, who was originally cast.

It's too bad Shia didn't take one of the magical pills in Limitless, because then he would have seen that coming.

Shia LaBeouf with his vulnerable energy seems a natural for the role of frantic man-on-the-run Eddie Morra in Limitless. It was typecasting.

Bradley Cooper seems more of a risk. Limitless is not The Hangover Meets The A-Team. But Cooper is able to draw fully on his abilities to make Eddie Morra a compelling, credible character. He makes the character his own.

There's a lot of Bradley. See Bradley run. See multiple Bradleys cleaning up and suiting up. See Bradley frown and smile. See Bradley hug and kiss. See Bradley go wild.

See Bradley both scruffy and sartorial. See Bradley on the toilet, and see Bradley vomit. See Bradley upside down. See Bradley channel Bruce Lee.

And, ladies, don't despair. It takes well into the movie, but Bradley does take his shirt off.

Bradley Cooper now has both a make-up artist and a hair stylist. He's left The A-Team for the A-List.

The plot of Limitless may not seem promising, but it works. Eddie Morra (Cooper) is a struggling would-be novelist with writer's block. He lives in semi-squalor in his apartment in New York City.

Eddie meets his former brother-in-law Vernon (Johnny Whitworth) on the street. Vernon gives him a pill -- NZT 48 -- which gives Eddie a four digit IQ and allows him to access and utilize expansive and phenomenal information, with crucial clarity.

The pill becomes his means to brilliant success. He becomes "enhanced Eddie."

But Eddie needs more pills, and so he enters a world fraught with danger. That leads to his chasing and being chased breathlessly.

Some have complained that Limitless lacks depth of character. But many of Hitchcock's films don't have much character depth. Who really is Marion Crane? And Hitch's villains were often just figures of menace.

This is not to suggest that Neil Burger is Hitchcock, but both directors used style to keep their movies involving and potent.

Burger's Limitless moves, darts, and zooms. It has a few surprises and a bunch of thrills. The ending is not strong, but Hitch's endings often lack oomph, too.

Limitless has an able script by Leslie Dixon from Alan Glynn's novel The Dark Fields. It's been a long time since Robert De Niro has been given any dialogue up to his talent, but his speech as businessman Carl to Eddie about experience and competition is worthy dialogue.

De Niro effectively plays a powerful tycoon who contemplates Eddie's knowledge, and Abbie Cornish is serviceable as Eddie's past girl friend, who is smitten by the new Eddie. Andrew Howard has the palpable look of menace as a vicious loan shark.

Limitless may not pass a demanding test of logic. But Hitchcock once told me, "logic is dull."

Limitless is not dull.