First Take Classics: Trainspotting- the lust for life begins

SYPNOSIS:

Renton, deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, tries to clean up and get out, despite the allure of the drugs and influence of friends.

As T2 Trainspotting is finally out in cinemas around the country, now is a great time to revisit the classic from 1996 and kick off a new strand where I visit older films that haven’t been reviewed here on the blog. This film hasn’t aged that much- Danny Boyle took a big leap back in the day to make this adaptation of the Irvine Welsh novel, and it’s certainly been a risk worth taking- as a cult classic was born in the process.

The film is paced near perfectly, with every last detail still having some purpose- every little bit of Boyle’s direction, combined with a very faithful adaptation by John Hodge adds up to a 93 minute film that not only entertains the audiences with Renton’s journey to get clean, but also informs audiences (through the very well utilised 18 certificate) on the serious effects of the subject matter. The cinematography is just top level stuff from Brian Tufano, and watching this film back on Blu-ray is an absolute treat.

Obviously we all know how good the performances are in this film, with Ewan McGregor putting in some great work alongside the old gang of Jonny Lee Miller, Robert Carlyle and Ewan Bremner, However, in her very first feature film performance, Kelly MacDonald proves why she has become a major player in the British and American film scene- to go from a role like this to playing a Disney princess (as Merida in 2012′s Brave) takes a lot of guts, but working with someone like Danny Boyle is an instant way to do it.

THE VERDICT

Trainspotting is single-handedly the seminal British film of the 1990′s, and with T2 gracing multiplexes across the land right now, can the sequel be as good as a film that is damn near perfect?

RATING: 5/5

And before I forget, later this evening (January 28th), my spoiler free review of Trainspotting 2 will go up here on the blog.