One of a kind cinema from Danny Boyle

Rating: 8/10 (22 June 2014)

"Trainspotting" is a British film based on the novel of the same name by Irvine Welsh (who has a bit part in the film). The story revolves around a group of heroin addicts in Edinburgh in the late 80's. While that hardly sounds like a barrel of monkeys, the movie is nevertheless primarily a comedy with dramatic overtones.
John Hodge's adapted screenplay won a BAFTA award and received an Oscar nomination as well. It shows both the allure of drug use for these individuals (in a word, escapism) but it also shows the stark reality of how it affects their lives for the worse. The movie has a redemptive quality (for our hero, at least) but it isn't preachy. The plot's liberal dose of comedy helps to keep things loose but, on the whole, the movie also has a satisfying dramatic arc.
A major part of the movie's success lies in the vivid performances of the principal actors. First and foremost, in the lead role, Ewan McGregor made a star-making turn as Renton. The actors who played his group of friends were each distinctly memorable as well. For me, Robert Carlyle is the standout of that bunch. The movie also features the introductory role of Kelly Macdonald, as Renton's love interest.
Of course, without Danny Boyle's direction the movie probably would not have made as much of an impact as it did. His visuals are always interesting and make the most of the attractive cinematography and production design. His choices for soundtrack selections also showed keen insight, including memorable uses of Iggy Pop's "Lust for Life" and Lou Reed's "Perfect Day" (to name just a couple of standout tracks).
However, despite all of the movie's pluses, I'm unsure of its widespread appeal. It can't be denied that some of the dialogue is a bit hard to follow (at least for a North American audience). That being said, I still think that anyone and everyone should see this movie for the striking visuals, cool music and absorbing story.