Choose Life

Rating: 8/10 (10 August 2016)

Comedic and stylish, Trainspotting manages to tell stories of heroin addicts in a highly energetic way. Trainspotting, directed by Danny Boyle, uses different cinematic techniques, music, and comedic timing every five minutes, if it were any other film the movie would have been completely incoherent, but the varying use of techniques does not hinder the movie's pacing but instead establishes the tone of the chaotic life of a heroin addict.
The comedic timing in this movie is on par with most, if not every joke seemed to hit it's mark, and sometimes the humour came from the most unexpected places. Every minute the movie could make you giggle at heroin addicts, AIDS, a dead baby and the absurdity of all. Moreover since they are using touchy subjects as a point of humour they could also make commentaries while giving the audience a honest laugh.
The performances were all top notch but the obvious standout was Robert Caryle who played the psychotic Bigsby. Everything from his posture to his varying emotions shows that he and his knife were a force to be reckoned with. Jonny Lee Miller playing Sick Boy, while not as grandiose, was on the same level as Caryle. Using his wit he effectively brought charisma to Sickboy. Because of these two actors, Ewan Macgregor's Renton seems to falter at times but because he played Renton in such a reserved way there was a greater juxtaposition with his highly volatile emotional self which made for a great comparison.
My only complaint about the movie were the thick Scottish accents which made it impossible for me to understand until I turned on the subtitles. However it is hard to call that a flaw as most of the actors even though they are not Scottish, managed to pull off the heavy handed dialect with a very authentic voice. So while my ears would have liked less accents I know that if the actors spoke with the audience's ears in mind they would have not been able to pull off a genuine performance such as this.
With that Trainspotting was a solid movie that's able to show the comedic part of being addicted and the tragedy of being sober.