Limitless is an American thriller film, released in March 2011, and directed by Neil Burger. The film stars Bradley Cooper as Eddie Morra, a struggling writer who's life turns around when he is handed a mysterious pill by his ex-brother in law. The film was distributed by Relativity media, and was made on a budget of $27 million, going on to make $161.8 million at the box office worldwide. This movie has an age rating of 15, due to some of the violent action scenes.
Genre and Target Audience
This is a psychological thriller with mystery and science fiction elements added in. The film has a rating of 15 years old and above due to its more violent scenes. For this reason I think that it would appeal to a teenage/ younger audience in particular, due to the high action content included in parts of the film. However I believe that the complex psychological elements of the film could be considered appealing to older audiences along with the more mature protagonist and the issues that he faces. Therefore this film is appropriate and entertaining to a very wide audience.
Opening Credits
There are two sets of credits in the opening sequence of this film.The first set of credits are simple; white text in a simple font, on top of a black background. These establish the most important people in the making process of the film, starting with the company 'Relativity' and then continuing to mention other production companies involved, the director and the lead roles. These credits are simple yet effective as the text alternates along to the diegetic sound of a loud bang. This use of sound is effective in creating tension within the audience as it is abrupt and mysterious. Later the source of the sound becomes apparent. A smooth transition is created when a final loud crash occurs, then the non-diegetic sound of the protagonist's voice is played as the shot converts to a medium shot of a door. This thens moves to a close up shot showing the door move as the loud crashes occur. This is an effective use of sound and imagery together as it creates suspense within the audience by generating a sense of mystery, with the unexplained sounds, and then the unanswered questions of; who is at the door? And what do they want? This is all conventional within the genre type of thriller.
The second set of credits begin with a birds eye shot from the top of a skyscraper, zooming in to the busy street below. These credits are played after the main protagonist has established part of the story to the audience in a voice over format. Non-diegetic music is played and the shots used quicken and slow down according to the momentum of the music. For example, at the beginning, when the shot travels downwards from the top of a skyscraper, I Don't Care If There's Cursing by Phosphorescent is played. As the shot nears the pavement, it speeds up and the momentum of the song increases.
The title of the film is presented in the second set of credits. 'Limitless' is written capitals and in a white plain font. This is presented to the audience through a rotating canted angle shot, with loud diegetic car and city sound effects played over the top. This creates a disorientating effect and coincides with the plot as it is representative of the adrift feeling of being on drugs; therefore hinting to the audience as to what the story is about, yet still allowing enough mystery to remain in order to still be representative of the thriller genre. Location and Atmosphere Representation
The location of the film is shown to us through a sequence of shots. The camera is always moving around the house on a dolly. The slows pace of these shots juxtapose some of the horrific images that are shown (e.g the dead bodies at 0:55) and presents the idea of 'chaos before the calm', as the slow music sounds both daunting and wrongly calm and the loud banging sounds continue from outside. The camera then moves out of the house as the protagonist's voice over 
Character Representation
The protagonist is introduced to the audience dramatically, with long build up. This is typical of the genre as it creates tension within the audience. The mysterious scene that we are first met with, of the expensive apartment and dead bodies, combined with the precarious position of our protagonist on the top of a extremely tall building all make the audience question what is going on. A close up shot of the protagonists face, shows tears in his eyes and we realise that he is in a suicidal state and begin to question why, and how the people behind the door are involved. This again produces a feeling of anxiety within the audience as this chaotic setting is like a taught spring ready to be released and for action to ensue. 
The self-conscious narrative of the protagonist allows the audience to recognise his emotions during this scene. His accent and articulate communication translate that he is an intelligent American as he speaks of his high IQ.This is the first insight that we get of Eddie as a character and gives subtle hints to the audience as to what the film is about as he talks about coming to close to 'making an impact on the world' and how he 'doesn't miss much'. Conclusion
Overall I believe that this film stays safely within the conventions of a psychological thriller. It does this by keeping a sense of mystery throughout the beginning of the film and also combines the use of sound and shots to build tension for the audience. This has been done effectively as the opening produces many intriguing questions for the audience and leaves the majority unanswered, creating a sense of enigma for the audience.
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