Interesting watch, even if it cannot keep the high level from early on

Rating: 6/10 (3 September 2017)

"Trainspotting" is a 90-minute movie from the UK and this one was released back in the 1990s. It had its 20th anniversary last year and just got a sequel even more recently. This sequel brought back all the key players from the original here, not just Oscar winner Danny Boyle, but also his writer John Hodge and all the key players from the cast including lead actor Ewan McGregor. But this is not just a very British movie, it is also a very Scottish movie, not on the level of Braveheart, but close behind. It has also become a huge cult classic over the years and I am not too surprised it is comfortably inside IMDb's Top250 as really everybody has heard the title Trainspotting and not just since the sequel. But back to this one here: It is basically the story of a heroin addict and we get to watch his attempts to get clean. At the same time we get an insight into the criminal life involving him and his friends that keep raising new obstacles in his way to a better life. So there are many subjects in here: crime, friendship, addiction, love too, although it really isn't in the middle of the action at any point.
I find it interesting to see how the careers of the protagonists continued in the two decades since this came out. Some made it big, starred on Star Wars or won Emmys, while for others (and not too few) this movie here is still the career-defining work. Not a surprise though given the film's status. One would be John Hodge, the writer I mentioned earlier because he scored an Oscar nomination with his screenplay here, nothing really to be taken for granted as I can see American audiences and awards bodies struggling with the material here. But I guess class prevailed. Oh yeah, I really want to mention the many James Bond references here and this film is definitely a nice little tribute to 007. I am a huge fan of the latter, so these inclusions were one reason why I liked the first 45 minutes more than the second 45 minutes overall. Sure the ending was pretty great, but before that there was a great deal of mediocrity at times sadly. This is a bit strange as there was a lot more happening in the second half than early on. The beginning was really more of an introduction to the characters and their backgrounds and I felt that story-wise there wasn't too much happening, at least not compared to the later parts of the film. Maybe it was Boyle's talent that made the film stand out when it stood out the most. I can't deny I like him. Overall, this 1996 film as well as its recent sequel were good, but not great films in my opinion. I recommend them both.