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House review of Trainspotting (1996)
This movie, based on the novel by Irvine Welsh, is an amazing combination of powerful writing, convincing acting, and the directorial genius of Danny Boyle. This movie, first released in 1996 to immediate acclaim and cult following in England, has garnered wide spread fame. While many popular movies tend to fade or become dated, "Trainspotting" continues to be as powerful, troubling, and intriguing as when it first appeared ten years ago. This film also includes a devoted following who still rave about this movie as if it was just released.
Ewan McGregor stars in one of his earliest roles as Renton, a heroin addict who eventually attempts to break his habit and put his life back together, but is dragged back down by his friends, including the unforgettable Begbie, played by Robert Carlyle as one of the most memorable sociopaths ever. This movie starts with the group, with the narrator's decision to take heroin over having "a real life."
The group gets high every chance they can, and after a terrible tragedy that the audience knows is coming from one of the earliest scenes, yet causes you to cringe, anyway, the only escape for them is to get high as often as they can, descending into such a degree of recklessness that it ends with two up for trial, but while Renton gets away with rehabilitation, his friend Spud (Ewen Bremmer) goes to prison for six months.
Renton's actions inadvertently lead to the death of one friend, and as the movie continues, the viewer will be amazed. Dark and tragic because of the stark realism of the situation of heroin addiction (including a disturbing scene with "The Worst Toilet in Scotland"), this movie also is amazingly funny, and the dark comedy is inescapable. You will laugh heartily many times throughout this movie, and be thrust back into the darkness with the same roller coaster effect that the heroin itself brings.
This movie manages to be both tragic and hilarious, darkly depressing and yet strongly uplifting. The tragic and humorous are often found mixed in the same scene, and this movie's refusal to demonize or make excuses for drug addiction gives the viewers a stark look at heroin addiction and a stronger understanding of this tragedy than any preachy message ever could. This movie was ground breaking when it appeared in 1996, and no dark comedy or drug movie has come close to matching this since. Any true movie fan should have a DVD of this movie in their collection.
| Title | Trainspotting |
|---|---|
| Director | Danny Boyle |
| Genre | Comedy, Crime, Drama |
| UK Cert. |  |
| Spittin rating |
 8 |
Viewer comments
Comment from Elessar 1st September, 2008
I do have this movie in my collection, but I can't watch it very often. Maybe it's a little bit too realistic for me...but even though I find it extremely disturbing, there's a strange sort of excellence to it all, and even humor, as you mentioned.