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List Price: $19.99 | | Label: Walt Disney Video
Salesrank: 14957
Released: March 25, 1998 |
| Our Price: $28.42 |
| Used Price: $8.49 |
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MPAA Rating: R (Restricted)
Media: DVD |
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Editorial Review:
With its hallucinatory visions of crawling dead babies and a grungy plunge into the filthiest toilet in Scotland, you might not think Trainspotting could have been one of the best movies of 1996, but Danny Boyle's film about unrepentant heroin addicts in Edinburgh is all that and more. That doesn't make it everybody's cup of tea (so unsuspecting viewers beware), but the film's blend of hyperkinetic humor and real-life horror is constantly fascinating, and the entire cast (led by Ewan McGregor and Full Monty star Robert Carlyle) bursts off of the screen in a supernova of outrageous energy. Adapted by John Hodge from the acclaimed novel by Irving Welsh, the film was a phenomenal hit in England, Scotland, and (to a lesser extent) the U.S. For all of its comedic vitality and invigorating filmmaking, the movie is no ode to heroin, nor is it a straight-laced cautionary tale. Trainspotting is just a very honest and well-made film about the nature of addiction, and it doesn't pull any punches when it is time to show the alternating pleasure and pain of substance abuse. --Jeff Shannon
Trainspotting Reviews:
Cynical but Brilliant! 
2009-12-12 - This dark comedy ranks as one of the great films of the '90s. The acting is good, the story is highly engaging, and the take on life it offers is definitely a reflection of the modern world, albeit a dark one.
Blu-Ray release isnt worth the upgrade 
2009-08-25 - This Blu-ray release, is not worth buying. The detail is subtly increased, but overall, but that is about it. The colors fail to pop, the transfer is flat. It fails to really stand out like it could. The worst part about this release though- no extras- none at all. They failed to include anything. The one and only option you get is French or English audio. Period. It doesn't even have a menu- the movie auto plays. If you are buying this movie on Blu-ray, understand what you're getting, slightly better detail, thats it. Hope for a better release.
Nothing Less than a Masterpiece
2009-08-11 - It's no surprising mystery that people are stupid, so of course Trainspotting has it's naysayers. That being said, this film is brilliant. Trainspotting is easily one of the best movies I've ever seen. It's hilarious for one, unavoidably engaging in its entirety, and graphically disturbing. It's black and white masterfully intertwined. An excellent source of introspection and social comparison, these are several aspects a free-thinking, cannabis connaisseur such as myself thoroughly enjoys each time I view it. I mean it's hard not to, heroin injection is disgusting and it should make you cringe and feel uncomfortable, which in turn further activates your mind. Danny Boyle and the film crew's biggest success is how in the end they neither glorified nor condemned the 'wonderful world that is heroin addiction'. They simply paint the lifestyle for what it is and leave the viewer to formulate their own thoughts, which is what this ride is all about. It's not about reading someone else's books and pawning off their sayings as your own, it's about freeing your mind and thinking for yourself. In that right Trainspotting separates from the hordes of movies made to date and stands in a select group few others will ever join.
There's a saying that goes, "it's unhealthy to leave things on a negative note."
I can't think of any other movie the ends with a more positive feeling than this, despite some of the things Rents goes on to list...
This one's worth the purchase!
A well balanced mixture of pleasure and pain helps create an honest depiction of depravity...
2009-03-11 - There are truly a lot of films about drug abuse, but there are a select few that shed light on the brutality of it. I've reviewed films such as `Requiem for a Dream' and `Panic at Needle Park', two films that show the drastic measures some will go in destroying themselves for a fix; and it's within those films that the haunting realities of drug addiction becomes so real to the audience. `Trainspotting' is similar in its honesty, yet it differs in its direction. Some have been put off from the way that `Trainspotting' portrays drug abuse, but in my personal opinion the slight comedic edge the film possesses adds yet another layer of honesty to the film.
Boyle's masterpiece shows the light and the dark side of addiction.
The film centers around a group of friends who area all heavy into heroin. They all at times strive for a better existence but are more often than not taken over by their carnal desires. The film simply observes their conduct and exposes the reasons they stay hooked as well as the reasons they wish they weren't.
What is so devastating about `Trainspotting' is that it nearly blindsides you with its shocking moments of truth. This technique works very well, for it generates in us pure and genuine outbursts of emotion. Some have mentioned a certain scene involving an infant; a scene so raw and heart-stopping that I was literally in tears. These are the moments that benefit from the films wicked mixture of drama and humor, for it makes the impact of these scenes even more devastating. We are friends with these people (even though we really shouldn't be) and so to watch them crumble under the weight of their disease is heartbreaking.
The film is propelled by a commanding performance by Ewan McGregor. He captures every ounce of Renton's immaturity as well as his worldly knowledge and strive for betterment. He is engaging, entertaining, likable and relatable. He's aided by a very strong cast that includes Robert Carlyle and it is here that we are introduced to the luminous Kelly Macdonald (of `No Country for Old Men' fame). Macdonald is one of my favorites here, for her slick mix of sensuality and impish dominance is pure gold. I just loved watching her.
Danny Boyle's magical talents are on full display here. I know he is a household name now thanks to his Oscar winning film `Slumdog Millionaire', but honestly he is in top form in his earlier work (see also his ravenous work on '28 Days Later'). I've always been a fan of his, and this is probably his best work. Visually he is captivating, but he juggles both the witty and the ominous with such strength. It's a flawless culmination of the two.
This film is as shocking as it is engrossing; as repulsive as it is engaging. There are few films that are daring enough to be this honest.
heroin sitcom, with a liberal dose of horror thrown in 
2008-11-21 - This is a story about a bunch of stupid losers, who have nothing at the center of their lives, so they became addicts, drunks, and thieves. What is amazing about it is how blackly funny they all are, as they dive into toilets, allow babies and friends to die, burst into violent rages, and seek some kind of fantastical out. The acting is so good that you can believe all of their chaotic lives that can go nowhere but down or prison. Will the narrator turn his life around with his latest scan and last chance? You assume so, but don't know.
Recommended. Cult classic. And that young Ian McGregor! First rate.
