A must watch which hasn't aged a day in 24 years

Rating: 9/10 (12 June 2020)

Trainspotting follows the lives of five 'friends' who navigate heroin addiction in 90s Scotland. Pretty heavy stuff and as you'd expect this film is deeply depressing, sombre and shocking in parts. Despite this, somehow Boyle also manages to bring a moments of levity to this film, with some excellently executed dark humour.
This is in my opinion Boyle's best film. The whole film just fits so well together, with the script, performances, camera work, and soundtrack blending together perfectly. Boyle captured the absolute worst of drug addiction but also managed to find some semblance of hope. The flow of the film was seamless and, given the context, this film could have been a huge swing and a miss. The plot of Trainspotting is very solid and there was so much potential that Boyle squeezed out to its full extent. The fact that Boyle managed to make a story of addiction so artistic, rich and energetic is astounding - a true celebration of British film making.
The standout of Trainspotting really is the cast. Ewan McGregor was exceptional, and really carried the film as a powerful lead. His representation of a man's relationship with drugs, fighting addiction and trying to piece together his life was heart breaking and so well done. Johnny Lee Miller, Robert Carlisle, Ewen Bremmer and Kevin McKidd were all fantastic. The chemistry between them was so toxic yet so believable at the same time. Their relationship simultaneously made no sense and perfect sense, which the actors all expressed well. You can tell that the actors had a great amount of trust in Boyle and were all in on making Trainspotting.
Trainspotting is oft regarded as a classic and its easy to see why. Clearly Boyle's best film which delivers a shock to the system, some laughs and some hope at the same time. A must watch!