“I chose not to choose life. I chose to choose something else,” says the film’s narrator and main character, a twenty-something Edinburgh man named Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor), near the beginning of Trainspotting. From the start, it’s clear that this Danny Boyle (Slumdog Millionaire, 127 Hours) directed film is a dark and gritty struggle. In rejecting the idea of a nuclear family, material possessions, a paying job, and dental insurance, Renton is rebelling, but he is more than your typical disaffected young man. His dissatisfaction run deep; he finds the societal structure oppressive.
Renton escapes by using drugs—primarily heroin, but he’s willing to do whatever he can get his hands on. He’s always surrounded by his “friends,” a group of thieves and liars that are more screwed up then he is. There’s Spud (Ewan Bremner), a shy, innocuous junkie; Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), a brutal, double-dealing con artist who’s obsessed with Sean Connery; Tommy (Kevin McKidd), a “moral” young man fighting the temptation of heroin; and Begbie (Robert Carlyle), a nutcase who gets his kicks from beating up people.
Many films show the dark side of drug use, but Trainspotting sheds some light on what feels good to people about them. In Renton’s words, to get an idea of what it’s like using heroin, “Take the best orgasm you’ve ever had, multiply by 1000, and you’re still nowhere near it.” There are no concerns of everyday life, just where the next hit is going to come from. The giddiness of heroin addiction is well-illustrated during some of the film’s early scenes, but it’s a exhilaration that soon gives way to tragedy.
The films prevailing anti-drug message is told through character studies, rather than preaching. There are countless disturbing images, some of which are presented in a strangely humorous manner. One memorable example is Renton’s headfirst dive into the “worst toilet in Scotland.” While undeniably disgusting, the context in which it occurs—his attempt to ‘kick the habit’—adds a kind of black humor to the situation; a kinetic film, Danny Boyle never dwells on one scene for too long. This isn’t an examination of the Scottish drug culture from the outside looking in, it’s one from the inside looking out.
While the first sixty minutes is solid, things get a bit off track when Renton and the guys decide to commit the “dodgiest scam” in a lifetime of petty crimes. Suddenly, there’s mistrust, betrayal, and bloodshed. While this part of the story has some interest, it’s debatable as to whether it really fits. The segment could’ve been its own film, and it feels as though Boyle and screenwriter John Hodge didn’t give it as much attention as necessary. That issue aside, Even fifteen years after its initial release, Trainspotting remains a riveting, strongly acted tale about the agony, the ecstasy and the desperation of addiction.
Presented in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio, this 1080p transfer looks better than any previous DVD release, but the inherent style of the film means it can’t be reference quality. Edge enhancement is present throughout, and color accuracy slips around, lending some scenes a near-perfect clarity and definition and others a noticeable smear. Detail is quite good, and black levels are inky and consistent. While there are issues, if you’re a fan of Trainspotting, this one is still worth an upgrade.
The DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio sound mix here is loud, but, like its video presentation, not too finessed. The punchy music in the mix really comes through with the extra fidelity offered by the format, but it’s almost too aggressive; any subtlety within the film’s sound design gets lost in the shuffle. Dialogue and effects sound crisp and clear.
English, English SDH and Spanish subtitles are included.
For special features, other than an added Digital Copy, everything from the Collector’s Edition DVD has been ported over:
- Commentary Track with Director Danny Boyle, Star Ewan McGregor, Producer Andrew McDonald, and Screenwriter John Hodge: McGregor begins by explaining that the commentary was pieced together from various interviews conducted with the participants back in 1996. It’s edited together quite nicely however, and there are a lot of interesting tidbits contained within. Boyle and McGregor both have some nice anecdotes about the films infamous toilet diving scene, and hearing Hodge discuss alcoholism versus heroin addiction lends a unique perspective to the proceedings. Hodge also discusses some of the difficulties in adapting the book for the big screen and McDonald is on hand to offer his stories about bringing the whole thing together.
- Retrospective: This is broken up into four parts, the first two of which are broken up into Then and Now portions. The Look Of The Film: Then (4:00) consists of a chat with Kane Quinn, who talks about the rich layer of visual references that they were able to work into the film. Now (3:00) is a chat with Danny Boyle who gives his thoughts on how the visuals became such an important part of this film, and how it brought the book to life. The remaining parts are as follows: Interviews: Irvin Welsh (4:36) speaks about the genesis of the story and what he trying to say in the novel, as well as his feelings about the film. John Hodge (7:58) talks at length about his screenwriting process and why some of the changes that were made had to be instituted had to be made. Danny Boyle (14:32) speaks about the book and how it compares to the film, as well as his overall feelings about the team who worked on the film. Finally, Andrew McDonald (10:32) gives his thoughts on why he decided to go ahead and produce such a difficult film, and how it all came to pass.
- The Making Of Trainspotting (9:32) is a behind the scenes look at the creation of the film featuring footage of Andrew McDonald who discusses adapting the book, as well as Ewan McGregor, Danny Boyle and Irvine Welsh, who make some interesting comments.
- Deleted Scenes: Eight scenes with optional commentary, most of these were actually quite good. Many didn’t make it into the film for pacing reasons.
- Cannes: Several celebrities are interviewed, giving their take on the film after it screen at the festival.
- Gallery (5:05) Behind-the-scenes Polaroids set to music.
- The Teaser (1:10)
- Original Theatrical Trailer (2:10)