Review of Trainspotting (1996) by William T — 05 Mar 2017

WHAT I LIKED: 'Trainspotting' really deserved to be the breakthrough that it was for Danny Boyle, as it takes the well-established style and black humour of his slightly inconsistent 'Shallow Grave' and puts it into a film that has a very strong narrative indeed. Yes it genuinely feels like he's honed and refined his vision here, and such the film is in a much better position to show off the dark laughs, the terrifying truths and the fresh, sickly reality of eveything its got to offer. In that regard, it really is a fresh take on protraying darkness, as we see everything through the cloudy, charmed eyes of our troubled lead, which engages you in what otherwise may be difficult - and crucially this time, keeps you there until the end. All that is helped enormously by great character writing and performances from Ewan McGregor and his supporting cast members, as well as an awesome soundtrack that keeps the flow and gives it all a bit more room to breathe. The payoff in the end is no longer a convoluted and over the top mess then; more so a well-concluded and meaningful, if thankfully still unpredictable tie-up.

WHAT I DIDN'T LIKE: Now his vision is so clear, I have to admit that some of the humour makes me feel a little uncomfortable. I suspect that's the idea.

VERDICT: 'Trainspotting' is a film that's as strong in vision as it is in narrative, and that's what makes it such a huge success for director Danny Boyle.