Limitless (2011)

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General		Extras
Category	Thriller	Main Menu Audio & Animation Featurette Alternate Ending Audio Commentary
Rating
Year Of Production	2011
Running Time	100:29 (Case: 105)
RSDL / Flipper	Dual Layered	Cast & Crew
Start Up	Ads Then Menu
Region Coding	4	Directed By	Neil Burger
Studio Distributor	Roadshow Home Entertainment	Starring	Bradley Cooper Robert De Niro Abbie Cornish Andrew Howard Anna Friel Johnny Whitworth
Case	?
RPI	$39.95	Music	Paul Leonard-Morgan

Video		Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame	None	English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s) English Dolby Digital 2.0 English Descriptive Audio Dolby Digital 2.0 English Audio Commentary Dolby Digital 2.0
Widescreen Aspect Ratio	2.35:1
16x9 Enhancement
Video Format	576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio	2.35:1	Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures	No
Subtitles	English for the Hearing Impaired	Smoking	No
		Annoying Product Placement	No
		Action In or After Credits	No

     It is always good to see a film which is based on an idea that is different to the run of the mill thrillers which are churned out by Hollywood. Limitless revolves around the idea that drugs could be made which would greatly increase brain power, essentially unlocking the unused parts of our brain. The story follows the life of Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper), a failing novelist who gets dumped by his girlfriend, Lindy (Abbie Cornish) and is struggling to pay his rent. As he is walking along the street he runs into the brother of his ex-wife, Vernon, who is a drug dealer. Vernon offers him a drug which will increase his intelligence and because of his depressed state Eddie decides to take it. Immediately he becomes much more perceptive and intelligent, able to read situations and gather information at lightening speed. It also makes him want to get his life together and become a day trader, making lots of money on the market very quickly. This attracts the attention of a big businessman, Carl Van Loon (Robert De Niro), who wants Eddie to help him with an attempted takeover of a rival. Along the way he decides to borrow money from a Russian loan shark to fund his trading. What effect will the drug have on Eddie and how will he cope with the sudden power growth in his brain?

     This is an interesting film which did quite well at the box office, taking $150 million worldwide. The film was cut to make a PG-13 rating in the US and this DVD includes the theatrical cut. A longer extended cut is available but not on this local DVD release. It was set and mostly shot in New York City. The concept is intriguing and Bradley Cooper is good as Eddie. The film is also visually interesting incorporating different colour palettes when Eddie is on or off the drug, and various onscreen graphics and effects to indicate his increased perception. The music by Paul Leonard-Morgan adds to the atmosphere with its sparse intensity. On a less positive note, De Niro seems wasted here, his character has little to do and seems a bit helpless for a major businessman.

     The film is based on a novel The Dark Fields by Alan Glyn. On balance, this film is definitely worth a look for fans of thought provoking thrillers.

Video

    The video quality is very good. The feature is presented in a 2.35:1 aspect ratio which is the original aspect ratio. It is 16x9 enhanced.

     The picture was very clear and sharp throughout with only some minor background grain in some scenes. Shadow Detail was excellent for DVD. The colour is very good with no issues to report. In terms of artefacts, there was some interlacing artefacts during fast motion.

     There are English for the Hearing Impaired subtitles which are clear and easy to read.

    There is no noticeable layer change during playback.

Video Ratings Summary

Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     The audio quality is very good. This disc contains an English soundtrack in Dolby Digital 5.1, an English Audio Descriptive Track in Dolby Digital 2.0, a Dolby Digital 2.0 stereo soundtrack plus an Audio Commentary in 2.0 stereo.

     Dialogue was generally clear and easy to hear and understand. The music is interesting and spare, adding atmosphere. The surround speakers were very well used for lots of directional effects including rear side to side effects such as ticking and traffic sounds.

     The subwoofer was also well used in action scenes and by the music.

Audio Ratings Summary

Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

     A limited selection of extras.

Menu

     The menu was pretty standard featuring minor motion and music.

A Man Without Limits (4:18)

     Short EPK style promotional featurette for the film, mostly focused on costumes.

Alternate Endings (6:08)

     Not sure why the title of this is in the plural because there is only one. It is similar to the one in the film thematically but done a little differently.

Commentary - Director Neil Burger

    Burger does a good commentary here with lots of information, told in an enthusiastic way, without being over the top. He covers the source novel, technical details, visual effects, casting, acting, use of colours, music, camera work and De Niro's role. Worth a listen.

    There is censorship information available for this title. Click here to read it (a new window will open). WARNING: Often these entries contain MAJOR plot spoilers.

    The Region 1 version of the DVD includes the unrated extended cut in addition to the theatrical cut but is the same otherwise. Region 1 wins.

     A thriller with a different and interesting premise.

     The video quality is very good. The audio quality is very good. Extras are decent.

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall