Energetic, intelligent and involving story of Scottish drug addicts

Rating: Null/10 (17 February 1999)

Trainspotting, a film that earned almost instantaneous cult masterpiece status, expertly depicts the multi-faceted heroin experience of author Irvine Welsh's excellent novel. The Shallow Grave team of Andrew MacDonald, John Hodge, and Danny Boyle go for the throat, and deliver a deliriously cinematic jewel that is equal parts fantasy, comedy, and harrowing drama.
Superb use of music and eye-opening set pieces (like the "filthiest toilet in Scotland") never upstage the colorful characters -- people who behave despicably and deplorably, shamefully and amorally, and yet endear themselves to viewers who find their wicked wit and charming smiles irresistible. Lothario Sick Boy, hapless Spud, psychotic Begbie, and wise-beyond-her-years schoolgirl Diane are unforgettable, but it is Ewan McGregor's exhilarating and incredible turn as Renton that commands the greatest attention and leaves audiences invigorated and begging for more.