Trainspotting

Director: Danny Boyle

Writer: John Hodge

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlisle, Johnny Lee Miller, Ewen Bremner

Released: 1996

Released at the height of Britpop, Trainspotting tells the story of a group of friends, who are largely heroin addicts, in Edinburgh.

Fuelled by ecstatic reviews, controversy and the Britpop-inspired love of most things British at the time, the film was an international success and cultural phenomenon, and to this day remains one of the most successful British films ever made.

Although fairly short on plot or story, the film is a fast-paced, funny and imaginative look at the lives of the characters, from main character Renton (McGregor), who tries on several occasions to get clean during the film, to psychotic friend (and non-heroin user) Begbie, who thinks nothing of glassing people who spill his drink in pubs.

Made for next-to-nothing (the budget was only around £1.5 million), the film still looks pretty good to this day, though one or two scenes do look a bit cheap, though I guess that's forgivable on such a small budget.

The main failing of the film, as I mentioned, is the lack of plot throughout; the first three-quarters of the film are more like a series of sketches than a coherent film, and the scenes that don't work soon become annoying. It's only towards the end of the film when four of the characters come into a large packet of heroin that they try to sell that any story or tension comes into play.

That said, this is still a very enjoyable film, though not quite the masterpiece it was hailed as at the time. It's very fresh and funny, and even though some parts don't work, the film moves along quickly onto something else.

The film also spawned two best-selling soundtrack albums featuring Britpop artists such as Pulp, Sleeper, Blur and Elastica, as well as older songs from the likes of Iggy Pop and Lou Reed, further cementing its place at the heart of the Britpop scene.

Rating: 3.5/5