Trainspotting (film)

Trainspotting is a 1996 Academy Award-nominated, BAFTA-winning cult classic film directed by Danny Boyle based on the novel Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh. The movie is about a group of heroin addicts in Edinburgh and their passage through life. It stars Ewan McGregor as Mark Renton, Ewen Bremner as Spud, Jonny Lee Miller as Sick Boy, Kevin McKidd as Tommy, Robert Carlyle as Begbie and Kelly Macdonald as Dianne. Author Irvine Welsh also has a brief appearance as hapless drug dealer Mikey Forrester.

The screenplay, by John Hodge, was adapted from Welsh's novel. It does not contain any references to the non-drug-related hobby of train spotting. The title is a reference to an episode in the original book (not included in the film) where Begbie and Renton meet "an auld drunkard" in the disused Leith Central railway station, which they are visiting to use as a toilet. He asks them, in a weak attempt at a joke, if they are "trainspottin'". As they walk away, Renton realizes the drunk was Begbie's father (p309, Minerva edition).

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Plot

Set in Edinburgh, the film 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 (soccer player) 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 for sex, wishing to make love while watching a porno video of themselves, 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, who quickly dissects his bad chat-up lines, but takes him home anyway. After the two have sex, 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 (in a reprise of the opening scene of the film). 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 carelessly 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 TV gameshow in which host Dale Winton asks, "Is he guilty... or not guilty?"

Finally 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 suddenly shows up and decides to live with them as well - and once again, Renton is frustrated that he cannot turn these "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 has bad feelings about the deal, Renton agrees. The foursome meet a big-time heroin dealer and end up selling the heroin for £16,000 - leading to a rare afternoon of celebration between all four mates. Mere hours after the deal is finished, Begbie draws a knife on an unarmed man in a pub and beats him severely while accidentally slicing Spud's hand open as well. Renton decides, as Begbie stands over the beaten man and demands a cigarette to come down from his "high", that he is going to steal the money from his mates, whom he slowly realizes are not really his mates at all, with the exception of Spud.

That night, Renton pulls the bag of money away from a sleeping Begbie before he leaves. Taking the money and his passport, he leaves and vows to starts a new life: the life he described at the beginning of the film. While trying to leave with the money, Spud catches Renton in the act, but does not wake the others. When Begbie awakes, he is furious and begins to destroy the room, attracting the attention of the police and finally being arrested. Sick Boy goes home empty-handed. Spud, however, finds £2000 in a locker intentionally left for him by Renton so that he too can make a fresh start.

Renton's narration

Renton is an example of an unreliable narrator. Several times in the film, he speaks of "one last hit" or a "final hit", though, of course, the heroin wears off quickly and he soon seeks another hit to feed his addiction. At the end of the film, he pledges to "choose life" (and go straight) but the £14,000 (having given £2,000 to Spud) slung over his shoulder, as well as his recent reintroduction to heroin use, make his statement questionable. The last time we see Renton inject heroin, he notes that "there are final hits and final hits. Which one was this going to be?" By not answering his own question, he keeps audiences guessing whether he will indeed "choose life".

Cast

Critical reception

In the UK, the film garnered almost universal praise from critics. Time Out London called the film "a triumph", saying, "audaciously punching up the pitch-black comedy, juggling parallel character strands and juxtaposing image, music and voice-over with a virtuosity worthy of Scorsese on peak form, Trainspotting the movie captures precisely Welsh's insolent, amoral intelligence."^[1] The Guardian newspaper gave the film credit for actually tapping into the youth subculture of the time, compared to other (now forgotten) contemporary British cinema.^[2] Esteemed American critic Roger Ebert heaped praise on the film for its stark, realistic portrayal of addicts' experiences with each other.^[3]

Its release sparked some controversy in some countries, including the United Kingdom, Australia and the United States, as to whether it promoted drug use or not. U.S. Senator Bob Dole decried its moral depravity and glorification of drug use during the 1996 U.S. presidential campaign, although he later admitted that he had not actually seen the film. This echoed sentiments Dole had made three years earlier, attacking Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers while lauding more mainstream films like James Cameron's True Lies as being more "family friendly". Despite the controversy, it was praised as an inventive, highly effective film and received a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay in that year's Academy Awards. In 1999 the film came 10th in a BFI poll of British films, while in 2004 the magazine Total Film named it the 4th greatest British film of all time.

The film's release was supported by an imaginative marketing campaign using flyers inspired by rave culture and posters of each of the main actors. Owing to illness, Kevin McKidd went on holiday having finished shooting for the film and did not attend the photoshoot for the posters.

Metacritic^[4] and Rotten Tomatoes^[5], sites which search for multiple reviews of films, gave it marks in the high 80s.

Other versions

Upon its initial release in the United States, the first 20 minutes of Trainspotting were re-edited with alternate dialogue. Because of the strong Scottish accents and language of the characters, it was believed that American audiences might have difficulty understanding them. The original dialogue was later restored on the Criterion Collection laserdisc in 1997 and then on the re-release of the "Director's Cut (Collector's Edition)" DVD in 2004.

Sequel

Boyle has stated his wish to make a sequel to Trainspotting which will take place 9 years after the original film, based on Irvine Welsh's sequel, Porno. He is reportedly waiting until the original actors themselves age visibly enough to portray the same characters, ravaged by time; Boyle joked that the natural vanity of actors would make it a long wait.^[6]

Soundtracks

The Trainspotting soundtracks were two best-selling albums of music centred around the film. The first is a collection of songs featured in the film, while the second includes those left out from the first soundtrack and extra songs that inspired the filmmakers during production.

Stage adaptation

Soon after publication, the book was adapted for the stage. The stage version inspired the film, and regularly toured the UK in the mid 1990s. This adaptation starred Ewen Bremner as Renton.

Locations

Despite being set in Edinburgh almost all of the film was filmed in Glasgow, apart from the opening scenes of the film which were filmed in Edinburgh and the final scenes which were filmed in London.

Notable locations in the film include:

• Princes Street, Edinburgh - The opening scene where Renton is being chased by store detectives.^[7]
• The scene where the chase ends is Calton Street Bridge, Edinburgh.
• Many of the scenes are filmed at the now defunct WD & HO Mills Cigarette Factory, Alexandra Parade in the East End of Glasgow.^[7]
• The nightclub where Renton meets Dianne is the now defunct Volcano Club, Benalder Street, Glasgow.^[7]
• The bar where an American tourist is mugged and Begbie throws a glass over the balcony is Crosslands, Queen Margaret Drive, Glasgow.^[7]
• The cafe where Renton and Spud meet before Spud's interview was Cafe d' Jaconelli, Maryhill Road, Glasgow.^[7]
• The park where Sick Boy and Renton discuss James Bond is Rouken Glen Park, near Thornliebank. The park was also the site of the grave in Boyle's previous film Shallow Grave.^[7]
• Corrour railway station is the setting for the "great outdoors" scene in the film.^[7]
• The hotel room interior of the London hotel near the end of the movie was at the George Hotel on Buchanan Street in the centre of Glasgow.^[7]
• Renton’s west London flat is 78A Talgarth Road at North End Road, London, opposite West Kensington tube station, part of the A4 road.^[7]
• The scenes where they do their drug deal takes place in Bayswater. The scene where they parody The Beatles Abbey Road takes place as they walk out of Smallbrook Mews across Craven Road to the Royal Eagle, 26-30 Craven Road, Bayswater.^[7]
• The school where Diane is taught is Jordanhill in Glasgow's West End.^[7]

Parodies

• The film has been parodied in The Simpsons in the episode "The Regina Monologues". Bart and Lisa, on their sugar rush, parody Renton's cold turkey hallucinations and also the start-sequence chase.
• An episode of Family Guy named "Love Thy Trophy", includes a scene where Stewie undergoes withdrawal from pancakes much like Renton's in the film. Stewie, at one point, sees himself crawling across the ceiling to look down on him in a parody of the appearance of Allison's baby (complete with the Exorcist-style head turn).
• A sketch on Channel 4's Adam and Joe Show features a parody of the opening sequence (called "Toytrainspotting"), 'acted out' by toys who are addicted to sherbet.
• "Adminspotting", a parody of the film's promotional poster (a transcription of the "choose life" sequence), based around the jobs and lives of computer system administrators.
• The film has been parodied in the Drawn Together episode "The Other Cousin" where, in a brief scene, Wooldoor has to kick the hallucinogenic drug that comes from Ling-Ling when he's disappointed.
• Parodied on the Australian movie show The Bazura Project, Episode 2.02, as part of the episode's opening sequence.
• The opening sequence was also parodied in the Take That episode of Star Stories. Gary Barlow steals doughnuts from a bakery and runs down the street with them, imagining he's being chased by the baker.

References

Notes

• Smith, Murray. 2002. Trainspotting. London: BFI

See also

• Human Traffic

• Trainspotting at the Internet Movie Database
• Trainspotting at Rotten Tomatoes
• Trainspotting at Metacritic

• Trainspotting at Box Office Mojo
• Article on Trainspotting at MetaPhilm