Limitless

Limitless grows more stupid as the screenwriter runs out of pills. The idea on which the film is based is used skilfully at first and Burger succeeds in filling the holes in the logic (and in the chosen form of the narrative) with a boatload of optical effects. As the minutes pile up, the very simple initial situation begins to show signs of wearing thin until the people behind the camera seriously have no idea what else they can squeeze out of it (in the climax, they basically take a blind shot in the dark), at which point the film ends. The underused potential of the central premise is revealed by the cautious stab at politics just before the closing credits roll. If the plot had unfolded in this direction from the beginning, without the cheap subplot involving an Eastern European taxidermist desperately passed off as the main plot, Neil could have given us a nicely biting satire for our hour and forty minutes instead of another toothless thriller. 60% (26/03/2013)

I'm debating the whole way out of the cinema whether to give it the full 5 stars or just 4 stars. Since the film had a few weaker moments at the beginning, I'm giving it 4 stars. At times I felt like a blotter that can't take in any more liquid because it's too full. At times it was really crazy and rushed and I couldn't keep up. The "licking" camera was getting to me and it’s a wonder it didn't make me dizzy. The scene where Cooper drinks blood from the ground was really good! Everyone in our row put their hands in front of their eyes. The NZT idea was fully exploited and I'm actually an enthusiastic viewer. (24/04/2011)

“I know you’re not stupid, but don’t make the classic smart person’s mistake of thinking no one’s smarter than you.” You’ll go to see Limitless as an inconspicuous, dime-a-dozen March thriller that couldn’t afford a bigger star than Bradley Cooper, and you will get a fresh chill-out movie with good dialogue and an innovative script and visual ideas (Google Streetview guys have a lot to improve) and above all a great Cooper, who is able to single-handedly act as the driving force behind a thrilling feature film. Moreover, if you find yourself having a soft spot for a young version of Nicole Kidman named Abbie Cornish, this is a perfect movie for you. (23/03/2011)

An incredibly inventive and technically-strong camera (those seamless vertigo "falls" through the city are the biggest treat I've seen since Enter The Void), the excellent Bradley Cooper, who shows the breadth of his acting portfolio, and a very interesting premise about a drug that unlocks the hidden potential of your brain. Thriller of the year? I'm afraid not. The script is only interesting until the opening scene is connected with retrospective storytelling, and from that moment on it is stretched, dull and completely devoid of the "dark side of power". If some pharmaceutical company's logo with the slogan "If you don’t take it you are missing out" lit up behind the dull resolution, I wouldn't be surprised. Unfortunately, the endgame messes up the whole thing and explains why Limitless can never step out of the circle and be truly riveting. The film is horribly modified, and instead of slashing into the living, it runs away through the screenwriting to trouble-free ends. I enjoyed it, but in this form, it's one of many... Despite the fact that Burger is undoubtedly a very handy craftsman. [65%] (22/03/2011)

"I was blind, but now I see." A visual delicacy with a clever screenplay (which, along with 3DD!3, could be even cleverer ;). Burger knows how to sell a picture and his firm hand leads us through the nooks and crannies of a lazy writer who received his gift from God out of the blue. Bradley Cooper shows that he is someone to look out for in the future. His Eddie changes into three separate people and he is able to present them so convincingly to the viewer that you end up rooting for all of them. De Niro enjoys his more minor role of son-of-a-bitch magnate, it’s fine to see him act again and not just pull faces. Well to hell with the negative effects, I need that pill! (15/04/2011)