Trainspotting

So, let’s go over this again: Drugs are great, aren’t they... Danny Boyle is an excellent director, isn’t he... Ewan McGregor has now left the category of hopeful young actor and definitely moved into the category of “Mr Actor", hasn’t he... The Scots are cool, aren’t they... Born Slippy, isn’t it... Trainspotting is a cult movie. Is that clear? YES! ♫ OST score: 4/5 (10.08.2007)

Before Trainspotting, Danny Boyle had a few dozen television projects under his belt, as well as his feature film debut, Shallow Grave, which I consider to be quite an entertaining black comedy, but also not a significant or even exceptional film. I saw Trainspotting in the movie theater during its premiere and it was like a beginner taking a proper heroin hit. Boyle completely hooked me, I just silently stared, amazed at how someone could make such an entertaining and provocative film, without losing the depth of perspective and critical view of the drug addict community. Boyle essentially chose a style of punk ironic smirk, openly making fun of the yuppie atmosphere of Thatcher's Britain and the British middle class. Instead of a career, family, and a luxurious nest, Renton chooses a drug trip, carefree wandering, and a life on someone else's account. Boyle already showed back then why he was one of the most interesting British directors and demonstrated a wide range of shots full of interesting camera angles, alternating shot speeds, and plenty of effects borrowed from the world of music videos and commercials. The punk-based soundtrack and the immensely popular production of bands Blur and Pulp appealed to me because I used to be crazy about this music and I still enjoy watching their music videos on YouTube. Boyle directed an incorrect film full of sarcastic remarks, irony, and ridicule of the bourgeois lifestyle, but at the same time, he also shows the dark side of addiction and wandering in the circle of people who somehow can't live and have no meaningful goal. Trainspotting relies on excellent source material by the well-informed expert of the British drug scene, Irvine Welsh, and at the same time on great acting performances. It featured three names that later became well-known among film fans at the beginning of their careers. Alongside Ewan McGregor, who became a star of the first magnitude, Trainspotting also opened the doors of mainstream cinema to Robert Carlyle and the charming Kelly Macdonald. I was not the only one who was captivated by this film, as British film critics also hailed Trainspotting as the best film of the decade. In any case, this film marked the beginning of the successful New British Cinema movement, which combines the effort to show pressing social issues and entertain audiences. It is characterized by a comedic approach, unconventionality, exaggeration, and rejection of straightforward mentoring. The audience should find their own way to the problem and solutions, as they are not led by the hand. Overall impression: 95%. (22.03.2014)

Probably the most difficult film for me to evaluate that I have ever seen. On one hand, it features one of Ewan McGregor's best performances, breathtaking scenery, and a very interestingly depicted, albeit unfamiliar, setting for me. On the other hand, the second half is not surprising at all and unnecessarily obscures the original idea. As I write this review, I am left with mostly positive memories, so I round it up to a solid 70%. (09.05.2005)

There were several scenes that made my jaw drop in amazement at their genius (Perfect Day), unfortunately, though, I felt the film kind of fizzles out. The second half is no longer that great and the ending is actually weak. Whereas Requiem for a Dream managed to truly knock me down, Trainspotting only left me with the question “Hmm, nice, but that’s it?”. (08.12.2008)

Three... And if it weren't for Ewan McGregor and Robert Carlyle, I'd take one more star off. I put off Trainspotting for a long time and I probably knew why. I've hadn’t seen it up to now and I haven't missed anything extravagant. I can listen to the soundtrack (or rather the few tolerable songs) on its own, and the story about a bunch of junkies, whose stories and catchphrases seem funny and wacky to many of my friends (similarly to the Czech Loners), but to me they just seem stupid. Shallow Grave goes unsurpassed. (16.03.2012)