Review of Trainspotting (1996) by Tim S — 05 Feb 2017

Movie night with Iris.

In Cool Britannia 90s I had the Welsh novel; Renton poster in my flat; and loved the soundtrack. But at the time I thought the film was ok, but not great. 21 years later I was so wrong.

There have been plenty of films about the drug culture, almost all of them adopting a moral tone; but very little like Boyle's. The film shows the pleasures of drug-taking, and the joy of escaping for a time from the kind of life ('It's all shite'). By the end, we see the consequences of this choice, but it is pretty unavoidable.

And it is really funny. The worst toilet in Scotland, Archie Gemmill's goal; and Spud's soiled sheets are classic scenes. Renton, Spud, Sick Boy and Begbie are not admirable figures, but they are flesh and blood. There are elements of caricature, but you see what's happening to them and why. Brilliant Boyle.