Limitless, a movie directed by Neil Burger is based on the novel, 'The Dark Fields' by Alan Glynn and screenplay by Leslie Dixon. It was released on the 18th of March'11. Bradley Cooper, Abbie Cornish and Robert De Niro constitute the main cast.
The movie opens up with Edward Morra (Cooper) standing on the ledge of his newly bought apartment, drowning in sweat with the wind mingling in his hair. Loud bangs are heard on the metallic door of his apartment, he takes a step closer towards the edge planning to fall off any second when suddenly something strikes his mind and he steps back. That, is when he begins telling his story. Cooper plays the role of one struggling writer, Mr Edward Morra. Morra, living in New York over a Chinese restaurant is having serious troubles with his life. His girlfriend Lindy (Cornish) breaks up with him because she is tired of taking care of Morra's needs, she tells him that she loves him but it's time they departed, she can not be his bank forever. Frustrated at this, Morra makes his way back home. On the way, he meets his ex brother-in-law Vernon Gant (Johnny Whitworth) who is surprised to see Eddie (the nickname of Edward Morra) in such a bad condition. His clothes are really bad and the long hair just makes him look like a beggar on the streets.
Grant invites Morra over for some drinks where Eddie tells him about a book he's writing, actually, wants to write since he hasn't written even a single word. Gant laughs at his conditions and tells him that he's working for a pharmaceutical company which is doing him quite good. Before leaving, Gant gives Morra a pill and says that is is tested by the FDA (Food and Drug Administration). After insistence, Eddie takes the pill and Gant's business card. Edward, sick of his life and all the weird happenings, eats his pill and goes home. That pill was for stimulating receptors in the human brain that activate specific circuits and enable one to use the entire of his brain. Morra is impressed by the pill as it helps him get by his annoying landlady and also enables him to finally start writing his book. So impressed that he goes to Vernon's place to get more. Vernon is all bruised and tells Morra to run some errands for him before he got the pills. When Morra returns, he finds his recently reunited friend, Vernon Gant lying on the sofa with a bullet through his head. Morra becomes scared and calls 911 immediately. The entire room is trashed which makes Morra realize that whoever was there, was looking for something, something worth killing a man for. He puts gloves on and starts searching for the most valuable thing Vernon owned, the pills aka NZT. He finds a bag with those pills rolled up inside, just then, the police arrives and take Morra to the station. He is asked a few questions and gets a phone call from his ex wife and Vernon's sister, Melissa Gant (Anna Friel) who asks him about her brother and hangs up after rejecting Morra's proposal to meet.
After finishing his book, he decides to start trading stocks for which he borrows $100,000 from a Russian-mafia thug, Gennady (Andrew Howard). Eddie finally gets back with his girlfriend, Lindy and also increases his dose of NZT. He starts making loads of money in no time but he's being followed by a guy in a trench coat. Now who could that be?
His success hits the news and an interview is set up with a powerful businessman, Carl Van Loon (Robert De Niro). Carl is impressed by Morra's intellect and sends him some files to read so he can be well prepared for their next meeting which is the following day. Morra is struck by the side effects of NZT which include hallucinations, lost time and frenetic activity and by the end of the day, ends up in a hotel room with a pretty blonde (Caroline Wineberg). The next morning he wakes up just prior to his meeting with Carl. Morra decides to give up on NZT and goes to the meeting unprepared. Carl asks him about this businessman who was nowhere to be seen 2 years ago and suddenly has become a competitor for Carl and wants to merge businesses with him. Just then Morra realizes that the new businessman, Hank Atwood (Richard Berkins) might be on NZT too, a news flash appears on the TV, saying that the woman Eddie was with the evening before was murdered. Melissa and Morra meet up and she tells him about how she too was addicted to NZT but had to let go because it made her sick and lazy and was lucky to still be alive. Melissa convinces him to continue with his dose or he might die.
Eddie finds another pill in his pocket and heads home but on his way he bumps into the Russian thug who takes the pill and says that he feels good.
Morra, feeling sick stumbles his way to Lindy's office where he tells her everything about the pill. She does not like the truth behind his amazing success but seeing how terrible he feels, decides to get the pills for him as he lies down on her office floor. Lindy rushes to her apartment and gets the pills, on the way back she notices that she is being followed by a man in a tan coat (Tomas Arana). He starts chasing Lindy and kills two men on the chase. Becoming even more scared, Lindy hides behind some rocks in a park and calls Morra. He convinces her to take one of those pills as that were the only way out. She eats one and her mind starts perceiving all these ways for her to get out. Lindy runs in an iced skating track with the man following her, picks up a girl and swings her over his face which gives him a bad cut on his face from the girl's blades under her skating shoes. Lindy finally reaches her office and gives Morra his pill, he gets up and decides to get out before something more happened. The next morning Lindy splits up again with Morra saying that he was not himself, but another person who came into being because of some strange pills.
Morra is identified as the guy who was seen leaving the blonde's apartment after her murder so he hires the best lawyer around, Morris Brandt (Ned Eisenberg) who assures Morra that he will not lose this case. Meanwhile, the merger deals go well. At the last meeting for closing the merger deal, Atwood's wife shows up and says that he could not come due to some medical reasons. Eddie notices her driver who is the same person as the guy in the tan coat. It becomes clearer to Eddie that he was after him to get NZT for his master, Atwood. Morra meets up with his lawyer for a line-up, after which he retrieves his custom made jacket from his lawyer which he had while he was in line-up. When the next time Morra reaches to his pocket for another pill, he realizes that the pills are gone and Brandt took them. Confused and agitated, he sits on his bunker when he sees his lawyer, acting to be Atwood's lawyer on TV.
Gennady and his two men crash into Morra's apartment for more NZT. While the Russian thugs search the apartment, Morra is able to stab Gennady and kills the other two as well by blinding one and then tricking him into shooting the other.
Atwood dies at hospital and Morra asks the guy in the tan coat to help him get NZT from Brandt as he was the reason his boss died. Morra goes to Brandt's house and finds the NZT Brandt had kept for himself.
A year passes by and Morra's book is published also, he is running for Senator. Carl calls up on Morra and tells him that he knows about NZT and has shutdown the labs Morra was financing to make better NZT.
That is when Morra tells Carl that he is no longer on NZT as he has a lot of other labs preparing an improved form of the drug with less side effects. Carl becomes shocked as Morra touches Van Loon's chest and tells him that he has a serious heart issue and that he is 50 moves ahead of Van Loon. The last scene films Edward Morra having lunch with Lindy at a Chinese restaurant.
Was Eddie still on the original NZT, or was he taking the improved version or had he really left taking it as he had claimed? We shall never know.
Personally, I did not like the movie a lot. I found it predictable at many points and just did not feel the thrill creeping up my bones. Bradley Cooper certainly did a fantastic job, I am not a fan of his but I really admire his acting skills after watching this movie. The idea was good but according to some Physicists and Neuroscientists, we use our entire brain and not just 20% as it is claimed in the movie. Another thing, no drug can reach our brain in 30 seconds, 15 to 20 minutes are required for every drug to overcome the blood-brain barrier. The visual effects were good, the music was pretty well done as well but the movie, as a whole just did not 'nail it' for me. Our 'hero' got back with his girlfriend twice! Once, when he was a very powerful businessman and the second time, when he was running for Senator! Can't you see that she only wants to share your fame and money?
Gosh Mr Cooper! I sure wish you'd use 20% of your brain!
