Trainspotting Reviews and Ratings


  • Martherdumptruck
    July 22, 2009
    Martherdumptruck
    funny, dirty, grosse, but great
  • ceilinexq
    July 22, 2009
    ceilinexq
    gorgeous! awesome! fantastic! one of the best movie i have ever seen, genius work
  • agentjade
    July 22, 2009
    agentjade
    Intense and illuminating, this all-time favourite film is in a class of its own, with poignant yet somewhat trippy portrayals of a group of drug addicts and their decadent lifestyles, and a dash of dry yet effective UK humour. The amazing soundtrack puts the cherry on top.
  • aidensesused
    July 22, 2009
    aidensesused
    This movie is amazing. I love it so much. I like the artistic view behind the eyes of a heroin addict. Perfect.
  • JULIEeTOD
    July 14, 2009
    JULIEeTOD
    Great and amazing film!!
  • deboratryniti
    July 12, 2009
    deboratryniti
    Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, Choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players, ...
  • callyboy
    July 11, 2009
    callyboy
    Danny Boyle has taken Irvine Welsh's classic novel, taken the best episodes from that book and given it more of a story. And the film, amazingly, does justice to the book. It's funny at times and has some of the best narration ever given to a film. But there is also shocking mome...( read more)nts in a film which shows graphic drug use and sex. The hallucinations that the characters experience are shown effectively and done convincingly on a small budget.
  • joselobometal
    July 8, 2009
    joselobometal
    Gran obra de Irvine Welsh, uno de los mejores escritores de Escocia. Brillante en todos los sentidos.
  • VelvetDecay
    July 8, 2009
    VelvetDecay
    Diverso dai soliti film sulla droga. Ewan è semplicemente fantastico, e la colonna sonora fenomenale. In più, adoro il personaggio di Diane.
  • xXxXHorrorFanxXxX
    July 6, 2009
    xXxXHorrorFanxXxX
    this movie is kinda like A Clockwork Orange(in my opinon) because the unusual camera angles, the classical music, even the club scene with the "Joloko umphetico" like clockworks orange korova milk bar. and in both movies they end up being about lifestyle choices. Alex in A Clockw...( read more)ork Orange has the choice to do good or evil. Renton in Trainspotting makes the decision to "choose life." but thats in my opinion i think that in some parts both movies are kinda the same but anways.....

    this is movie is set in Edinburgh, the it begins with a narration from Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) as he and friend 'Spud' careen down Princes Street after shoplifting to raise cash, with security guards in pursuit. Renton states that unlike people who "choose life" (a traditional family lifestyle with children and material possessions), he and his cronies have opted out of ambitious pursuits, preferring to live in a blissful, meaningless heroin-induced stupor. We are introduced to his friends: film buff Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), hanger-on Spud (Ewen Bremner), keen footballer Tommy (Kevin McKidd) and unpredictable thug Francis Begbie (Robert Carlyle). Sick Boy, obsessed with Sean Connery, is also a heroin addict, as is the goofy, innocent Spud. In contrast, Tommy and Begbie openly criticise heroin use. Tommy lives an athletic, drug-free lifestyle. Begbie does not believe in heroin, but he is (ironically) a vicious drunk, eager to pick fights for the mere thrill of instigating physical altercations. This point is clearly illustrated when Begbie is seen casually throwing his pint glass off a bar balcony, injuring a woman and causing a large-scale pub brawl.

    Sick Boy and Renton decide to quit heroin, but struggle with temptation. They join Tommy, Begbie and Spud in a dance club where all five men are in pursuit of sex. The other three men have more complicated nights. After complaining about his relationship problems to his mates, Tommy takes Lizzie home until they discovered that their own tape was missing and instead, there was a football tape. Renton had previously stolen their personal tape in the film while claiming to borrow the football video. Tommy believes he returned it to the video rental store accidentally - a point of contention with Lizzie that later leads to the end of their relationship. Spud drinks too much alcohol, as he's in a temporary abstinent relationship with his girlfriend, Gail. That night when Gail tries to have sex, Spud passes out and defecates on her bed. Renton flirts with a young girl named Dianne (Kelly Macdonald), who quickly dissects his bad chat-up lines, but takes him home anyway. and Renton is forced to sleep on a couch outside her bedroom and discovers the next morning that he is actually at her parents' house and that she is under the age of sexual consent. He tries to end their relationship, but she blackmails him into staying in contact lest she call the police and inform them of their one-night stand.

    With their quest to be sober not as thrilling as hoped, Sick Boy, Spud and Renton decide to get back on heroin. The film shows a montage of drug taking and dirty dealings, while Renton narrates that he and his mates tried all drugs available to them. Tommy is dumped by Lizzie and looks for solace in heroin like his mates, having been told it's "the ultimate hit... better than sex." Renton's life of stealing and drugs continues, but quickly takes many turns for the worse - beginning with the screaming of Allison at their flat. The group discovers Allison's baby daughter, Dawn, has died. The cause of death is neglect while they were all present: an infant's distorted wails play over the preceding drug montage. All are shocked and feel terrible - Sick Boy, the father, most of all. A short time later, Renton and Spud are caught stealing from a department store and Spud goes to jail but Renton avoids incarceration by enlisting in a Drug Interventions Programme where he is supplied with the heroin substitute methadone.

    Even though his journey to sobriety begins with much love from his parents and mates (such as Sick Boy and Begbie), within hours Renton is back at the flat of his dealer - named "Mother Superior" for "the length of his habit" - and orders more heroin. Renton overdoses on the heroin and is dragged by "Mother Superior" and a taxi driver to the hospital, where nurses save his life. Seeing no other option, Renton's parents lock him in his own room to beat the addiction cold turkey. He has several hallucinations, including Spud in jail, a now drug addicted (and possibly HIV infected) Tommy, and Dawn, Allison's dead baby, crawling toward him on the ceiling, framed by a bizarre, dreamed or imagined TV gameshow in which host Dale Winton asks the contestants, who are Renton's mother and father, "Is he guilty... or not guilty?" The gameshow hints that Renton is free of AIDS, but his friend Tommy is not so lucky.

    Clean of heroin, Renton feels no purpose in life and decides to move to London and start a job as a property letting agent. Renton continues his sobriety while enjoying the vibrancy of London and saving up money on the side. His happiness is again short-lived, however, as Begbie arrives at his London flat seeking a hiding place from the police for armed robbery. Sick Boy also shows up and once again, Renton is frustrated that he cannot turn his "mates" away. As things are boiling over in the small space, the three are told of Tommy's death from toxoplasmosis back in Scotland. They return home and meet Spud, who is now out of jail and also sober.

    Following Tommy's funeral, Sick Boy suggests a large and dangerous opportunity for them; the chance to buy two kilos of heroin for $4000 and sell it for up to $20,000. Begbie demands that Renton put up much of the money, having seen Renton's bank statements. Though he is wary about the deal, Renton agrees. The foursome meet a professional heroin dealer and sell him the heroin for $16,000, leading to an afternoon celebration between all four mates in a pub. However, Begbie draws a knife on a customer in the pub and beats him severely while accidentally slicing Spud's hand open. Renton has already been thinking about stealing all the money for himself. As Begbie stands over the beaten man and demands a cigarette to come down from his "high", Renton apparently resolves that he will steal the money from his mates, whom he has come to understand are not his mates at all, with the exception of Spud.

    Early the next morning after the sun has come up Renton pulls the bag of money away from a sleeping Begbie. Renton looks at Spud, who is awake and has seen everything but he does not wake the others. Renton leaves and vows to live the stable, middle class life he described at the beginning of the film. When Begbie awakes he is furious and begins to destroy the room. The last time Begbie is seen, he is pulling a knife from his pocket as the police bang on the door. Spud later finds $2000 left for him by Renton in a locker.
  • Tuplad
    July 6, 2009
    Tuplad
    Awesome movie, great accents and some funny scenes.
  • Swordfishtrombone99
    July 4, 2009
    Swordfishtrombone99
    Arrghh, I'm never able to fully finish this movie..
  • crimsonglas
    July 2, 2009
    crimsonglas
    Wicked film! great acting!!!
  • ardnajela04
    July 1, 2009
    ardnajela04
    -OMG I loved Ewan McGregor

    -Cool story

    -Good music choice ;) (perfect day, lust for life and sing :D )
  • amonra183
    June 30, 2009
    amonra183
    Perfect directing by Danny Boyle
  • haheita
    June 28, 2009
    haheita
    Los noventas hechos película, exelente soundtrack, muy divertida.
  • FlyingSolo2009
    June 18, 2009
    FlyingSolo2009
    A crazy, insane ride of a movie.
  • sciencefair
    June 16, 2009
    sciencefair
    Excellent soundtrack. Mid-90s underground brit-pop WHOA.
  • Surfer567Rosa
    June 16, 2009
    Surfer567Rosa
    i like to call it the ewan mcgregor show.
  • pooky3684
    June 16, 2009
    pooky3684
    One of my favorite movies of all times. It's sick, twisted, real, and funny. The actors did this movie justice!
  • kanokaan
    June 16, 2009
    kanokaan
    I think Danny Boyle is the symbol of the English Cinema."Trainspotting" couldnt be directed better.And it is the same thing for the acting too.So you feel like you got electric when you see the movie.Acting,Camera and script is enjoyable.But it is ironic too.cause all the things ...( read more)happening because of heroin.All of these boys are using heroin except Begbie and Tommy.Well...Tommy is starting but Robert Carlyle as Begbie snt using it whole the movie.He dont have to use it anyway.He is a psyco al the time.So every actor espeically Carlyle is perfecto.Great directing,Perfecto acting,Great script...A great movie about mostly heroin.But dont think it overrating heroin.It is defaming heroin.
  • exureimundo
    June 16, 2009
    exureimundo
    The best movie about heroin I ever saw- it's definitely not a "Just Say No" movie; nor was it a "heroin chic" movie as my house mate seems to think it was, as it clearly did not make drug addiction look tempting to any sane person. I had a major crush on Ewan MacGregor after this...( read more), until he played Obi Wan Kenobi of course!
  • ohagankieran
    June 15, 2009
    ohagankieran
    Trainspotting doesn't glorify heroin. It glorifies youth. Youth at its worst, mostly, but youth trying to sort things as only youth can. Watch it again on video and it's still, in parts, hilariously funny. But whereas in the cinema peer pressure helped everyone laugh as the junki...( read more)es got it all wrong, sitting on your own sofa, heroin looks more serious than ever. This doesn't spoil the film, but it destroys the idea that Trainspotting could ever glorify heroin. No way.



    It begins with Renton (McGregor) giving up "that shite" but falling at the first hurdle, right down the worst toilet in Scotland. Truly one of cinema's most disgusting sequences, and perfect to introduce the rollercoaster rush of an unforgettable first half hour. Rich, earthy dialogue gushes like a ruptured sewer, etching characters deeper than any laughter lines. Sick Boy (Miller) mixes Connery's Bond with cod philosophy, Spud (Bremner) mixes dorky geekdom with the world's worst interview technique, while Begbie (Carlyle) mixes psycho sensibilities with impressive dexterity using the wrong end of a pool cue. But these personalities, like the settings ? bile green apartment walls, the blood red den of their dealer Mother Superior ? are stylised and get a sudden and shocking reality injection straight after a catalogue of hilariously catastrophic sexual encounters.



    The morning after, everything's changed. Renton's already classic rant against fresh air and the English can signal one thing only: a return to heroin, to crime and to hell. Director Boyle allows roughly two minutes before throwing the viewer into the pit, and it's a stunning turnaround. A baby dies, Spud goes to jail, Renton goes cold turkey ? humiliated by his parents, tormented by ghosts and lectured, bizarrely, by Dale Winton about HIV.



    Once again Renton gets his life back on the rails, but the nightmares of his past follow him even to London where he snatches despair from the very jaws of hope. Fittingly, he and his unwelcome flatmates Begbie and Sick Boy return briefly to their Edinburgh roots to bury another heroin statistic, before a coach trip back south for an amateurish, pathetic drug deal ? selling rather than buying, for once, and for one last thrill. It all goes pear-shaped, naturally, and no one is surprised, because by now the message is sinking in: heroin is for losers. For useless, unreliable fuck-ups, But in the hands of Boyle and this fantastic cast, and with a stunning soundtrack, it is possible to receive that message in an unprecedented and unrivalled piece of entertainment. Something Britain can be proud of and Hollywood must be afraid of. If we Brits can make movies this good about subjects this horrific, what chance does Tinseltown have?


    Choose life? Get a life ? choose Trainspotting
  • chanfan71
    June 15, 2009
    chanfan71
    Own it on Laser Disc
  • eco1508
    June 14, 2009
    eco1508
    A hard hitting account of a life of drugs and the effect it has on you and your friends. Disturbing and provocative with standout performances and fabulous direction by Danny Boyle!
  • amie12342
    June 13, 2009
    amie12342
    really good actually, certainly gives an insight into what it would be like living on drugs
  • TonyTheBull
    June 13, 2009
    TonyTheBull
    This movie really caught me by suprise. Before watching this I thought that The Panic In Needle Park was the most harrowing heroin movie. This film realy shows the danger of drugs and how you can completely ruin your life and other's by taking them. The movie isn't all grim thoug...( read more)h. It is actually bitingly funny while it is being poignant. As these on and off drug addicts do some pretty crazy things and some of the situations are undescribable. That is how most of the film goes until the eventual climax which of course involves a drug deal. Actually the friend that doesn't take drugs is a violent alcoholic and if he did do heroin it would probably calm him down for the better. I guess I should warn you that this film depicts graphic sexuality and very realistic heroin use. There is also a scene with a baby that is a little hard to watch. But really this is just a load of fun with enough energy in it to power 10 movies. The performances are something special and the dialogue is very witty. There is never a dull moment in this so if you like entertaining movies than this is definitely for you.
  • PlaysOneOnTV
    June 10, 2009
    PlaysOneOnTV
    I need a bump after seeing this film! LOL
  • HorrorMovieCinema
    June 9, 2009
    HorrorMovieCinema
    "Never let your friends tie you to the tracks."





    Trainspotting is one of the few movies that dares to be graphically real and not afraid of controversy to the point that they not only show the process of injecting heroin, but the state that an addict goes through...( read more) when they withdrawal from heroin.

    Not only does Trainspotting have a penchant for controversy and brazenness, it also has a cast of characters that, despite your best intentions, do grow on you. Such is the case with the violent psychopath Begbie (played with ferocious conviction by Robert Carlyle). Leading this talented cast of characters is Renton (played convincingly by Ewan McGregor). Renton is a heroin addict who shows just how desperate an addict is to get high in any way, even if that means diving through what could be classified as "The Worst Toilet in Scotland" to receive, um... "misplaced" drugs.

    Trainspotting is definitely not for all tastes. It requires a strong stomach, an open-mindedness towards constant profanity, and an extensive knowledge of Scottish lingo.





    "Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suite on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourselves. Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?
  • 89Richter
    June 7, 2009
    89Richter
    Personajes muy bien trabajados. El mundo de la psicódelia está presente. Buena narrativa. Adictiva.
  • zhengjiamin
    June 5, 2009
    zhengjiamin
    Maybe we're victims of fate,Remember when we'd celebrate.We'd drink and get high until late,And now we're all alone
  • lilifarkas
    June 5, 2009
    lilifarkas
    It is an 18 but it wasn`t such a shock for me. It might be for you so I recommend you don`t watch it when you`re under 15.
  • helwigs
    June 4, 2009
    helwigs
    Amazing, but still supercreeptastic at times.
  • rosepenny246
    June 4, 2009
    rosepenny246
    "Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a fucking big television. Choose washing machines, cars, compact discplayers and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mordgage repayments. Choose a starter home....( read more) Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose three-piece suit on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pishing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats that you've spawned to replace yourself. Choose your future. Choose life. But why would anyone want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose something else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?"
    That is the short, brilliant introduction to Danny Boyle's best movie, with the sound of Iggy Pop's "Lust for life".
    Renton seems to be rejecting the dominant ideals of his time, but deep down inside he doesn't. His "transformation" from drug addict to a proper citizen then back to drug addict and then to proper citizen is quite familiar from Alex's story in Clockwork Orange: psycho-harmless-psycho. Both movies mentioned end up showing us the same thing: No one wants to be last. Especially those who are always last. There are parts in the movie where Renton is quite optimistic and brings to mind an Oscar Wilde quote: We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars.
    Boyle is using surrealism to depict certain points of the characters' life, with the most impressive being the scene where Renton dives into a lavatory to find his drugs. Surrealism had until then been used mostly from directors such as Kubrick, Pasolini and Bunuel.
    Trainspotting did not receive any awards, in contradiction to Boyle's latest film "Slumdog Millionaire", which can not hold a candle to Trainspotting, that won eight Academy Awards. A bit unfair, maybe...?
  • vinterblod
    June 3, 2009
    vinterblod
    Trainspotting is an extremely quick and witty dark comedy about a bunch of druggies and lowlifes trying to cope with life between heroin shots. It's hilarious and depressing at the same time, and gets bonus points for the excellent soundtrack. The movie also has Ewan McGregor at ...( read more)his finest, as the druggie Renton, who wants to get out of his miserable way of living.
  • BloodyOne
    June 2, 2009
    BloodyOne
    Awesome film to watch with friends
  • Piumie
    June 2, 2009
    Piumie
    Brilliant! Disturbing! Eye-opening!
  • tokenhobo
    May 28, 2009
    tokenhobo
    dont talk to me if you don't like this movie.
  • tiredanimegirl
    May 28, 2009
    tiredanimegirl
    i can't tell you exactly why i love this movie. maybe lookin in on the life of a drug addict is safer than being one.
  • sarapope61
    May 22, 2009
    sarapope61
    Twisted, Disturbing and fun. Should be a cult classic.
  • antilucas
    May 21, 2009
    antilucas
    amazing, twisted, funny.
  • kkeller
    May 21, 2009
    kkeller
    Wow, good movie on drugs. Made me learn which ones to take and which ones to not! LOL
  • lukewhittluke
    May 21, 2009
    lukewhittluke
    real and funny at the same time
  • fungifago
    May 20, 2009
    fungifago
    Un clásico junkie... "La naranja mecanica de los 90's"... quien dijo eso? quien sabe, pero a la altura si que está.
  • egyptiansushi
    May 13, 2009
    egyptiansushi
    Danny Boyle never fails to impress.
  • progpurple1981
    May 11, 2009
    progpurple1981
    yes..from the man who bring u slumdog millionaire....
  • jacksonman03
    May 11, 2009
    jacksonman03
    HOLY SHIT! OBI WAN AND THE FULL MONTY ON HEROIN! YAY

Summary

Trainspotting Summary