One of my all-time favorites!

Rating: 10/10 (18 July 2002)

I saw 'Trainspotting' when it was first released. The reason I saw it was because I was a huge fan of Danny Boyle's 'Shallow Grave' and boy was I in for a surprise. At the time, I had never read the book by Irvene Welsh so I didn't know what too expect. Nevertheless, I was blown away with end results!
What an amazing stylistic film with excellent performances and interesting if not unlikable characters! I liked Ewan McGregor in 'Shallow Grave', but he was outstanding as Renton- the drug-addled Scot who keeps trying to give up smack. The supporting performances were also great, 'Trainspotting' introduced me to Jonny Lee Miller as Sick Boy, Robert Carlyle as Begbie, Kelly McDonald as Renton's love interest in Diane and Ewan Bremmer as Spud. All are fairly well-known now, and all were great in 'Trainspotting' but Carlyle here shined as the angry and volatile Begbie!
I've watched 'Trainspotting' numerous times, and it's still funny, stylistic, cool, intriguing and sad, but most of all, it shows the depravity of hard-core drug addiction. It's is certainly anti-drug in my mind, as I walked away from the movie vowing to never touch smack! 'Trainspotting' is not everybody but it certainly doesn't glamourise drugs- so if you don't mind films with drugs, this one is worth a look. 'Trainspotting' is an amazing and memorable film where the Scottish dialect is simple to understand if you listen. Heck, most DVDS have a subtitle option anyway. Highly recommended to people who like unusual cinema/video and, in my opinion, it's one of the best films of the 1996 and one of my personal favorites! 'Trainspotting' gets full points!
***** out of *****!