BOTTOM LINE: ‘Limitless’ is an intriguing thriller with a great concept and likeable cast, but the lack of logic in places, constant voice overs, loud soundtrack and over-use of certain visual styles stop the film from becoming something great.

THE GOOD: Eddie Moora (Cooper) is a struggling writer, who is dumped by his girlfriend Lindy (Cornish) at the outset. With his life going nowhere and seemingly becoming worse, he has a chance encounter with his ex-brother-in-law who supplies him with a pill that enhances his brain. Suddenly, Eddie is able to focus, and is able to turn his life entirely around to the point where he is able to make millions day trading in record time. However, his life becomes complicated when powerful businessman Carl Van Loon (De Niro) offers him a job, and the side effects of the drug start to manifest themselves. This concept is great for a thriller, as it taps in to the notion that by taking a pill, the possibilities that you can create for yourself become ‘limitless’. Any one who drinks a cup of coffee in the morning to get themselves motivated would love this drug. The cast lined up for this film are likeable and hold their own very well. Bradley Cooper is allowed a change of pace for himself and he proves to be quite a likeable star, moving from one pitfall to another as he uses his newfound abilities to change the world. Robert De Niro does his usual best; he’s not a gangster but he’s ruthless. Director Neil Burger manages to infuse an elaborate visual style that is very unique, and in some cases, quite inventive. A number of scenes show multiple versions of Moora in the same shot, stylistically portraying how much more capacity he has in achieving so many tasks. “Limitless” will hook you in to its concept, and will ensure that you want to stick around to see how it ends.

THE BAD: Despite the great concept, there are a few lapses in logic displayed here. The most obvious one relates to the loan shark character. You can buy Eddie’s motivation to get quick cash from a Russian thug, but after he earns more than twenty times this money back on the stock market, you would think he would pay him back immediately, and also remember to do so given his brain is working on overdrive; but he does not. This is the only reason given for the loan shark character to stay in the film, and the lack of logic in motivation here does make his character seem arbitrary, particularly when the loan shark’s villainy could have been quite easily given to Robert De Niro, who would have no doubt pulled it off. The previously mentioned visual styles are quite fascinating when you first see them, but after a while, they tend to become irritating. Combined with a loud soundtrack and a reliance on Eddie providing uninspired voice overs, the mystery and thrilling aspects of the film become undermined and are nowhere near as strong as they could be.