Limitless

A closer look at the story

Limitless explores what might happen if a single pill could make someone richer and more powerful, through the story of Eddie. Eddie is a writer in New York whose life is a mess and whose career has gone nowhere. Stuck in a rut, he one day gets hold of a classified "smart drug" that lets him tap the entire capacity of his brain, turning him into the best possible version of himself. In no time he gains money, a razor-sharp mind and irresistible charm, and his life is transformed from top to bottom. His extraordinary new abilities, however, also catch the attention of shadowy forces, and they begin to threaten the life he has started to build. Eddie soon learns that limitless power does not come free. This 2011 film, 106 minutes long, was directed by Neil Burger and adapted by Leslie Dixon from a novel by Alan Glynn. Bradley Cooper plays Eddie and Robert De Niro plays Carl Van Loon, with Abbie Cornish, Andrew Howard and Anna Friel also in the cast.