Choose Trainspotting....

Rating: 10/10 (4 February 2011)

The novel from which Trainspotting was adapted is one of the most exhilarating reads I have ever had. Savage, hilarious, disgusting, authentic and wise, Irvine Welsh's book was almost a cultural phenomenon in itself back in the day. It didn't seem like the kind of novel that could be transferred to the screen though seeing as its fragmented narrative was essentially a collection of short stories, albeit interconnected ones. We needn't have worried though as the film version of Trainspotting was a dynamic instant classic and one of the best British films for years.
The story is about the goings on surrounding a group of Edinburgh youths. Most of them exist in the heroin scene which was deeply prevalent in the city back in the 1980's. In might seem hard to believe now but back in those days Edinburgh was known as the Aids Capital of Europe as a result of the problems caused by the widespread heroin use. So the book Trainspotting evolved from a very real place. Where the novel itself is very much no-holds barred in its approach, the film most certainly presents events in a far more palatable light, although it does retain the spirit and the humour. Nevertheless, the film version is hardly a tame film itself; there are a number of pretty heavy scenes and it can be very uncompromising.
Director Danny Boyle and screen-writer John Hodge have to be given enormous credit for the success of this feature. Where Hodge selected material from Welsh's terrific prose exceptionally skilfully, Boyle then tied it altogether in a fast-paced movie that he has ensured has a real inertia from start to finish. Happily the film-making approach taken isn't the sadly predictable one all too often taken by British film-makers: gritty social-realism. No, Trainspotting takes an altogether more stylized approach and one that uses the cinematic medium a lot more interestingly, and it's all the better for it. The acting is universally exceptional, with particular stand-out turns from Ewan Macgregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Ewen Bremner and Robert Carlyle. It looks terrific too, and the soundtrack perfectly captures the mood with its clever selection of songs from the likes of Iggy Pop, Lou Reed and Underworld.
This surely is a must see movie and one I really can only highly recommend.