Thaindian News

Film: “Limitless”; Cast: Bradley Cooper, Robert De Niro, Abbie Cornish; Director: Neil Burger; Rating: ***

It’s a well-known scientific fact that even the greatest of geniuses don’t use more than 10 percent of their brain. “Limitless” takes this premise to explore the question of how much should we use even if by some power we could use 100 percent.

An absolutely loser of a writer Eddie (Bradley Cooper) finds a pharmaceutical pill that allows him to access 100 percent of his brain. He uses his heightened intelligence to finish his novel in four days. However, he realizes he could do much more and plunges headlong into the financial world, understands companies quickly with access to his full brain and makes money. The only thing he has not counted upon, are the side effects and snoopy people.

There are many ways of looking at “Limitless” - as a thriller, a sci-fi film and as a superhero film. And while it manages the first two well, it is in the third department that it falters in. Who is a superhero, if not someone who tries to make things better, even if he has the dubious morality of our selfish protagonist?

Yet, he would indeed have made for a delectable and lovable, though flawed and immoral superhero. If there is a sequel, maybe the filmmakers will try to look into this aspect and increase the CSR profile of our hero.

Obviously when you have an intelligent novel to base your film upon (Alan Glynn’s “The Dark Fields”), your job is half done. Yet, to be able to take it notches ahead, takes skill which this film has in terms of looks, but in terms of story, fails to cross its limits.

The cinematography of Jo Willems is superb with brilliant use of fisheye lens and apt effects.

Yet, the problem is that the film in its limited wisdom forgets to tie up a few loose ends, especially the one associated with a murder - failing to answer who did it or how and what our protagonists role was in it.

It is the drawback of the western civilization that they live too much in the head and not heart. Agreed that it has led to great scientific advancement, but it hasn’t particularly left the world a better place. And though in parts “Limitless” does try making a statement on the same with examples of Portugal and Britain, it could have done better than this limited effort.

Also, “Limitless” could have been a much smarter film if it could have commented that what is indeed beautiful is that we can only use so much of our brain, instead the end insinuates the opposite.

It could also have been better if it could have taken a much darker route, or if it had looked upon the protagonist as a superhero. It does neither, pandering instead to stay a thriller, one with many loose ends and thus proves its limited vision and execution.