Review of Trainspotting (1996) by Connor B — 04 Dec 2012

I don't think there will ever be a more honest and real account of heroin addiction than Danny Boyle's adaption of Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting. Boyle taps into the mind of the novels leading man Mark Renton and shows off a totally brutal and sadly real side to people who suffer from heroin addiction. Boyle teams up again with Ewan McGregor on what is undoubtedly their best work together and the pair are joined by the equally impressive Jonny Lee-Miller and Robert Carlysle in supporting roles. Pulp Fiction recieved widespread critical acclaim for it's use of an effective soundtrack and Boyle in my eyes outdoes Tarantino by using delightfully upbeat 80/90's music to portray the characters emotions it really is a thing of beauty and one of the best uses of songs comes from Lou Reed's perfect day, the scene in which the song is used really does need to be seen to appreciate just how good it is.

The films focuses on the life of a heroin addict named Mark Renton and his friends as they struggle to cope with their addiction and with "real life". Renton is a seemingly smart man who just cannot be bothered with real life and uses heroin as an escape from what is going on around him, his friends are no better than him and he frequently mentions that he is not particularly fond of his friends as one is a snappy, eccentric James Bond lover who Renton believes is too sneaky for his own good and Begbie is a complete and utter lunatic who he does not trust in the slightest. Renton's two other friends are Tommy and Spud who he actually seems to get on with but you always get the sense that he is not happy with their friendship. As Renton battles his addictions throughout and goes cold turkey he finds solace in the arms of an underage girl who convinces him to move to London. While there he is soon joined by Begbie and Sick-Boy much to his disgust but when they learn of a quick fire money making scheme it seems that Renton finally has his way out of the depressing lifestyle he has been living.

Dark, humorous and at times charming Trainspotting is a most see but be warned it is a tough watch with some particularly nasty scenes that are both intentional and shocking. Boyle really hits all the right notes with Trainspotting.