The other day while talking to another film critic at SXSW the movie Limitless came up. The other person had issues with what they called scenes of using a child as a weapon and another depicting the drinking of blood (not how you think). I resolutely cried out that those were among my favorite scenes in Limitless.

Bradley Cooper has an exec producer credit in this Neil Burger directed film and it shows that he has a grasp on the kind of smart sci-fi thriller that can propel his career. Limitless has a phenomenal lead acting part and Cooper sees that no stone is left unturned in his interpretation of a struggling writer who uses medication to achieve the world’s highest level of intelligence. Abbie Cornish and Robert De Niro lend credible supporting turns respectfully as his girlfriend and a business tycoon.

Cooper discovers his newfound IQ enables him to use all of his brain. Not unlike Charly in Flowers For Algernon he transforms overnight into a savant of sorts. Unlike Charly he needs constant reups and the side effects include homicidal blackouts. Burger finds a unique visual effect that hasn’t been seen in a feature film as he takes several long zooms and digitally marries them. The result is an endless zoom across the sidewalks and streets of Manhattan that propels the viewer in awe. Limitless has a share of violence and requires some scientific leaps of faith while also giving the audience an edge of your seat thriller.

- Michael Bergeron