Trainspotting Review

by Chad Polenz (ChadPolenz AT aol DOT com)
July 9th, 1997

Trainspotting
Chad'z rating: ***1/2 (out of 4 = very good)
1996, R, 94 minutes [1 hour, 34 minutes]
[crime/drama/satire]
starring: Ewan McGregor (Mark Renton), Robert Carlyle (Begbie), Johnny Lee Miller (Sick Boy), Kevin McKidd (Tommy), Ewen Bremner (Spud), produced by Andrew MacDonald, written by John Hodge, directed by Danny Boyle, based on the novel by Irvine Welsh.

Films about the destructive power of drugs usually have the same message, but none of them show the so-called positive side of drugs, of the rush, the ecstasy, and the camaraderie. "Trainspotting" dares to play up that angle as it goes inside the minds of modern junkies to let us see the world through their eyes. We share the escapism, but we also realize how bad the consequences are.

The film starts out with tremendous energy with a fast-paced chase sequence and a narrator describing his unusual lifestyle. His name is Mark Renton (McGregor), a 20-something Scottish "wanker" who says he "...chose not to choose life, instead... heroin."

Renton and his friends Sick Boy (Miller), and Spud (Bremner) are all heroin addicts and they describe the high in such a glamorous, detailed manner it's easy to understand the appeal ("A thousand times better than the best orgasm you've ever had"). Renton's other friend Tommy (McKidd) tries his hardest to not touch the stuff, and finds the real rush comes from the danger of it all. Then there's Begbie (Carlyle), the nearly psychotic bully of the gang who gets his kicks from bar hopping, drifting, and fighting.

Boyle's direction is fantastic, much like Oliver Stone, he uses hyper editing techniques to define mood. No scene lasts longer than two minutes, in fact, most of them last less than 30 seconds. The story, just like the characters' lifestyles, is constantly shifting and never dwells on the obvious. There are scenes of bizarre drug parties, surrealistic clubs, meaningless sex, etc., all of which add up to a mood of pure nihilism.
Because everything happens so quickly, it would seem as if characterization would be sacrificed, but just the opposite is true. The erratic storytelling tells us all we need to know about the characters, showing how great their highs are, but how horrible their lows can be. There is a scene involving Renton and "The filthiest toilet in Scotland" that perfectly illustrates how pathetic drug addiction can be. It's so disgusting it's impossible not to squirm, but at the same time, the satire of it all is quite funny.

Although the film is very intense, it uses satire in a surrealistic manner, much like Kubrick's "A Clockwork Orange." However, the reality here is more brutal than "Orange" because the narcotics are stronger and more addictive. When Renton tries to quit heroin cold turkey there is a montage so powerful it will probably be as close as a film ever comes in showing the havoc drugs wreck on the mind.

Although there isn't much of a story to the film, the final act does try to set up what will probably be Renton and the gang's final "scam." Not surprisingly, when Renton tries to go straight he has trouble doing so, and the same is true for the film's effort to tell a normal crime and drama story. It doesn't make any major mistakes per se, it's just a bit too jumbled and overwhelming to take seriously.

The messages in "Trainspotting" will be different from viewer to viewer, but all will be powerful nevertheless.

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(C)1997 Chad Polenz

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