Trainspotting was never a mainstream movie. However, with its 30th anniversary re-release through Signature Entertainment, this cultural touchstone gets a new lease of life on 4K Ultra-HD. First unleashed into cinemas back in 1996, it helped launch the careers of Ewan McGregor and Johnny Lee Miller, as well solidify Robert Carlyle as a character acting force of nature. This second feature from director Danny Boyle, that came off the back of Shallow Grave, gave audiences a taste of things to come. From 28 Days Later to Slumdog Millionaire, here was a film maker in possession of an era defining cinematic voice in its infancy. Bold, brash, brazen, and ballsy – Trainspotting felt like a call-to-arms for the Britpop generation.
In retrospect, that bravery still feels visceral. This haphazard mishmash of characters clinging to the bottom rung of ‘90s society still feel inherently unlikeable. Driven by an unrelenting heroin habit Renton, Sickboy, and Spud are the ultimate outcasts. Hanging around their Edinburgh tenement, living in squalor and not looking for a means of escape. They lack moral scruples, live for their next hit, and are destined to become another statistic at the height of an AIDS epidemic. Despite that, Trainspotting rarely feels morose, avoids self-indulgence, and never lets anyone play the martyr card.
Much of that comes down to some extremely clever structural choices made by screenwriter John Hodge. Coupled with charismatic turns from that central cast, Trainspotting is like the aftermath of a cultural car crash audiences are unable to ignore. With a blistering soundtrack peppered throughout, that perfectly incapsulates that era, this movie thrives on invention. Renton’s cold turkey sequence, combined with Begbie’s unpredictability, means that tonally Trainspotting can turn on a dime. Mining a rich vein of black humour one minute, before blindsiding audiences with an uncomfortable cot death moments later.
Danny Boyle would go on to make 27 Hours and Sunshine among others, but Trainspotting is still his calling card. Shallow Grave might have been the introduction that highlighted his visceral style, but Trainspotting paved the way. The closest companion piece to this ‘90s landmark movie would be the adaptation of Filth starring James McAvoy, that gets darker and more deviant. Embracing the corrupt and corrosive elements of authority that are there to protect and serve. This is the world of Irvine Welsh shot through with universal truths about human nature. Topics for which cinema is suited, and where other mediums rarely come close to embracing his contradictions.
The Trainspotting 4K Ultra HD & Blu-ray Limited-Edition Steelbook will be available from 11th November 2024.