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Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin Mckidd, Robert Carlyle ... see more see more... , Kelly Macdonald , Keith Allen , Peter Mullan , Hugh Ross , James Cosmo , Kevin Allen , Vincent Friell , Andrew Macdonald , Fiona Bell , Kate Donnelly , Victor Eadie , Shirley Henderson , Pauline Lynch , Stuart McQuarrie , Eddie Nestor , Eileen Nicholas , Billy Riddoch , Annie Louise Ross , Susan Vidler , Finlay Welsh , Irvine Welsh , Dale Winton

Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor), a young man with few prospects and fewer ambitions, lives in economically depressed Edinburgh. Like most of his friends, Renton is a heroin addict who loves the drug's bli... read more read more...ssful nothingness; financing his habit also provides excitement and challenges that his life otherwise lacks. Renton's two best friends are also junkies: Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), a snappy dresser obsessed with James Bond, and Spud (Ewan Bremner), a guileless nerd who suggests Pee Wee Herman's debauched cousin. Renton and his pals also hang out with Begbie (Robert Carlyle), a borderline psychotic who loathes junkies even though he drinks like a fish. After one too many brushes with the law, Renton kicks heroin and moves to London, where he finds a job, a flat, and something close to peace of mind. However, Sick Boy, Begbie, and Spud all arrive at his doorstep on the trail of a big score, leading Renton back into drugs and crime. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Flixster Users

92% liked it

274,149 ratings

Critics

89% liked it

57 critics

R, 1 hr. 34 min.

Directed by: Danny Boyle

Release Date: July 19, 1996

Keywords: funny, cult, weird, drug, junkie, media

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DVD Release Date: March 24, 1998

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Stats: 20,402 reviews

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Trainspotting Ewan McGregor Sick Boy Waiting for the train Trainspotting Life's a bitch Sick Boy Renton Renton Trainspotting Trainspotting <i>Trainspotting</i> <i>Trainspotting</i> Trainspotting Trainspotting Begbie Robert Carlyle Trainspotting
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Flixster Reviews (20,402)

  • flixsterman
    April 14, 2012
    flixsterman
    Boyle rummages through the trash heap of heroin addiction and exposes a bit of humor and humanity. Contrary to what's been written in various reviews, Trainspotting doesn't glorify the junkie lifestyle but it does present it with flair and pugnacity.
  • StarCrossedVoyager
    April 11, 2012
    StarCrossedVoyager
    I can understand why people may like this film as it has some really good acting however the story just wasn't for me. I can't relate to drug culture, crazy actions, poverty in Edinburgh or going cold turkey. By the end I was glad it was over!
  • fb791220692
    January 17, 2012
    fb791220692
    Gross yet stylish, Transporting is visually fascinating and constantly energetic. I didn't much appreciate the (undoubtedly intentional) uncomfortable shifts between humor and disgustingness, but if you don't mind disturbing realism, you can't really go wrong with this captivatin... read moreg and realistic portrayal of the darkest edge of society.
  • helpahorse
    December 16, 2011
    helpahorse
    I really liked this movie. It's been on my instant queue for like ever now, but I finally got a chance to watch it the other night.

    I think this movie really gives an interesting perspective on drug addiction and life. The acting and directing was amazing. I really enjoyed it.... read more There's a lot of comedic moments, as well as tragic ones. It's a very realistic movie (with a good ending) about a group of people who struggle with their drug addiction.
  • danperry17
    November 27, 2011
    danperry17
    It might be my favourite movie ever, and every time I watch it I see something new. Based on an amazing novel, this is one of the rawest films I've ever seen and it's at once exhilirating and terrifying. A seminal film of the 90s with a soundtrack among the best ever assembled, t... read morehe movie is humor laced with horror - sort of like the drug addiction it uses as its subject, I would think. For everyone getting in on the No Country for Old Men hype, here's where Kelly MacDonald made her start... yeah, she's not Texan, just Scottish and ridiculously talented. Probably Ewan MacGregor's best movie, and when I read the book a couple of years after first seeing it, while I could imagine most of the characters a little differently, I couldn't shake Begbie's image from my head, which I think stands as a tribute to Robert Carlyle's performance. I could go on for days about this one, but it's a truly outstanding piece of art.
  • jamers2011
    November 3, 2011
    jamers2011
    So excellent...
  • phubbs1
    August 23, 2011
    phubbs1
    Probably the first British film to hit the bigtime after 'Four Weddings' and boy does it! talk about in your face. I've never read the book so I have no idea how it compares but the film seems to have been accepted pretty well with no complaints. When I first saw this film I real... read morely didn't like it to be honest, it was bleak and kinda depressing plus I was young, naive about drugs and unsure of the films presentation and style.

    After watching recently I must admit I do enjoy the dark gallows type humour with sickening visuals, it does seem to engage and hold your attention very well, much like a car wreck, you don't wanna look yet you can't turn away hehe.

    The cast really make the film what it is basically, the direction by Boyle is impressive and he knows what he wants looks wise but the main leads are terrific in their performances as they repulse you and charm you. McGregor is superb as 'Renton' and looks wonderfully pale, skinny and gaunt yet also makes the 'heroin look' kinda cool at the same time, a cult character and look for sure in cinematic history. After that Carlyle as 'Begbie' is much like a new Pesci with his small slim frame and wildfire rage from within that is both amusing and scary, Miller as 'Sickboy' is probably the funniest of the bunch with his natty [i]Connery[/i] impressions and lastly Bremner as 'Spud' fits the druggie bunch perfectly with his 'Jack Skellington' profile and whip fast speech that is probably the strongest accent in the film.

    I think one of the best things about the film is the lack of understanding with the dialog and Scottish slang, for anyone outside the UK it will be near impossible to understand I'm willing to bet haha its hard enough for me being British but it all adds to the total gritty realism and down to earth, edgy, streetwise vibe that you feel from the flick, seeing Begbie get into scraps whilst shouting every swear word under the sun is really very watchable despite being crass.

    I see this as an almost Tarantino-esq style film really with its disjointed approach and over the top colourful characters (with odd names), even the films posters were abit 'Reservoir Dogs like' in their design.

    Very much a character driven film with plenty of little plots buzzing around the main plot which happens to be about drug addiction, I tend to overlook the drug side and just enjoy the little sub plots going on which include some great surreal visuals. Can be a touch too depressing at times as I said but its certainly extremely unique and most definitely a cult.
  • fb535316333
    July 24, 2011
    fb535316333
    A quaint honest tail of a Scottish Junkie, Trainspotting is a stylistically engaging dark comedy showcasing the lives of a niche community without all the usual judgement and disdain.

    But for all its attempts at insight and social complexity there isn't much of a resonating stor... read morey or message, or at least it's not very clear. Still, it's this open forum of intrigue that really reveals this film to "deep" thinkers.

    It's entertaining, fun, and may or may not spark provoking questions. A good watch!
  • cosmo313
    June 29, 2011
    cosmo313
    I once tried reading Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting. I found it unreadable, and only got like a paragraph or two into it. I'm so glad that I can say that this, the film adaptation, is far from unwatchable.


    Not only that, but it's also one of the greatest and most influential Bri... read moretish films of modern times. Directed masterly and with great energy by Danny Boyle, this film is a stylish and edgy look into the world of Scottish junkies.

    Thankfully, even though the film is filled with great style, it is, like basically every drug film, a cautionary tale that pulls no punches when it comes to showing how bad things can get when you are addicted to drugs. Parts of it are hard to watch, but, unlike Requiem For A Dream, this is actually got some humor in it, even if it is on the gallows and scatological sides.

    Ewan McGregor leads a great cast, and, even though none of these characters are really all that likeable or easy to sympathize with, we do kind of feel for them. I love when films are able to do stuff like that. Not only that, but there stories are told in very imaginative ways that utilize some excellent cinematography, editing, and music.

    This is just one of those films that gets talked about all the time, and it does live up to the hype. In a way, trying to review this film properly is like trying to give a unique and original essay about The Beatles; it's really hard, and all the best things to say have been said already, so just sit back and enjoy.
  • FrizzDrop
    February 11, 2011
    FrizzDrop
    Tried and true, the story of drug addiction and the criminal and sociological changes that accompany it are exemplified in this shocking film by none other than director Danny Boyle. Exmaining every aspect, and including such shocking scenes as armed robbery, bar fights, sex tape... read mores, and rehabilitation, this is a poignant piece that centers on an idealistic Renton trying for the American dream in a Scottish setting. Through stealing and cheating every addict is out for themselves, the next hit more important than the next set of consequences. A vivid and realistic portrayal by featured actors Ewan McGregor, Kelly MacDonald, Ewen Bremner, and Johnny Lee Miller. Astounding.

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Critic Reviews

Liam Lacey
April 12, 2002
Liam Lacey, Globe and Mail

THE experience of watching Trainspotting -- the electric, nasty and slick descent into the milieu of young Scottish junkies -- is a little like speeding through the digestive tract of some voracious b... Full Review

Peter Travers
May 12, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

Trainspotting is a singular sensation, a visionary knockout spiked with insight, wild invention and outrageous wit.

Kenneth Turan
February 14, 2001
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

Exuberant and pitiless, profane yet eloquent, flush with the ability to create laughter out of unspeakable situations, "Trainspotting" is a drop-dead look at a dead-end lifestyle that has all the stre... Full Review

Jonathan Rosenbaum
January 1, 2000
Jonathan Rosenbaum, Chicago Reader

It would be pushing it to call Trainspotting a serious work of art or a major statement about anything, but as an edgy, artful piece of entertainment it beats any Hollywood release of the summer by mi... Full Review

Desson Thomson
January 1, 2000
Desson Thomson, Washington Post

The movie tags at the heels of Edinburgh social dropouts Renton, Spud, Sick Boy and Begbie, for whom getting off beats getting out. Full Review

James Berardinelli
January 1, 2000
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

This isn't an examination of the Scottish drug culture from the outside looking in, it's one from the inside looking out. Full Review

Charles Taylor
January 1, 2000
Charles Taylor, Salon.com

Hip, brutally honest and humane... Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The movie has been attacked as pro-drug and defended as anti-drug, but actually it is simply pragmatic. It knows that addiction leads to an unmanageable, exhausting, intensely uncomfortable daily rout... Full Review

Janet Maslin
January 1, 2000
Janet Maslin, New York Times

For better or worse, sometimes strictly for the sake of shock value, the stylish irreverence of "Trainspotting" mimics that drug high and delivers its own potent kick. Full Review

Mick LaSalle
January 1, 2000
Mick LaSalle, San Francisco Chronicle

This is not dour social realism. It's a shot- from-a-cannon youth movie, with likable young people sticking needles in their arms in working-class Edinburgh. Full Review

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Facts

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    • Sick Boy: Personality, I mean that's what counts, right? That's what keeps a relationship going through the years. Like heroin, I mean heroin's got a great fucking personality.
    • Mark Renton: I fantasize about a massive pristine convenience. Brilliant gold taps, virginal white marble, a seat carved from ebony, a cistern full of Chanel no.5, and a flunky handing me pieces of raw silk toilet roll. But under the circumstances I'll settle for anywhere.
    • Mark Renton: One thousand years from now there'll be no guys and no girls, just wankers. Sounds great to me.
    • Mark Renton: There was no such thing as society and if even there was I most certainly had nothing to do with it.
    • Mark Renton: It's SHITE being Scottish! We're the lowest of the low, the scum of the fucking earth, the most wretched, miserable, servile, pathetic trash that was ever shat into civilization. Some people hate the English, I don't. They're just wankers. We, on the other hand, are colonized by wankers. We can't even find a decent culture to be colonized by. We are ruled by effete arseholes. It's a shite state of affairs to be in, Tommy! And all the fresh air in the world won't make any fucking difference!
    • Mark Renton: 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 suit 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?
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Trainspotting Trivia

  • In what movie is Ewan McGregor a heroin addict?  Answer »
  • Ewan McGregor and fellow Trainspotting star Ewen Bremner appeared together again in which movie.  Answer »
  • This film stars Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Euan Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kelly McDonald, Kevin McKidd and Dale Winton!!  Answer »
  • What is 'Rentons' first name in 'Trainspotting'?  Answer »
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