Edgy and brazen "Trainspotting" still holds up to current indie standards

Rating: 9/10 (31 March 2008)

(This review was updated in 2016)
Independent cinema in the UK – and the world, frankly – has never been the same since "Trainspotting." The counterculture spirit of Irvine Welsh's novel was the perfect source for a film that would effectively raise a middle finger to mainstream tastes and challenge storytelling norms. Director Danny Boyle makes on a shoestring budget the type of film that studios actively try and produce in today's day and age.
The film follows a group of mates living in Edinburgh, Scotland, most of who are heroin junkies, and Boyle gives their story a seedy, grimy, punk aesthetic that will make proper filmgoers' skin crawl. John Hodge's script aggressively confronts anyone of "civil tastes" with a voice-over monologue from main character Renton (Ewan McGregor) talking about societal pressure to choose certain norms. Renton chooses heroin, and if you're not willing to hear him out, then you can go **** off.
"Trainspotting" walks a fine line between glorifying addiction and being direct about the horrors of getting hooked on the "shite." On one hand, Renton and buddies Tommy (Kevin McKidd), Spud (Ewen Bremner) and Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller) appear to have this spontaneous, invincible 20-something lifestyle, and on the other hand they're all sick and it's clear their lives are dictated by smack, either because they're slaves to it or because they're on the roller coaster of trying to get off it. Hodge's script presents the highs and the lows in equal measure and Boyle uses a combination of music and imagery to amplify them both.
Boyle was among those filmmakers in the '90s who absolutely set the tone for movie soundtracks (along with Quentin Tarantino, for example). These directors understood the way audiences respond and relate to pop culture, that our identities and feelings grow around them and inform how we go through the world. Such is the case for these characters who love Iggy Pop, for example, or – like Sick Boy – get philosophical about Sean Connery roles because he was the only image of Scottish masculinity at the time. Music in particular is tied to emotion, and Boyle uses it to create a range of moods for the film.
He also achieves so much with practical effects and set design. Renton's withdrawal hallucinations have a perfectly creepy tone using simple set design elements and camera angles, and he utilizes a number of subtle shots and effects to capture the more blissful drug highs. The "Worst Toilet in Scotland" sequence captures the horrible realities and the strange surrealism of drug addiction in one rather unforgettable clip.
Although the style of "Trainspotting" definitely stands out more than the story, a second or closer viewing reveals that the film definitely isn't choosing style instead of substance. Renton's role as narrator really helps facilitate that, offering a means of both the character and the audience to process and reflect on the often wild and obscene events that unfold. The film's ending, for example, doesn't work without some insight into Renton's thought process and the underlying ethos.
To this day, Renton remains one of McGregor's best characters. His roles have gotten stiffer and more dramatic over the years (with a few exceptions) since he broke out with "Star Wars" and "Moulin Rouge!" and Renton is a nice reminder of his versatility and ability to play more of an everyman, in this case one who ping-pongs from likable to despicable to pitiable and everything in between through the short course of the film.
"Trainspotting" contains so many contemporary indie filmmaking trademarks that it could be remade shot for shot today and it wouldn't feel the least bit dated; you'd only know that it took place in the '90s – you wouldn't guess that it was first made then too. What was once avant-garde in "Trainspotting" is now commonplace, yet 20 years later it still has an exciting edginess to it that will likely still connect with future generations of viewers.
~Steven C
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