Trainspotting
Background
Trainspotting was released on the 23rd of February 1996. Based on the novel by Irvine Welsh, the screenplay was written by John Hodge and directed by Danny Boyle. T2 Trainspotting was released on the 22nd of January 2017 and was loosely based on both Trainspotting and Porno by Irvine Welsh; the screenplay was written by John Hodge and was directed by Danny Boyle.
Plot
Trainspotting (1996)
The film revolves around Mark Renton and his friends, Sick Boy, Spud, Begbie and Tommy as they attempt to fight off the dangers of heroin abuse, HIV, and a drug heist that results in betrayal.
T2: Trainspotting (2017)
20 years after Renton betrays his friends, he returns to Edinburgh to rediscover his past after facing a mid-life crisis. His friends have barely changed; Spud still struggles with heroin, Sick Boy abuses cocaine and partakes in blackmailing, and Begbie has been in prison for the past 20 years. After escaping, he seeks revenge for what Renton has done.
Main Characters
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Mark "Rent-boy" Renton (Ewan McGregor) |
Simon "Sick Boy" Williamson (Jonny Lee Miller) |
Daniel "Spud" Murphy (Ewen Bremner) |
Francis "Franco" Begbie (Robert Carlyle) |
Renton seems to be an innocent protagonaist of Trainspotting, but he's just as flawed as the rest of the characters. That yellow crop top has such a strong hold on me. |
Sick Boy was such a ladies man who ruled the world in the first movie, but turned into a sour, middle-aged coke addict by the second. Biggest James Bond fan, more so a Sean Connery fan. |
Spud is very timid and introverted for a heroin addict, but it's a weakness in the second movie because he seems to never give up his addiction. He's trying his best, and I love him so much, he did nothing wrong and he deserves the world. |
Begbie is possibly the worst character of the main cast. He's a lot worse in the book 'cause he beats his pregnant wife. Robert Carlyle said he played Begbie as a closeted gay man with internalised homophobia, and Irvine Welsh definitely embraces that because of a scene in the movie where he almost sleeps with a man and is disgusted by the thought, so much so it looks like he's hiding something. Still a twat though. |
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Tommy MacKenzie/Lawrence (book) (Kevin McKidd) |
Diane Caulston (Kelly Macdonald) |
Johnny "Mother Superior" Swan (Peter Mullan) |
Veronika Kovach (Anjela Nedyalkova) |
Tommy had a perfect life until his girlfriend broke up with him and he asked Renton for skag. I feel somewhat bad for him. |
I'm not trying to justify Renton's and Diane's relationship, but Diane didn't tell Renton how old she was. It's not like he was going to ask Diane either, he found her in a club drinking and smoking... |
Swanney is the group's heroin dealer. They go take shots by his house and then they all pass out on his floor. |
Simon's "girlfriend", but he really just uses her in his blackmailing schemes, and it's not as if he loves her anyway. I feel bad for her. She likes Spud though. |
Soundtracks
The soundtrack to the first movie was a staple in many British households when it came out, so due to its cultural influence, I included both soundtracks below.
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Thoughts
I don't why I like Trainspotting so much, but I do. Maybe it's the storyline, maybe it's the characters, maybe it's the vibes and the effect of the movie so many years later. I only watched Trainspotting because the universe shoved the book, DVD and soundtrack in my face all at the same time, no joke.
