Enjoyable, if you can handle the content.

Rating: 8/10 (2 June 2009)

Trainspotting is about Mark Renton, proud heroin addict, and his friends. When they're not getting into trouble, they're shooting up or just talking. There's no real story; the movie is more of a look into the lives of these junkies than anything else.
One of the main strengths of Trainspotting is that it only shows. It doesn't judge these people or the drug, it simply shows their lives and is careful not to take a side. But it doesn't pull any punches, either, so quite a few people won't want to watch the graphic heroin injections. The movie also goes too far at several points, showing both Renton taking a dump and a dead baby, just to disgust and shock the audience, it seems.
It's not an easy movie to sit through because of its graphic nature, but it can be likable as well. Despite obvious reasons to dislike the character, Ewan McGregor's performance as Renton makes him at least a little appealing. His witty and clever narration is very enjoyable, and the best part of the movie. A few chuckles are hidden here and there, and director Danny Boyle makes Trainspotting visually striking, particularly with creative hallucinations and fantasies.
But it's also rushed. Renton and his friends are barely established before things go wrong and change, while the third act seems to belong in another movie. As a whole, though, it's a picture that has quite a few things to enjoy, but not everyone will be able to sit through because of its content.