“Limitless”

Eddie Morra looks like a guy down on his luck. It's not that he's living in a cardboard box or anything. I mean, in truth he's even got a contract to write a book. But the tattered would-be writer just can't seem to wake up from the perpetual funk that sends him wandering the streets by day and prevents him from writing a single word by night. Then, in a chance encounter, he runs across his drug-dealing former brother-in-law, Vernon. Now, Vernon isn't necessarily a giving guy. But he knows the value of a free sample. So he offers Eddie a hit of a brand-new neural stimulant called NZT-48. Eddie's told we only use about 20% of our brain's actual potential. Eddie starts doing wondrous things: He writes his book in days. He masters other languages without even trying and also begins making money hand over fist. Of course the genius is bound to run into trouble when you mix together Russian thugs, Wall Street bigwigs, desperate addicts and the inevitable side effects of a designer drug.

            There's something appealing about Eddie Morra's story and the way the creators of “Limitless” have slyly splashed it across the screen. The idea entertains, the characters ring true and the script reels us in with clever dialogue and a steady pace. In spite of the fact that his quest for mental brilliance results in him popping pills it makes him vulnerable to the blackmailing, life-threatening tactics of high-finance corporate cowboys and street-level gangster lowlifes alike. After all, we've all been raised in this modern era of uncannily effective pharmaceuticals. So it's actually pretty easy to identify with Eddie's choice. Would you take a tiny tablet and be a person capable of anything, or refrain and remain the mentally road-blocked chump you've always been?

-Thomas Principato