A mysterious pill that enables the user to access 100% of his brain's abilities transforms a struggling writer into a financial wizard, but it also puts him in a new world with many dangers.A mysterious pill that enables the user to access 100% of his brain's abilities transforms a struggling writer into a financial wizard, but it also puts him in a new world with many dangers.A mysterious pill that enables the user to access 100% of his brain's abilities transforms a struggling writer into a financial wizard, but it also puts him in a new world with many dangers.
- Awards
- 2 wins & 8 nominations
- Detective
- (as Brian A. Wilson)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaBradley Cooper's father was ill with terminal cancer during the filming of this movie, and Cooper was accordingly relieved that the movie was shot in his hometown of Philadelphia so that he could check on his father every day.
- GoofsIn the cafeteria scene, when Eddie wants a loan of $100,000, he reveals that he quintupled his money four days in a row. Some scenes before, he started his investment with $800. Quintupled four times, that totals $204,800. So, why does he need to borrow money?
- Quotes
Eddie Morra: Well, in order for a career to evolve, I'm gonna have to move on.
Carl Van Loon: That you would even think that would only show me how unprepared you are to be on your own. I mean, you do know you're a freak? Your deductive powers are a gift from God or chance or a straight shot of sperm or whatever or whoever wrote your life-script. A gift, not earned. You do not know what I know because you have not earned those powers. You're careless with those powers, you flaunt them, and you throw them around like a brat with his trust-fund. You haven't had to climb up all the greasy little rungs. You haven't been bored blind at the fundraisers. You haven't done the time and that first marriage to the girl with the right father. You think you can leap over all in a single bound. You haven't had to bribe or charm or threat your way to a seat at that table. You don't know how to assess your competition because you haven't competed. Don't make me your competition
- Alternate versionsAn Unrated Extended Cut makes 27 changes for ~1 minute extra run time. These edits were mainly reverts from not having an R rating for the theatrical release.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Ebert Presents: At the Movies: Episode #1.8 (2011)
- SoundtracksCicada
Written by Richard Baluyut, Fontaine Toups and Edward Baluyut
Performed by Versus
Courtesy of Merge Records
By Arrangement with Bank Robber Music
Eddie Morra (Bradley Cooper attempting to break away from his guy roles in road show movies) is a wannabe writer - a man who has been attempting to write a novel for years but has not achieved one word on a page. He lives off his girlfriend Lindy (Abbie Cornish) who finally gives up on his mess of a life. Eddie moves into a filthy flat and he takes on the appearance of a street person until he encounters his ex-wife's (Anna Friel) brother Vernon (Johnny Whitworth) who gives Eddie a pill called NZT, a medication that is purportedly able to make the brain use 100% of its capacity (fragments of memory, encountered headlines, books slightly read etc all become immediately available to the 'patient'). Eddie, seeing his life going down the toilet, takes the pill and suddenly becomes multilingual, able to figure out number sequences at the gambling table, not only start but finish his novel, etc: in other words, a genius - for the 24 hour duration of the pill's effect. His changed life introduces him to, of course, the stock market where he makes it so big that he garners the attention of major player Carl Van Loon (Robert DeNiro) - along with the people involved with the now murdered Vernon who want the drug back: evil Gennady (Andrew Howard) and his thugs (Eddie Fernandez and Ray Siegle) a strange 'man in a tan coat' (Tomas Arana) et al. Eddie struggles through the transition, sells his novel, wins Lindy back, and some years later is running for New York Senator on his way to the Presidency of the United States. And that of course leads to the messy ending that began the film.
Based on the novel 'The Dark Fields' by Alan Glynn, the screenplay (full of holes perhaps due to the same writer's block as the main character's) is by Leslie Dixon and the film is directed by Neil Burger, a man with some creative ideas who concentrates on gimmicks more than plot and character development. And it does have some dazzling visual effects sequences, courtesy of Joe Willems, cinematographer and Connie Brink, Special Effects Coordinator. It is an obvious attempt to compete with the fast action films that make so much box office money, but it is flimsy and may be better off in the DVD category - a category in which it landed early for obvious reasons.
Grady Harp
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Languages
- Also known as
- Sin límites
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $27,000,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $79,249,455
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $18,907,302
- Mar 20, 2011
- Gross worldwide
- $161,849,455
- Runtime1 hour 45 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 2.35 : 1