An excellent comedy which deals with serious issues

Rating: Null/10 (13 March 2004)

The Edinburgh drug scene, 1990s, five pals hanging out constantly, two of them are clean, but eventually one of the remaining two can't resist the temptation. Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) is the main character who attempts to get rid of his heroin addiction but fails. Sick Boy (Johnny Lee Miller) is a huge admirer of Sean Connery's and rather the cleverest of the five. Spud (Ewen Bremner) never thinks of hurting others, Tommy (Kevin McKidd) is a sports fan who in the end suffers tremendously from heroin and Begbie (Robert Carlyle) is the one who gets into fights all the time and who always stays clean. Diane (Kelly Macdonald) is Renton's under age girlfriend whom he meets at a pub. Renton is stunned by Diane's impressive audacity.
After a near-death experience Renton's parents are determined to help their son to get clean and when they have succeeded Renton shifts to London to get his one-time pals behind his back, starts a new life and finds a job. Very soon, his 'friends' track him down and they want to talk him into a deal. The ending suggests that Renton eventually chooses 'life'.
The scenes that deals with illusions are presented beautifully, with a cool soundtrack and brilliant ensemble performance. Every moment of the film is gripping and never leaves you tired. We see drug addiction, violence, crime, struggle, sex and betrayal portrayed in a very creative way. This is definitely a classic.