FilmSkool — a free film school
Limitless
The life of an unsuccessful writer is transformed by a top-secret 'smart drug' that allows him to use 100% of his brain and become a perfect version of himself. His enhanced abilities soon attract shadowy forces that threaten his new life.
2011 · Directed by Neil Burger · 106 min · Thriller · Mystery · Science Fiction · Screenplay in the scene database · 15 frames
Tagline
What if a pill could make you rich and powerful?
Plot
Eddie Morra is a struggling author in New York City. His girlfriend Lindy, frustrated with his lack of progress and ambition, breaks up with him. Eddie encounters Vernon, the brother of his ex-wife Melissa, who gives him a sample of a new nootropic called NZT-48, which Vernon implies will help Eddie with his "creative problems". Eddie tries the drug and discovers that he has acquired perfect recall, able to analyze minute details and information at incredible speed. Under the influence, he helps his landlord's wife with her law school homework, sleeps with her, cleans his apartment, and, now inspired, makes major progress on his book.
Eddie visits Vernon's apartment to learn more about the pill, but finds him badly beaten. Vernon, refusing to explain what happened, sends Eddie to run some errands. When Eddie returns, he finds Vernon murdered and his apartment ransacked. Before the police arrive, Eddie finds Vernon's stash of pills.
Eddie finishes his book and fantasizes about what he can accomplish on the drug, but with little money, he decides to day trade with a $100,000 loan from Gennady, a loan shark. He makes shocking gains and resumes his relationship with Lindy. His success leads to a meeting with finance tycoon Carl Van Loon, who tests him by seeking advice on a merger with rival Hank Atwood's company. After the meeting, Eddie experiences an 18-hour dissociative fugue, which he refers to as a "time skip."
Plot summary from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA.
Crew
- Screenplay: Leslie Dixon
- Cinematography: Jo Willems
- Edited by: Tracy Adams, Naomi Geraghty
- Music: Paul Leonard-Morgan
- Production design: Patrizia von Brandenstein
- Produced by: Leslie Dixon, Scott Kroopf, Ryan Kavanaugh
Cast
- Bradley Cooper as Edward Morra
- Robert De Niro as Carl Van Loon
- Abbie Cornish as Lindy
- Andrew Howard as Gennady
- Anna Friel as Melissa
- Johnny Whitworth as Vernon
- Tomas Arana as Man in Tan Coat
- Robert John Burke as Pierce
- Darren Goldstein as Kevin Doyle
- Ned Eisenberg as Morris Brandt
Production
- Country: United States of America
- Language: English, Italian, Russian, Mandarin, French
- Studios: Relativity Media, Virgin Produced, Many Rivers Productions, Boy of the Year
- Budget: $27,000,000
- Box office: $161,900,000
- Themes: new york city, medicine, politician, iq, pill, stalking, superhuman, transhumanism, writer, drugs
More by Neil Burger
On this film
This is the plain index, shown because JavaScript is off. Every lesson here is a free video published by the channel credited on it and plays through that channel's own embed — FilmSkool hosts nothing.