I Can See Why TRAINSPOTTING is a Modern Classic

Rating: 8/10 (26 June 2014)

I've found that, the more I watch Danny Boyle's TRAINSPOTTING, the more I enjoy it. I'll admit that I wasn't blown away when I first watched it, but I imagine that's because it became a victim of its own hype. Boyle's sophomore directing effort has got a major cult following and I've heard plenty of praise from some of my more film- obsessed friends. I didn't actually see it until a month or so ago and, while I enjoyed it, I wasn't sure why it was such a big deal. So I gave it some time to sink in, then went back and rewatched it again recently and fared a little better. Maybe it was the thick Scottish accents making dialogue difficult to follow at times or the retro nineties vibe, but it didn't sit well originally and a second viewing let me get past all that and enjoy it. TRAINSPOTTING follows some Edinburgh hood-rats living the junkie life and going where it takes them. There's Renton (Ewan McGregor), persistently on the verge of going clean and giving up his hedonist lifestyle; Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), a schemer and troublemaker with an encyclopedic knowledge of 007; Spud (Ewen Bremner), dopey and loyal to his mates; Tommy (Kevin McKidd), the smart one who seems capable of maintaining a (mostly) mature relationship and knows enough to keep away from the heroin habit his friends have sunken into; and Begbie (Robert Carlyle), a drunken psychopath who abhors his friends' love for heroin but doesn't mind putting a glass mug through some poor random pub patron's face.
Poor Ewan McGregor. The first thought that comes to mind when his name is mentioned is the unfortunate STAR WARS prequels, foregoing the fact that the man obviously has loads more talent. His character, Renton, is the film's closest thing to a protagonist. We follow him from the depths of addiction through the struggle of going clean and trying to lead a normal life. Sure, he makes some stupid choices over the course of the film but you can't help but cheer him on. The kid's got charisma. Most of them do actually, despite being somewhat despicable human beings. I found myself feeling sort of sorry for Spud. He didn't strike me as the sharpest knife in the drawer but he was loyal to a fault. He was the only one in the crew that didn't seem to have an ounce of trouble in him (that wasn't injected intravenously anyway). Begbie's a royal trip. Carlyle is absolutely great, when you can understand him. I needed subtitles at times to get through the thick Scot accent but he was funniest part of the movie. The man's a powder keg and it doesn't take much to light his fuse. Sure, he hates heroin and gives his friends (rightfully) a hard time for their addiction but he's got more than enough flaws himself. He's violent, over-confidant, and possibly compensating for something. Sick Boy's the bad apple in the bunch. He's a man who relishes the junkie life and has little regard for those around him. And, finally, there's Tommy. Tommy doesn't fit well within the rest of the crew, as he seems to have some humanity in him. Tommy's character in the movie seems to exist solely to remind the audience that, as funny as the movie may be at times, heroin addiction is no joke and he serves as an example in his fall from "normal" to, well, that'd be a spoiler.
TRAINSPOTTING may be a comedy (and a dark one, at that) but it doesn't shy away from its subject matter. Heroin is a plague in the world and it's claiming new victims all the time. The laughs from the crew's heroin-fueled antics are often interrupted with reality checks to serve as a reminder of the consequences. A junkie mother pays the ultimate price for her obsession. Spud serves time after a little harmless shoplifting with his buddies to feed their habit. Renton discovers the full extent of the withdrawal experience. And Tommy, well, just watch the movie if you've never seen it. TRAINSPOTTING is right up there with Darren Aronofsky's REQIUEM FOR A DREAM as a movie that serves to dissuade any fools out there from finding glamour in the life of drug addiction. Despite the laughs, it's an effective PSA about the dangers of heroin abuse.
I've seen the movie a few times now and I'm still ready to back for more. I've come to understand why TRAINSPOTTING has got the reputation it does as a "must-see" film. It's equal parts fun and cringe inducing. It's a solid character film that established Boyle as a major cinematic talent and led McGregor down the dark path to something far worse than heroin: George Lucas' STAR WARS prequels. Kidding, of course. Heroin sucks.