I love a good thriller. Especially one that sucks you in from the second the first name flashes across the screen in the credits. You feel immersed from the beginning and… if the thriller is a good one, it holds you in its grasp until the very last gasp. Limitless is not one of those films. But it's so bloody close that its equal parts fabulous and frustrating.

Based on the novel “The Dark Fields” by Alan Glynn, Limitless tells the story of Eddie Morra, (Bradley Cooper) a shabby looking slacker who has dwindled away an advance from a publishing company for a novel but not written a word. His girlfriend Lindy (Abbie Cornish) is leaving him because he's on a one way trip to nowhere and he's suffering from a mean case of writers' block. Then he discovers a new drug via ex-brother-in-law that unlocks the 80 per cent of our brains that we currently don't use. Pretty soon inspiration is dripping from the ceiling (literally), he's meeting deadlines and climbing the ladder in the financial world faster than you can say "addicted". Pretty soon financial bigwig Carl Van Loon (Robert De Niro) is seeking his advice. Then come the bad guys chasing him, the scary blackouts and the potentially deadly side effects.

This film starts in the middle of the action and completely takes flight, taking the audience with it. It's exciting, it's intriguing and it's compelling. Sadly, the dizzying heights and exhilarating pace can not be sustained. The stakes aren't high enough at points where they need to be. Major plot points are explained away in a sentence and others that are meant to be a clue to be remembered later are signposted with a big, lurid pink neon flashing sign. Having said all that, these are all conclusions I came to after the film, when I was analysing it. While I was watching it, I was still totally absorbed and happy to suspend my disbelief as it really is a fun ride to go on. Which I guess makes it all the more frustrating. What's worse, a film that is way off base or one that is so close to being totally freaking awesome that that it's ridiculous?

Performance wise, Cooper is a revelation. He well and truly earns his leading man stars and stripes and I think we will be seeing a lot more of him in similar roles in the future. He demands attention and the audience give it to him in spades. Cornish, on the other hand, delivers a rigid and wooden performance. No matter what situation she finds herself in, and how high the stakes are, her eyes remain completely dead. Harsh? Perhaps, but I like my onscreen relationship chemistry to be believable. De Niro plays the head honcho CEO with an experience and clout that mirrors his standing as a true screen legend. He knows he's good, he doesn't have to prove it anymore (as Little Fockers proved earlier this year.)

When it really comes down to it, I can't help but to compare this film to a bucket of popcorn. While you're at the movies its totally what you feel like and completely satisfying, but in the end, you still go home a little hungry.