Trainspotting follows Renton (Ewan McGregor) and his band of friends, most of them heroin addicts, through their trials and tribulations on the streets and backrooms of Edinburgh, Scotland. Renton is determined to get off heroin and make something of himself, but routinely falls prey to temptation and returns to the allure of the needle for “one last fix.”
The band of friends, a colorful lot with names like Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), Spud (Ewen Bremmer) and Begbie (Robert Carlyle), try to make light of their situation, but cannot seem to escape it. Renton tries to come clean, even going so far as to prepare a list of the essentials for getting through the withdrawal period, but finds himself tempted by the drugs as well as his friends to stay hooked.
The film’s appeal is mainly in the various situations Renton and friends find themselves in. Scenes involving a videotape Renton borrows from his friend Tommy (Kevin McKidd), Renton’s one-night stand with Diane (Kelly MacDonald) and Begbie’s various assaults on bar patrons are at once hilarious and disturbing. Trainspotting is full of imagery and dialogue that makes you react and immediately wonder why you’ve done so in a particular way.
This is not a movie for everyone. It’s gross, depressing, and vulgar. Yet, it’s strangely funny and touching without being sappy. I found myself making comparisons with Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, mainly because of the way the movie unfolds. However, Danny Boyle’s direction and the script, based on the novel by Irvine Welsh, are much darker and pessimistic than Tarantino’s work. The characters in Pulp Fiction are more cartoonish than those found in Trainspotting. I found Trainspotting more enjoyable because of the reality that it injects into these characters and situations. However, I must caution you that if you thought Pulp Fiction was hard to swallow, don’t put yourself through Trainspotting or you’ll have horrific nightmares.
If you think you can handle it, Trainspotting is a classic independent movie that is not afraid to tackle subject matter that won’t be appearing on The Family Channel anytime soon. It’s a definite “must rent” for the mature movie fan.
5.0 out of 5.0 stars
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