Trainspotting - classic movie review
Trainspotting
Plot: Renton, deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, tries to clean up and get out, despite the allure of the drugs and influence of friends.
Cast: Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller
Director: Danny Boyle
Certificate: 18 (very strong language, strong sex, violence, hard drug use)
Runtime: 1hr 34 mins
Release Date: Friday 23rd February 1996
Opening credits. Black screen. Iggy Pop's 'Lust For Life' blares on. Renton and Spud are running from the police. Renton narrates - "Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television. Choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest and mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suit on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourselves. Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?" I give you, Trainspotting.
I have a confession. Until a few days before posting this review, I had never seen Trainspotting. It wasn't that I didn't want to but I just never found the time. So, considering that the highly anticipated sequel arrives this year, I decided it was time to knuckle down and watch what many consider to be a masterpiece. And I have to say, it's bloody brilliant. In fact, it's nearly perfect. It has some of the greatest acting ever put on film and it's even more unbelievable to think many of these actors hadn't had their major breakthrough yet. Trainspotting arguably launched the careers of actors like Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller and Robert Carlyle. Every performance is almost theatrical in its execution. The story focuses on a group of characters but spearheading that gang is Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor), an unemployed, troublemaking young adult who isn't sure what he wants in life. Oh - he's also a heroin addict. I do like him as Obi-Wan but McGregor's best performance will always be Renton. He manages to balance the naivety a young man would have entering the drug scene but his determination to get clean makes Renton a character we root for rather than pity for his drug addiction. That's the quintessential difference between Trainspotting and it's main comparison, Requiem For A Dream. Trainspotting has characters we care about because we meet them at a stage where they're already hooked and the film details their attempts to unhook themselves. Requiem For A Dream is the opposite because I never felt much emotion towards those characters. Topping off his performance is a scene that both terrifies and amazes me at the same time. That said scene is Renton going through cold turkey. McGregor's acting in that scene is heartbreaking and incredibly powerful.
I feel that, of the four main characters, Renton is probably the easy pick for favourite. For me, Renton is fascinating but Spud, Sickboy and Begbie all contain this mystery that compels me to want to know more about them. That, and their performances are freaking amazing. Having some experience with the story already from his time as Renton in a stage adaptation, Ewen Bremner appears as everyone's favourite junkie, Spud. I love the character of Spud and your heart aches for all of the trauma he goes through because aside from the drugs, he has a heart of pure gold. Bremner has this fantastic way of only emoting through his eyes. In many scenes, Spud need only make expressions with his eyes and he'd be able to tell millions of stories. As for Sick Boy, Jonny Lee Miller exudes confidence, class and gives a very controlled performance. It explains in depth, during the film, that Sick Boy seems to have control over his addiction. Hello can take a break whenever he desires and get back on his own will (or so he believes). I guess, seeing as the film is over twenty years old at this point, I can discuss spoilers without getting lynched in the comments so when Baby Dawn dies and it's revealed that Sick Boy was the father, Miller shows what he's capable of as an actor. These characters are all great and well developed but they haven't a chance against Francis Fucking Begbie (I know I don't usually swear in my reviews but literally everything Begbie says is bullshit stories mixed with wild profanity and then more bullshit stories). To top it all off, Begbie is also a complete psychotic nutcase and Robert Carlyle is sensational as this Charles Bronson imitator. Begbie is an absolute joy and torture to watch because, whilst brilliantly acted and written, you have no idea when he'll snap, go off the rails and destroy everything in his path. This dude is certifiably insane. He chucked a glass off the first floor of a club and fought the boyfriend of the girl's head it split open whilst thinking he's in the right.
FACT: Although it looks thoroughly off putting, the feaces in the Worst Toilet in Scotland scene was actually made from chocolate and smelled quite pleasant.
Addiction is horrible and Trainspotting doesn't pull any punches when depicting its brutality. A lot of that praise must be awarded to Danny Boyle proving himself to be a very underrated director with such a unique style to accompany this film. The fast edits, powerful imagery and use of magic realism result in Trainspotting not simply being a fantastic film but being a stunning piece of art. Boyle's use of camera and editing techniques are some of the most impressive I've ever seen and have never been imitated since because directors today lack the skills that Boyle possesses. The tripping sequences are also a thing of cinematic beauty. A brilliant example is the toilet sequence when Renton dives inside the toilet bowl covered in human crap but in his mind, he's swimming in a clear, blue lake. I can imagine some watching this film and not getting it. Trainspotting is not a film for everyone. I'm never going to suggest to put it on when my family are stumped for ideas for what to watch on Christmas Day. It would horrify my younger cousins, sicken my sister and scar my grandparents. I'd have a blast though. The depiction of drugs is gritty and unforgiving but most effective of all, whenever drugs are taken, you feel dirty watching it. However, not as dirty when I saw Kelly McDonald and Ewan McGregor's sex scene after a huge revelation that's made ultimately making me want to wash my eyes out with bleach. Trainspotting is also hilarious. That sounds fairly odd considering I've just rattled off many disturbing elements to the film but through Boyle's orchestration and John Hodge's stupendous work adapting Irvine Welsh's novel, this film contains some of the darkest comedy and depending if you have an open mind to that genre of comedy, might result in you either loving or loathing the humour. If I'm being incredibly nitpicky, and believe me, I'm clutching at straws to find any problems with this film, it's the involvement of a drug deal. Up until that point, Trainspotting didn't really have a plot. It didn't need to because it played out like a character study but when our gang gets word of possible drug deal that could score them big money, it loses a bit of that believability. Every aspect of that story was excellently acted and directed and its repercussions were fundamental but it's sudden placement felt slightly unrealistic. Again though, just a minor nitpick. Perhaps the most remarkable features that helped shape Trainspotting into the classic it's become, is it's brilliant depiction of the simultaneous beauty and dump that Scotland is but also the iconic soundtrack. I will most definitely be playing that on repeat for a while.
No wonder why people were clamouring for a sequel to this. Danny Boyle is firing on all cylinders behind the camera giving one of the most uniquely directed, stunning and hard-hitting films ever made. The acting is some of the best in British cinema and I can imagine myself re-watching this whenever I want to experience a great movie. I'm just mad at myself for not seeing it sooner.
My Verdict: 9.5/10
If you like what you've seen here don't forget to share this with everyone you know, comment below and check out my other reviews. Thanks for reading!
Comments
Post a Comment