The only reason Renton didn’t get aids is because of his selfishness. In nearly every scene where we see Renton share a needle, in both films, he always goes first, his high comes first every time.
@@philipglasgow3307 it isnt just about luck in the book. When he meets Tommy for the last time in the book, Renton explains he never shared needles in the "shooting gallerys" implying thats why he never got infected.
Yup! 💯…That’s the way it is in real life too sadly. Addiction is like a fight for survival and everyone is looking out for number one. It’s hard not to like Rent Boy because Ewan Magregor is so charming but he is a Grade A POS for three reasons. 1. He stole Tommy’s sex tape which led to his downfall. 2. He then GAVE Tommy his first hit telling him it was better than sex which sealed his fate. And 3. He stole the money. But mostly it’s what he does to Tommy so casually without blinking an eye that makes him so f’d up.
My favorite part of this movie is that it doesn’t try and glorify or demonize heroin. It just shows it for what it is. It’s super real and you can really relate to the characters. Also the fucking set design is amazing, I love the aestetic if most of the places, especially the main drug house, where there is like no real furniture, graffiti on the walls, it just looks so good.
Trainspotting’s writer (Irving Welsh) actually was a junkie in 80s Edinburgh, that’s where he got the idea for the original book, it’s semi-autobiographical.
Also the use of the green and red, everything is green when something is wholesome (baby Dawn) and as soon as something not wholesome appears (shooting up) everything is red. It both looks good and becomes a subtle moral compass.
I feel so bad for tommy, one of the parts of the film that hits me the hardest is the "aids junky scum" and "plague" writings on the wall. Shows people's realistic reaction to someone's life spiralling out of control unwillingly
The most brutal part of that scene is Renton playing with the one thing that reminded him of the old Tommy, kicking the ball around and unintentionally mocking him by turning around Tommy's sense of superiority due to being full of life and not doing drugs, while Renton's life is on the up again. Renton is poison to Tommy.
Definitely cult classic. Whether it’s a universal classic though I guess is what some people debate. It’s still a unique and culturally important movie either way.
I would actually argue that what makes Renton so compelling as a protagonist is his dislikeability - he's an anti-hero. He knows what the right thing to do would be, but always puts his own personal gain first. He shoots up before giving a hit to the grieving mother; he walks free from jail while Spud goes down; and in the end, it's him who fucks over his mates. There are rare glimpses of him trying to sort others out (for example, leaving the money for Spud), but he'll always put Number 1 first. There's never a moment of him sacrificing himself for the benefit of others, not even in the tiniest way. And I think that's why he's a fantastic main character - he is the embodiment of the selfish, self-preserving devil-on-the-shoulder that I think most viewers would recognise in themselves. He's what people fear to become. As a character, Renton awakens a deep discomfort, and watching him exist is like falling down a rabbit hole of what happens when someone lives completely for themselves and with no regard for consequences.
That's an interesting take. Perhaps it's the same thing that makes Alex from A Clockwork Orange so compelling. In Renton's case, I would also add that another element that makes him compelling is his self-awareness. In that, at least he doesn't delude himself. He knows he's scummy and doesn't expect the audience to like him or hate him. He may not be honorable, but he's honest.
@@OneDodgyDude Yes, definitely - he doesn't ever try to offer an excuse for his badness, not even to himself, but he doesn't allow himself to feel guilty about it either. He knows what he's doing is wrong but to him, being bad is the only way to be - it's a symptom of the human condition, a result of an unfair and unjust world that he has to slot into in one way or another. He knows he has a choice in life, but simultaneously posits that there actually is no choice - he has no agency, and the only way to cope with this big bad world is to be a big bad heroin addict and fuck people over.
This is without a doubt the best discussion of Trainspotting that I've ever heard. Brilliant. Please make an expanded version, as you alluded to. In 15-20 years, Trainspotting will be on most critics' top 10 lists. Both movies are in my top ten, waiting about 15-20 years for T3...
Thanks for your kind words! And I agree, Trainspotting is sure to become a bonafide classic. Already some people rate it higher than Pulp Fiction as the best movie of the 90s. Well-deserved, if you ask me.
@@OneDodgyDude this video and your clear insights mean a lot to me as my ex took an overdose of heroine two months ago and died. He overdosed before and came out a few times. In a way he was so fucking strong. He quit heroine twice and I was there with him, to support him (not used drugs at all in my life). I am writing about our (toxic) love story. He was Scottish. We lived together in Rotterdam, that's where he died. I'll be moving back to Scotland soon. Rest in peace David.
This movie is sacrosanct to addicts everywhere, I can't think of a single truth they avoided or aspect that they ignored when it comes to addiction. In the beginning of the movie heroin is presented as a perfectly valid escape from the mundane, meaningless, and absurd nature of our reality, which is often the view of life someone has when they initially try heroin. They show how much simpler life is when you're an addict; get drugs, do drugs, feel good, repeat. But they also show how much more pain and fear this lifestyle creates, how the fear of withdrawal and the fear of normality dictates an addicts life. As the film progresses and Renton moves through life trying to be clean, the movie shows how difficult it can be to accept that a normal life is in fact better than the life of an addict. The time lapsed scene in the bar with his family particularly exemplifies this to me, essentially because he outright says it. He thinks of everything in his life, everyone who cares about him, and about how it all feels meaningless and empty, that none of it can fulfill him as long as his addicted mental state remains. I think that it is this realization, more than his lack of methadone, that drives him back to mother superiors, because it's sure what drove me back to heroin for the second time. Well, anyway, if you want to know what it's like to be deployed in Iraq, watch Generation Kill, if you want to feel the madness of the Vietnam War, watch Apocalypse Now, and if you want to know what being addicted to heroin feels like, watch Trainspotting (All of this is just my opinion based on my own experience with heroin addiction, and god damn to peoples introductions, experiences and outcomes vary.)
My brother was a junkie. Let me tell you, being a smackhead is not simple. It's expensive, and the pursuit of cash constant. Apparently, the fun of using quickly turns to fear of being sick, really sick. That fear will drive a person to do things he/she would never even consider for a second while clean. And as the amount needed to get a buzz from smack keeps increasing, so does the amount of cash needed to get high.
Yea it is simpler. Much simpler. All you have to worry about is DONT GET SICK. That’s it. Nothing else. Just because you’ve watched someone battle addiction does not mean you know what it’s like.
So very well said man.. Spot on and as addicts I think it's when we stop using there's this emptiness of what to do now.. Like when Mark tells Sick Boy about his heart attack and says he should last 30 yrs but they didn't say what to do with 30 yrs.. I really relate to this coz as an addict I got to the point where the heroin didn't and still doesn't do what it once done for me and its so fucking hard to try and accept Life on Life's terms.. But anyway I think the first film nailed it and t2 was probably the best part 2 film I've seen.. Love it but only other addicts really understand the addicted person..
You can't knock Requim for a Dream either though. That too is an awesome movie. I'd never dream of comparing the two, just because they are drug related doesn't meam they aren't wildly different.
@@Phoenix1664 for sure, two of my favorite directors here. Although I loved both of these movies I can and have rewatched Trainspotting several times. Requiem that one is taxing to watch. After the end sequence i felt like I had actually been through a real life ordeal. Nothing close to the characters in the film of course but goddamn! I needed to take a break after that!
My absolute favourite film by far. The idea of making a film about junkies so energetic and fun is just mind blowing. And I can safely say, despite taking an assortment of recreational drugs during my 29 years on this earth, I have never tried ‘skag’ thanks to this movie 👌
Why are people comparing this to Requim for a Dream? Just because they have drugs in them doesn't mean you absolutely have to compare them. You wouldn't compare the Green Mile to Shawshank just because its prison related. Yes Trainspotting is awesome, but if you haven't seen Requim for a Dream, I suggest you do, because it's also awesome, and it's absolutely nothing like Trainspotting. You can't even compare them really, it has a totally different feel to it.
Well, I dunno where to start. I have soo much to say. I'm here after finished the book and watched this second time. And I can finally found my favorite movie. Don't misunderstood I still have favorite directors and sort of thing but this movie feels different even I watched second. It wants to show and think about a lot of things. Like friends, the meaning of drug and sort of things. But the most important thing. This movie and book wants to think about real life from us. It wants to show us what is living life, not choosing. Still hugging life even all matters. It also shows how people living and dying with world things. How people make their life goals to world things. Also both either are not praising or humiliating drugs. It shows what it is, the good sides and bad sides of drugs. Other than that, all the cinematoghraphy, (specially) musics, screenplay and all other things are soo goes well with theme and plot. I'm listening 2 or 3 song on my usual life but I think it goes more. Also after my first watch I was got myself into electronic music more and more. I just love this universe. Book + movie, both of these. Also cinematography is very well with theme. Finally the screenplay is soo great and goes mostly with book. If I saw true in one part the plot is goes away from book but it comes back a little time later. Also it connets wiyh book again smoothly. So you can read the book or watch the movie. The book have some extra stories and a little extra characters but they usually not soo important. I just frickin' love Trainspotting. With everything. If I have a chance to visit England and Scotland on future, I'll definately visit Edinbrugh. Well for now, it's time to pass second movie and book.
Holy shit the analysis of the football match at the start is astounding ! Everytime i saw that i was wondering what the significance of the expressions were, but could never work it out, and it never crossed my mind to look into it,or think there was something more to it. Amazing analogy ,,,!!
I disagree, they were very different films but T2 brought the whole story to a natural conclusion. I prefer as it resonated far more with me because it matched the stage of my life that I am at
I was so hoping that T2 would be Porno, which is one of my favourite novels of all time. I can see how it would have been harder to shoehorn Porno into the two hour traffic of a movie, but still. Twenty years older and wiser, they should have been able to incorporate more of the book.
Dude Irwin Welch himself helped to make the 2nd film. Personally I think it’s good they did not repeat the book. Now we have 2 stories: 1 in the book and other in the film.
Great video, really ! But I just have a little issue with it, at 7:04 "Danny Boyle is fantastic at using the soundtrack to simulate the pumped up feel of being high"... But uhm, as far as I know heroin does exactly the opposite of getting you pumped up, heroin is a downer. I think the "pumped up" feel comes from the fact that they stole something and they are running from security.
Thanks, and you're absolutely right, "pumped up" is the wrong word. I was trying to communicate the idea that the user feels...well, great. Better than great, even (and I still can't find the proper word for that!)
wish i could go 10 years back to being in high school and watching this for the first time and then the second and third and my god, so many more times.
great film, sequel was good but wouldn't stand on its own. It's a shame irvine welsh's other work didnt transfer well to the film. Ecstasy didnt know where it wanted to go and had an unlikeable lead. The acid house had potential but the low budget prevented it from shining.
That's the vibe I'm getting from most reviews and comments, and yeah, by now it might be too starry-eyed of me to expect something on the level of the original film. But hell, just the chance of seeing these guys 20 years later...that alone would be worth the ticket. Didn't even know about Ecstasy and Acid House, might just check them out for the learning experience.
One Dodgy Dude the acid house is definitely the better of the two. it's split into 3 stories showing the reality of the poor working class in Scotland (the ones that aren't complete junkies). I'd recommend watching with subtitles though, the accents are far stronger than those in trainspotting
The sequel grew on me the more I thought about it. It's a film about the pitfalls of nostalgia and refusing to let go of one's resentments. It's not as great as the original but it was never going to be. I found it a lot more moving the second time around. That said, I agree that Irvine Welsh's other books haven't translated well. Filth had an outstanding performance from James McAvoy but the film itself was a mess.
man, I really love Trainspotting. After the first time I saw it, I rewatched it every day for the next 2 weeks. But...regarding the sequel, I think they should have listened to Sick boy when he said `Well, at one time, you've got it, and then you lose it, and it's gone forever. All walks of life...` i don`t even want to see T2...just the thought of it makes me vomit...but for T1..well that piece of cinema will always be special for me
i dont think you should write it off like that; i think you should watch it bc sick boy's philosophy is precisely why T2 works; it's perfectly aware of itself. the characters have all aged but in a sense they're still the same and nostalgic for their youth, caught in the past, but don't realize it. T2 knows it can't reach the greatness of the first, and it doesn't try to. (fandor's video on the sequel, ruclips.net/video/P0pwOWrn0Xw/видео.html, explains the strength of T2 really well in my opinion.) i found it to be a rewarding follow up to the first movie, especially if you loved the characters and wanted to see what they would be like after 20 years. sorry for this long response and there's more to say in defense of T2 but i can't think of it at the moment, i hope you give T2 a chance!
@@pursuitofvictories5 T2 is out of touch with not only itself but reality. It's not the characters who are stuck in the past but the writers. Ironically it mimics the first movie for mostly fan service and rarely reference. I don't disagree with the angle of having the characters out of touch and nostalgic (that's normal) but you can tell it was self inserted by the 40+ who are out of touch. Because of this the movie thinks it's self aware when it isn't. Even in the video you linked, Danny Boyle openly admits my above points and states "What you'd be appealing to principally is the people who were devotees of the film when it came out". It's a movie made by an out of touch demographic for an out of touch demographic and the whole movie has this awful feedback loop, giving it a sense of complete and utter fantasy. It's like a youtube comment section for 90's house and dance music given form. It's a good movie if only for the plot and how well they portrayed the characters 20 years on, but it's honestly a disaster.
I feel that sick boy’s philosophy about having it and losing it IS the underlying theme of T2. It’s all about trying to relive the glory days 20 years later rather than living in the moment (I.e. instead of heroin as an escape, it’s nostalgia). This message seems to be directly relatable to just about everyone who is living in the past as opposed to pushing forward in life. T2 isn’t as good as T1, but it isn’t supposed to be. That’s the underling irony of it all: the making and watching of T2 is just proof of one’s own desire to relive the past
Ahh beg pardon, was under the impression it was in the movie as well, but just double checked. Likewise with Begbie, is character is meant to be a fan of speed
I'm a bit late to the party, but he actually ends up on heroin by the end. He begs Renton until he finally sells him some. He ends up going all out until he contracts HIV. By the end Tommy is dying when Renton visits one last time. He asks Renton for a hit, but being freshly clean, gives him money instead. Such a great book and movie.
Does Renton ever face up to his own selfishness. This is shown twice in the baby Dawn scene, not only are his only words of solace an offer to shoot up, but he also carefully looks for his own works. Then of course, there is the ending.
I'd avoid limiting theme to a single word, though. That's more of a topic. If you can turn a single word like "trust" into a relatively short statement, then we have a theme.
@@jackfahy2283 Hey c'mon guys tell us how is it more darker. What are the top 3 darkest moment in the book? I wanna know but i don't wanna read a book.
T May P in skagboys he gets caught pulling off his brother in a wheelchair, fairly fucked up. And after renton runs away with the money begbie stabs and kills someone out of pure anger but only gets done for manslaughter
Cropped top looms like either dianes top or something he owned as a child and never got rid of, maybe holding onto his childhood before his heroin addiction?
If the cars were from 2019 this film would be of today, Do you know why its called TRAINSPOTTING, the writer was in an abandoned train station waiting to meet his score, and he bumped in to his alcoholic homeless dad, the son said "dad what are you doing here" the dad replied "trainspotting" . . . "And what are you doing here son" . . ."waiting for a train" replied the son, I don't know if that's true but it's a damn good story and who am I to let the truth spoil a good story, everyone has been telling me that for over 50 years now,
i think its a game when you bored. when trying to spot similarities in trains or passing cars numbers. like lets find number 13 and then you wait until number 13 somewhere on vagon or on a car appears etc.
@@kloijhi Its like the game when 15 becomes 13 and 17 becomes 19, that game was played in 1977. Don't let the truth spoil a good story, can't change dates and ages, except when you tell lies,
this is untrue. Begbie and Renton meet Begbie's alcoholic father in the (disused) Leith railway station, which they are visiting to use as a toilet and the man asks if they are "trainspottin".
Ye didn't happen to the writer Irvine Welsh, it's a scene in his novel that wasn't adapted to the film. Trainspotting is a legitimate hobby irl, it's like stamp collecting, the vast majority of the population see it as a pointless waste of time and have no idea why people would do it, but to those who do it's a form of escapism and Irvine Welsh himself an ex heroin addict, used it as a title because as a lifestyle choice he saw this as a huge parallel as to the root causes of heroin addiction and thought it was a nice contrast, because those not in the know would not see the two as in any way comparable.
@@OneDodgyDude It's opened up some new points of view for me. Although I've known the film for almost 23 years now (I saw it in the cinema then) and it's one of my absolute favorites. What do you think about the sequel?
I like having that impact on people. I loved the sequel, really surprised me. Touched me, too, more than the original. But I guess the first movie is about hectic young people, and the 2nd one is about encroaching middle age (and the awareness that maybe life won't change that much, after all). Powerful stuff, glad they took their time to get it right.
1:19 Sorry, it's far more than twice. Off the top of my head: during the intro, then with the suppositories, then immediately after with the 'last hit', after the hike, after the baby dies, the overdose (plus the mention of the methadone), testing the batch they're going to sell, and on the coach. He doesn't quit heroin for good. Tommy also tries drugs and gets HIV. It honestly just seems like you've watched a censored version of the film.
I wish they showed more of Sick Boy's womanizing in the film. In the book, he's shown to be incapable of relating to any woman expect maybe his family members on a sexual level, and even pimps out underage girls to maintain his junk habit. Sexual addiction, not his faux-intellectualism, was his main vice.
I for one will go out on a limb and say not only does Requiem for a Dream sucks, but that it shouldn’t even be compared to the masterpiece that is Trainspotting. Requiem for a Dream wasn’t a good movie that happened to be dark, it was a sloppy, one-note film that was dark because Aronofsky can’t successfully juggle a multitude of emotions in order to truly dramatize a singular emotion. It’s crap and simple people gravitate toward it thinking it’s intellectual. Like I said, Trainspotting is literally a flawless work which is extremely rare to find in the arts. Trainspotting 2 on the other hand had some good moments but overall, the film was contrived and lacking the rawness, intensity, timeliness and most important, the superior execution of the original. It’s basically a pedestrian work with moments of inspiration.
To be fair, I've only watched Requiem once, and not even from the beginning, so I can't comment much on it. But I guess it says something that I never bothered to go back and watch it all the way through. T2 is like meeting an old friend; not as great as you remembered, in fact some things may be off putting, and you might not be as eager to see him again so soon, but the meeting did leave you with a little something and you're glad you went through with it.
@@OneDodgyDude I think T2 was meant to be disappointing, because that's what it was for the characters. It spends a lot of time delving in the nostalgia of the original, because the characters are too. All four of the returning leads have been on stuck on the first film's events for 20 years because they all thought at the time it would change their lives and make it better. Begbie and Sick Boy unfortunately fell into the mundane repetitive life they so dreaded in the first, and long for the wonder of youth. Spud misses having friends that he could spend time with and feel comfortable around, but since they're all grown up and in this mundane cycle, he, too is disappointed with how he has turned out and ultimately results in him being momentarily happy his friends are back only to see their longing for the past has corrupted them, leading to the betrayal. Renton, most importantly, who won at the end of the first, is disappointed that his big plan to become a better person and choose life, didn't make him feel any better or more content with his life, and longs for the excitement of his youth (hence the updated "choose life" monologue). Disappointment and nostalgia are the main concepts of the film that guide its major themes, that's why I think you feel like you shouldn't have been so eager to see the friends again so soon, because that's exactly how the characters felt about returning to this lifestyle.
Agreed. Absolutely. I don't think T2 is bad, don't get me wrong. In fact, I think it knew it would never match up to the first, and used that to its strength. Thematically, at least. Intentional or not, it was a great move. You nailed the movie perfectly. That's exactly what it is. T1 is about the excitement, T2 is about the reality when it hits you you are not young anymore, and life may not have turned out the way you wanted it. Great stuff.
I disagree with you about how we root for Rent Boy because he tries to “better himself”…. you have to remember Renton is an unreliable narrator in, and the truth is we root for him because he’s genuine and charming because Ewan McGregor is so damn charismatic. In the hands of any other actor? We would’ve all hated Renton with a passion, but they got the perfect actor for the job but let’s be real here… He’s a grade a piece of garbage. There’s many examples of that through the movie the biggest example I can think of is Tommy… He flat out, ruined Tommy s life in such a casual way… He steals Tommy’s sex tape and never owns up to it, which started Tommy’s downfall then when he goes to Renton for comfort what does he do? Get him hooked on H knowing full well, the hell he’s about to walk into, Mark Renton is really kind of a Mack truck steam rolling his way through the movie and destroying everything in its path. than Francis Bagby even because he’s just as destructive S, Francis or more he’s just more subtle about it. And it’s scary because they got it so on point. Unfortunately, I’ve lived in this world and I know people like Mark Retton, they are the absolute worst, not all junkies like that. Some of them are like spud, but the Renton’s are the worst because they’re so selfish and they are the ones that give addicts a bad name. But yet we still root for him, which just shows you how f’d up people are lol.
T2 was FUCKING SHITE man. How'd they fuck that film up SOOOO much. NEVER been disappointed by a sequel so much in my life. The most boring fucking film ever.
One thing lets it down is the cheap montage London scene with buses and people waving like a cheap advert for London tourism . Once seen can't be unseen btw ....sorry.
I disagree, I think one of the main themes in the film, but more so the book is that cities like Edinburgh during the Thatcher years of the 80's became breeding grounds for heroin epidemics, because they were completely forgotten about. In the halls of power (London) heroin addiction is presented as a bad moral choice made by those simply choosing to be dropouts, choose life as the famous real life state funded public service announcement referenced in the film/book from the 80's went. The characters however present it as a form of escapism from the mundane and hopeless nature of reality in a forgotten poverty struck city. So while Edinburgh is shown as being grim, grey and hopeless throughout the film, when Renton gets off the gear and "chooses life" he feels has no other option than to head to London to do so and it's very deliberately presented as a bright, shiny as you put it, almost advert for London, specifically to make a stark contrast between the realities of life in the two cities.
@rumba rumba yea I understood the sentiment I just kind of cringe at the way it was executed ..feels like ,well I said it already , a cheap thrown together montage .
@rumba rumba I love Ginger / red hair ..looks so cool . 😍 Things are not as bad as they used to be !! Any Scot on TV Gameshows in the 80s ,for example , would be put in a kilt and have everything they said repeated back at them by the hilarious host all for the amusement of the Brit audience .,or shown as violent drunks in soap operas or I don't know if you were aware of Russ Abbott ? He was a "comedian" and one of his sketches was an impression of a Scottish person . Had to be seen to be believed . The message was loud and clear ... English cultural supremacy .
The only reason Renton didn’t get aids is because of his selfishness. In nearly every scene where we see Renton share a needle, in both films, he always goes first, his high comes first every time.
If you read the book though, this is not the case. Renton is just lucky.
@@philipglasgow3307 it isnt just about luck in the book. When he meets Tommy for the last time in the book, Renton explains he never shared needles in the "shooting gallerys" implying thats why he never got infected.
Yup! 💯…That’s the way it is in real life too sadly. Addiction is like a fight for survival and everyone is looking out for number one. It’s hard not to like Rent Boy because Ewan Magregor is so charming but he is a Grade A POS for three reasons. 1. He stole Tommy’s sex tape which led to his downfall. 2. He then GAVE Tommy his first hit telling him it was better than sex which sealed his fate. And 3. He stole the money. But mostly it’s what he does to Tommy so casually without blinking an eye that makes him so f’d up.
More like safety first
@@ckotcher1Tommy fucked up his own life.
My favorite part of this movie is that it doesn’t try and glorify or demonize heroin. It just shows it for what it is. It’s super real and you can really relate to the characters. Also the fucking set design is amazing, I love the aestetic if most of the places, especially the main drug house, where there is like no real furniture, graffiti on the walls, it just looks so good.
I watched the film for the first time tonight. Ho-ly Hell, that toilet just looks too disgusting to be a set 🚽🤮
@@WolfWiz99 funny thing is that all that was actually chocolate so it smelled pretty good
Trainspotting’s writer (Irving Welsh) actually was a junkie in 80s Edinburgh, that’s where he got the idea for the original book, it’s semi-autobiographical.
@@magicsteve5523 and that's why the characters seem to be based on the 80's when it's actually the 90's.
Also the use of the green and red, everything is green when something is wholesome (baby Dawn) and as soon as something not wholesome appears (shooting up) everything is red. It both looks good and becomes a subtle moral compass.
I feel so bad for tommy, one of the parts of the film that hits me the hardest is the "aids junky scum" and "plague" writings on the wall. Shows people's realistic reaction to someone's life spiralling out of control unwillingly
And his apartment
Unwillingly? Choose life
The most brutal part of that scene is Renton playing with the one thing that reminded him of the old Tommy, kicking the ball around and unintentionally mocking him by turning around Tommy's sense of superiority due to being full of life and not doing drugs, while Renton's life is on the up again. Renton is poison to Tommy.
Correction: _Trainspotting_ *is* a classic
Definitely cult classic. Whether it’s a universal classic though I guess is what some people debate.
It’s still a unique and culturally important movie either way.
I would actually argue that what makes Renton so compelling as a protagonist is his dislikeability - he's an anti-hero. He knows what the right thing to do would be, but always puts his own personal gain first. He shoots up before giving a hit to the grieving mother; he walks free from jail while Spud goes down; and in the end, it's him who fucks over his mates. There are rare glimpses of him trying to sort others out (for example, leaving the money for Spud), but he'll always put Number 1 first. There's never a moment of him sacrificing himself for the benefit of others, not even in the tiniest way. And I think that's why he's a fantastic main character - he is the embodiment of the selfish, self-preserving devil-on-the-shoulder that I think most viewers would recognise in themselves. He's what people fear to become. As a character, Renton awakens a deep discomfort, and watching him exist is like falling down a rabbit hole of what happens when someone lives completely for themselves and with no regard for consequences.
That's an interesting take. Perhaps it's the same thing that makes Alex from A Clockwork Orange so compelling. In Renton's case, I would also add that another element that makes him compelling is his self-awareness. In that, at least he doesn't delude himself. He knows he's scummy and doesn't expect the audience to like him or hate him. He may not be honorable, but he's honest.
@@OneDodgyDude Yes, definitely - he doesn't ever try to offer an excuse for his badness, not even to himself, but he doesn't allow himself to feel guilty about it either. He knows what he's doing is wrong but to him, being bad is the only way to be - it's a symptom of the human condition, a result of an unfair and unjust world that he has to slot into in one way or another. He knows he has a choice in life, but simultaneously posits that there actually is no choice - he has no agency, and the only way to cope with this big bad world is to be a big bad heroin addict and fuck people over.
Well said. And it's real tricky bringing a character like this about. Ewan sells it so well, too. This is one of his defining roles, too.
@@OneDodgyDude Absolutely, the casting in this film is so spot on!
I'm still trying to live that way. It ain't easy.
Dammit that baby scene....will always be engraved inside my brane...
*Brain
Brane 😂😂
Yes. It is nightmare fuel.
This is without a doubt the best discussion of Trainspotting that I've ever heard. Brilliant. Please make an expanded version, as you alluded to. In 15-20 years, Trainspotting will be on most critics' top 10 lists. Both movies are in my top ten, waiting about 15-20 years for T3...
Thanks for your kind words! And I agree, Trainspotting is sure to become a bonafide classic. Already some people rate it higher than Pulp Fiction as the best movie of the 90s. Well-deserved, if you ask me.
I don’t think they make a t3 because in t2 they used the same actors but they can’t in t3, it just plays a few years before the first trainspotting
@@OneDodgyDude this video and your clear insights mean a lot to me as my ex took an overdose of heroine two months ago and died. He overdosed before and came out a few times. In a way he was so fucking strong. He quit heroine twice and I was there with him, to support him (not used drugs at all in my life). I am writing about our (toxic) love story. He was Scottish. We lived together in Rotterdam, that's where he died. I'll be moving back to Scotland soon. Rest in peace David.
@@annemarieslee7720 Thanks for your compliment and for sharing your story, and I'm sorry for your loss. Here's to David, and wish you all the best.
This movie is sacrosanct to addicts everywhere, I can't think of a single truth they avoided or aspect that they ignored when it comes to addiction. In the beginning of the movie heroin is presented as a perfectly valid escape from the mundane, meaningless, and absurd nature of our reality, which is often the view of life someone has when they initially try heroin. They show how much simpler life is when you're an addict; get drugs, do drugs, feel good, repeat. But they also show how much more pain and fear this lifestyle creates, how the fear of withdrawal and the fear of normality dictates an addicts life.
As the film progresses and Renton moves through life trying to be clean, the movie shows how difficult it can be to accept that a normal life is in fact better than the life of an addict. The time lapsed scene in the bar with his family particularly exemplifies this to me, essentially because he outright says it. He thinks of everything in his life, everyone who cares about him, and about how it all feels meaningless and empty, that none of it can fulfill him as long as his addicted mental state remains. I think that it is this realization, more than his lack of methadone, that drives him back to mother superiors, because it's sure what drove me back to heroin for the second time.
Well, anyway, if you want to know what it's like to be deployed in Iraq, watch Generation Kill, if you want to feel the madness of the Vietnam War, watch Apocalypse Now, and if you want to know what being addicted to heroin feels like, watch Trainspotting
(All of this is just my opinion based on my own experience with heroin addiction, and god damn to peoples introductions, experiences and outcomes vary.)
My brother was a junkie. Let me tell you, being a smackhead is not simple. It's expensive, and the pursuit of cash constant. Apparently, the fun of using quickly turns to fear of being sick, really sick. That fear will drive a person to do things he/she would never even consider for a second while clean. And as the amount needed to get a buzz from smack keeps increasing, so does the amount of cash needed to get high.
@@jockmcscottish7569 iv been on it for about 13 years now, and you're dead right.
Yea it is simpler. Much simpler. All you have to worry about is DONT GET SICK. That’s it. Nothing else. Just because you’ve watched someone battle addiction does not mean you know what it’s like.
So very well said man.. Spot on and as addicts I think it's when we stop using there's this emptiness of what to do now.. Like when Mark tells Sick Boy about his heart attack and says he should last 30 yrs but they didn't say what to do with 30 yrs.. I really relate to this coz as an addict I got to the point where the heroin didn't and still doesn't do what it once done for me and its so fucking hard to try and accept Life on Life's terms.. But anyway I think the first film nailed it and t2 was probably the best part 2 film I've seen.. Love it but only other addicts really understand the addicted person..
A magnificent soundtrack never hurts either.
Hit the nail on the head, friend.
Requiem for a dream gets a lot wrong about heroin. Transpotting get's absolutely nothing wrong. It's spot on
requiem for a dream never confirms that the drug they're slamming IS heroin tho
Ty you got him there!!
@@pauline1809
Off the top of my head, there is the scene where Wayans' character is dancing and then states "This is some boss skag, baby."
You can't knock Requim for a Dream either though. That too is an awesome movie. I'd never dream of comparing the two, just because they are drug related doesn't meam they aren't wildly different.
@@Phoenix1664 for sure, two of my favorite directors here. Although I loved both of these movies I can and have rewatched Trainspotting several times. Requiem that one is taxing to watch. After the end sequence i felt like I had actually been through a real life ordeal. Nothing close to the characters in the film of course but goddamn! I needed to take a break after that!
My absolute favourite film by far. The idea of making a film about junkies so energetic and fun is just mind blowing. And I can safely say, despite taking an assortment of recreational drugs during my 29 years on this earth, I have never tried ‘skag’ thanks to this movie 👌
I wish Kurt Cobain had lived long enough to see this movie!
Trainspotting 2's timing was perfect! I love watching both, back-to-back.
You can't compare Rentons morality to his mates you can only hear Rents THOUGHTS.
Read the book
Ariel Spierer
you can tell what others think in the book lol
In the first movie, in the second it's different
Underworld makes this movie more magical!!!!!
Let your feelings slip boy but never your mask boy
Sick boy never lied to himself. Sick boy is immaculate conception
Why are people comparing this to Requim for a Dream? Just because they have drugs in them doesn't mean you absolutely have to compare them. You wouldn't compare the Green Mile to Shawshank just because its prison related. Yes Trainspotting is awesome, but if you haven't seen Requim for a Dream, I suggest you do, because it's also awesome, and it's absolutely nothing like Trainspotting. You can't even compare them really, it has a totally different feel to it.
Requiem for a Dream is absolute garbage compared to Trainspotting.
Well, I dunno where to start. I have soo much to say. I'm here after finished the book and watched this second time. And I can finally found my favorite movie. Don't misunderstood I still have favorite directors and sort of thing but this movie feels different even I watched second. It wants to show and think about a lot of things. Like friends, the meaning of drug and sort of things. But the most important thing. This movie and book wants to think about real life from us. It wants to show us what is living life, not choosing. Still hugging life even all matters. It also shows how people living and dying with world things. How people make their life goals to world things. Also both either are not praising or humiliating drugs. It shows what it is, the good sides and bad sides of drugs. Other than that, all the cinematoghraphy, (specially) musics, screenplay and all other things are soo goes well with theme and plot. I'm listening 2 or 3 song on my usual life but I think it goes more. Also after my first watch I was got myself into electronic music more and more. I just love this universe. Book + movie, both of these. Also cinematography is very well with theme. Finally the screenplay is soo great and goes mostly with book. If I saw true in one part the plot is goes away from book but it comes back a little time later. Also it connets wiyh book again smoothly. So you can read the book or watch the movie. The book have some extra stories and a little extra characters but they usually not soo important.
I just frickin' love Trainspotting. With everything. If I have a chance to visit England and Scotland on future, I'll definately visit Edinbrugh. Well for now, it's time to pass second movie and book.
These kind of observations I wish I learnt about in school
Thanks! A lot of little details I've never noticed.
I'm happy it helped you out, thanks for dropping by.
100% Classic movie - there are so many best scenes, so many amazingly put together juxtapositions of music and action.
Holy shit the analysis of the football match at the start is astounding ! Everytime i saw that i was wondering what the significance of the expressions were, but could never work it out, and it never crossed my mind to look into it,or think there was something more to it.
Amazing analogy ,,,!!
when i first saw it after a former co-worker recommended it some years before , it did make my day
Just so you know, it's pronounced Edinburra not Edinburg even though it is spelt Edinburgh. Very nice video though.
Duly noted. Thanks!
Thanks mom
Remember your '.' at the end of sentences!
Thanks mom. Sorry mom.
That's more like it!
Im so inspired by trainspotting, and im in school now for a screenwriters class thank you
Soundtrack to this movie is phenomenal do do dou do do dorou
The first film is a masterpiece and force of nature. I thought the sequel was very underwhelming in comparison.
Oh God, T2 was so lackluster.
I disagree, they were very different films but T2 brought the whole story to a natural conclusion. I prefer as it resonated far more with me because it matched the stage of my life that I am at
@@Peoples_Republic_of_Devonshire Yeah, T2 was more of a wind-down, a coda. Probably didn't hurt any of those involved's pockets either. ;)
I was so hoping that T2 would be Porno, which is one of my favourite novels of all time. I can see how it would have been harder to shoehorn Porno into the two hour traffic of a movie, but still. Twenty years older and wiser, they should have been able to incorporate more of the book.
Wi yi mate. I believed it was going to be a screenplay of Porno. It was mildly enjoyable but should and could have been so much more.
Dude Irwin Welch himself helped to make the 2nd film. Personally I think it’s good they did not repeat the book. Now we have 2 stories: 1 in the book and other in the film.
they tried making porno but it didn't play out on screen well apparently.
Great video, really ! But I just have a little issue with it, at 7:04 "Danny Boyle is fantastic at using the soundtrack to simulate the pumped up feel of being high"... But uhm, as far as I know heroin does exactly the opposite of getting you pumped up, heroin is a downer.
I think the "pumped up" feel comes from the fact that they stole something and they are running from security.
Thanks, and you're absolutely right, "pumped up" is the wrong word. I was trying to communicate the idea that the user feels...well, great. Better than great, even (and I still can't find the proper word for that!)
One Dodgy Dude you didn't try good heroin.
It's all about dose. A little bit will give you a buzz and you can stay awake, little more and you're nodding out until your heart stops beating.
I think from "pumped up" he meant the thrill of taking drugs. Not the after-effects.
...and they most certainly weren't smacked out when they stole that crap from the shop.
As a recovering junky this movie gets the little things right
Andrew C amazing to hear you are recovering! I am sure you have a fantastic future ahead of you :)
wish i could go 10 years back to being in high school and watching this for the first time and then the second and third and my god, so many more times.
Why ? What would be different from watching it now a couple of times? Legitimately curious to hear your story.
@@PrincessCupncake the magic is gone
great film, sequel was good but wouldn't stand on its own. It's a shame irvine welsh's other work didnt transfer well to the film. Ecstasy didnt know where it wanted to go and had an unlikeable lead. The acid house had potential but the low budget prevented it from shining.
That's the vibe I'm getting from most reviews and comments, and yeah, by now it might be too starry-eyed of me to expect something on the level of the original film. But hell, just the chance of seeing these guys 20 years later...that alone would be worth the ticket. Didn't even know about Ecstasy and Acid House, might just check them out for the learning experience.
One Dodgy Dude the acid house is definitely the better of the two. it's split into 3 stories showing the reality of the poor working class in Scotland (the ones that aren't complete junkies). I'd recommend watching with subtitles though, the accents are far stronger than those in trainspotting
Thanks for the tip-off. I'll see about squeezing in Acid House on my viewing list this coming week.
The sequel grew on me the more I thought about it. It's a film about the pitfalls of nostalgia and refusing to let go of one's resentments. It's not as great as the original but it was never going to be. I found it a lot more moving the second time around. That said, I agree that Irvine Welsh's other books haven't translated well. Filth had an outstanding performance from James McAvoy but the film itself was a mess.
Great analysis. What a film. What a book. Perfection? Almost.
You used that music from the withdrawal. Such a great beat.
man, I really love Trainspotting. After the first time I saw it, I rewatched it every day for the next 2 weeks. But...regarding the sequel, I think they should have listened to Sick boy when he said `Well, at one time, you've got it, and then you lose it, and it's gone forever. All walks of life...` i don`t even want to see T2...just the thought of it makes me vomit...but for T1..well that piece of cinema will always be special for me
Rewatched it every day for 2 weeks, that's real commitment. And yeah, the movie does deserve it.
i dont think you should write it off like that; i think you should watch it bc sick boy's philosophy is precisely why T2 works; it's perfectly aware of itself. the characters have all aged but in a sense they're still the same and nostalgic for their youth, caught in the past, but don't realize it. T2 knows it can't reach the greatness of the first, and it doesn't try to. (fandor's video on the sequel, ruclips.net/video/P0pwOWrn0Xw/видео.html, explains the strength of T2 really well in my opinion.) i found it to be a rewarding follow up to the first movie, especially if you loved the characters and wanted to see what they would be like after 20 years. sorry for this long response and there's more to say in defense of T2 but i can't think of it at the moment, i hope you give T2 a chance!
@@pursuitofvictories5 T2 is out of touch with not only itself but reality. It's not the characters who are stuck in the past but the writers. Ironically it mimics the first movie for mostly fan service and rarely reference. I don't disagree with the angle of having the characters out of touch and nostalgic (that's normal) but you can tell it was self inserted by the 40+ who are out of touch. Because of this the movie thinks it's self aware when it isn't.
Even in the video you linked, Danny Boyle openly admits my above points and states "What you'd be appealing to principally is the people who were devotees of the film when it came out".
It's a movie made by an out of touch demographic for an out of touch demographic and the whole movie has this awful feedback loop, giving it a sense of complete and utter fantasy.
It's like a youtube comment section for 90's house and dance music given form.
It's a good movie if only for the plot and how well they portrayed the characters 20 years on, but it's honestly a disaster.
@@Splozy In extension you would say the author is out of touch.
I feel that sick boy’s philosophy about having it and losing it IS the underlying theme of T2. It’s all about trying to relive the glory days 20 years later rather than living in the moment (I.e. instead of heroin as an escape, it’s nostalgia). This message seems to be directly relatable to just about everyone who is living in the past as opposed to pushing forward in life. T2 isn’t as good as T1, but it isn’t supposed to be. That’s the underling irony of it all: the making and watching of T2 is just proof of one’s own desire to relive the past
Tommy does do drugs, just not heroin. He likes speed n mdma
Is that in the movie or the book? Don't remember seeing it in the movie.
Ahh beg pardon, was under the impression it was in the movie as well, but just double checked. Likewise with Begbie, is character is meant to be a fan of speed
I'm a bit late to the party, but he actually ends up on heroin by the end. He begs Renton until he finally sells him some. He ends up going all out until he contracts HIV. By the end Tommy is dying when Renton visits one last time. He asks Renton for a hit, but being freshly clean, gives him money instead. Such a great book and movie.
@@PreachermanDamned In movie, he actually dies from toxoplasmosis, because he has cats in his house and they are shitting everywhere.
@@PreachermanDamned I think he meant before that point.
Does Renton ever face up to his own selfishness. This is shown twice in the baby Dawn scene, not only are his only words of solace an offer to shoot up, but he also carefully looks for his own works. Then of course, there is the ending.
Yep, it's all about him, him, him. I suspect this is deliberate.
I think the main theme is Trust as it is the only theme that appears thought the film
I'd avoid limiting theme to a single word, though. That's more of a topic. If you can turn a single word like "trust" into a relatively short statement, then we have a theme.
Rentons family life is a lot darker in the book, if you read it you know what I’m talking about.
His brother's widow omg
Emmo Hernández what he does to his disabled brother in the “skagboys” book
@@jackfahy2283 Hey c'mon guys tell us how is it more darker. What are the top 3 darkest moment in the book? I wanna know but i don't wanna read a book.
T May P in skagboys he gets caught pulling off his brother in a wheelchair, fairly fucked up. And after renton runs away with the money begbie stabs and kills someone out of pure anger but only gets done for manslaughter
Cropped top looms like either dianes top or something he owned as a child and never got rid of, maybe holding onto his childhood before his heroin addiction?
maybe he just doesn't have anything else because he traded most of it heroin
Same something! I'm fixing up!
God do I miss the 90’s.
incredible video!
Im glad that i found this movie🙂
If the cars were from 2019 this film would be of today, Do you know why its called TRAINSPOTTING, the writer was in an abandoned train station waiting to meet his score, and he bumped in to his alcoholic homeless dad, the son said "dad what are you doing here" the dad replied "trainspotting" . . . "And what are you doing here son" . . ."waiting for a train" replied the son, I don't know if that's true but it's a damn good story and who am I to let the truth spoil a good story, everyone has been telling me that for over 50 years now,
i think its a game when you bored. when trying to spot similarities in trains or passing cars numbers. like lets find number 13 and then you wait until number 13 somewhere on vagon or on a car appears etc.
@@kloijhi Its like the game when 15 becomes 13 and 17 becomes 19, that game was played in 1977. Don't let the truth spoil a good story, can't change dates and ages, except when you tell lies,
this is untrue. Begbie and Renton meet Begbie's alcoholic father in the (disused) Leith railway station, which they are visiting to use as a toilet and the man asks if they are "trainspottin".
@@obrienwilliam26 something like that.
Ye didn't happen to the writer Irvine Welsh, it's a scene in his novel that wasn't adapted to the film. Trainspotting is a legitimate hobby irl, it's like stamp collecting, the vast majority of the population see it as a pointless waste of time and have no idea why people would do it, but to those who do it's a form of escapism and Irvine Welsh himself an ex heroin addict, used it as a title because as a lifestyle choice he saw this as a huge parallel as to the root causes of heroin addiction and thought it was a nice contrast, because those not in the know would not see the two as in any way comparable.
Very good video!
Appreciated!
@@OneDodgyDude It's opened up some new points of view for me. Although I've known the film for almost 23 years now (I saw it in the cinema then) and it's one of my absolute favorites.
What do you think about the sequel?
I like having that impact on people. I loved the sequel, really surprised me. Touched me, too, more than the original. But I guess the first movie is about hectic young people, and the 2nd one is about encroaching middle age (and the awareness that maybe life won't change that much, after all). Powerful stuff, glad they took their time to get it right.
Love trainspotting but drugstore cowboy kicks all junk films to bits. Best movie ever bout dope fiends
i watched this film, but never saw anything about trains
Because it's figurative. I believe there was a scene with an actual train but it didn't make it to the final version.
I think it's a euphemism
Good video, subbed.👍
Thanks! And welcome to the club.
what is the backing track @ 3:12 and in much of the video? Great video btw
Hey man, happy that you liked it. Track's name is "Dark & Long" (Dark Train mix) by Underworld.
thanks, been looking for the track of ages :)
Always a great feeling when you pin down that mystery track, innit?
Aye ;) cheers pal
I couldn't tell by your accent whether you were american or not until I heard you pronounce Edinburgh
Trainspotting Is truth ,I’ve been there ,I know
1:19
Sorry, it's far more than twice. Off the top of my head: during the intro, then with the suppositories, then immediately after with the 'last hit', after the hike, after the baby dies, the overdose (plus the mention of the methadone), testing the batch they're going to sell, and on the coach. He doesn't quit heroin for good. Tommy also tries drugs and gets HIV. It honestly just seems like you've watched a censored version of the film.
I meant "get off" as in stop consuming. Not "get off on " as in getting high on/or enjoying something.
I wish they showed more of Sick Boy's womanizing in the film. In the book, he's shown to be incapable of relating to any woman expect maybe his family members on a sexual level, and even pimps out underage girls to maintain his junk habit. Sexual addiction, not his faux-intellectualism, was his main vice.
I for one will go out on a limb and say not only does Requiem for a Dream sucks, but that it shouldn’t even be compared to the masterpiece that is Trainspotting. Requiem for a Dream wasn’t a good movie that happened to be dark, it was a sloppy, one-note film that was dark because Aronofsky can’t successfully juggle a multitude of emotions in order to truly dramatize a singular emotion. It’s crap and simple people gravitate toward it thinking it’s intellectual. Like I said, Trainspotting is literally a flawless work which is extremely rare to find in the arts. Trainspotting 2 on the other hand had some good moments but overall, the film was contrived and lacking the rawness, intensity, timeliness and most important, the superior execution of the original. It’s basically a pedestrian work with moments of inspiration.
To be fair, I've only watched Requiem once, and not even from the beginning, so I can't comment much on it. But I guess it says something that I never bothered to go back and watch it all the way through. T2 is like meeting an old friend; not as great as you remembered, in fact some things may be off putting, and you might not be as eager to see him again so soon, but the meeting did leave you with a little something and you're glad you went through with it.
That’s exactly what T2 is like. Well put mate.
@@OneDodgyDude I think T2 was meant to be disappointing, because that's what it was for the characters. It spends a lot of time delving in the nostalgia of the original, because the characters are too. All four of the returning leads have been on stuck on the first film's events for 20 years because they all thought at the time it would change their lives and make it better. Begbie and Sick Boy unfortunately fell into the mundane repetitive life they so dreaded in the first, and long for the wonder of youth. Spud misses having friends that he could spend time with and feel comfortable around, but since they're all grown up and in this mundane cycle, he, too is disappointed with how he has turned out and ultimately results in him being momentarily happy his friends are back only to see their longing for the past has corrupted them, leading to the betrayal. Renton, most importantly, who won at the end of the first, is disappointed that his big plan to become a better person and choose life, didn't make him feel any better or more content with his life, and longs for the excitement of his youth (hence the updated "choose life" monologue). Disappointment and nostalgia are the main concepts of the film that guide its major themes, that's why I think you feel like you shouldn't have been so eager to see the friends again so soon, because that's exactly how the characters felt about returning to this lifestyle.
@@OneDodgyDude I know its over a year old, but this is a great video, dude, keep up the good work on these analysis essays.
Agreed. Absolutely. I don't think T2 is bad, don't get me wrong. In fact, I think it knew it would never match up to the first, and used that to its strength. Thematically, at least. Intentional or not, it was a great move. You nailed the movie perfectly. That's exactly what it is. T1 is about the excitement, T2 is about the reality when it hits you you are not young anymore, and life may not have turned out the way you wanted it. Great stuff.
people still living life of a trainspotter...drugs death n bathgate
classic!
This is ace
Nowhere near as much as your comment, ;)
Step 1: Be a good writer
Well shit...
EDINBURGE lol
I disagree with you about how we root for Rent Boy because he tries to “better himself”…. you have to remember Renton is an unreliable narrator in, and the truth is we root for him because he’s genuine and charming because Ewan McGregor is so damn charismatic. In the hands of any other actor? We would’ve all hated Renton with a passion, but they got the perfect actor for the job but let’s be real here… He’s a grade a piece of garbage. There’s many examples of that through the movie the biggest example I can think of is Tommy… He flat out, ruined Tommy s life in such a casual way… He steals Tommy’s sex tape and never owns up to it, which started Tommy’s downfall then when he goes to Renton for comfort what does he do? Get him hooked on H knowing full well, the hell he’s about to walk into, Mark Renton is really kind of a Mack truck steam rolling his way through the movie and destroying everything in its path. than Francis Bagby even because he’s just as destructive S, Francis or more he’s just more subtle about it. And it’s scary because they got it so on point. Unfortunately, I’ve lived in this world and I know people like Mark Retton, they are the absolute worst, not all junkies like that. Some of them are like spud, but the Renton’s are the worst because they’re so selfish and they are the ones that give addicts a bad name. But yet we still root for him, which just shows you how f’d up people are lol.
Gotta admit, you make a good point.
Song at the beginning????
Dark and Long Train, by Underworld
@@OneDodgyDude thank you Monsieur
What’s the first tune of this video?
Got it - Dark and Long by Underworld
You mean the background music? "Long Dark Train"
I wouldn't call Begbie an alpha male. It's the opposite.
Most Alpha Males are insecure and have some superiority-complex though.
Four mins in.... Is this just a story synopsis?
Enthralled thousands?. LOL.
Custom fuckin design
T2 was FUCKING SHITE man. How'd they fuck that film up SOOOO much. NEVER been disappointed by a sequel so much in my life. The most boring fucking film ever.
What an inaccurate review.
You'd think he'd take it down after the second movie.
Who needs a sequel when you have heroin 👀
One thing lets it down is the cheap montage London scene with buses and people waving like a cheap advert for London tourism . Once seen can't be unseen btw ....sorry.
I hear you. Then again I'm such a London lover I'm willing to give it a pass.
I disagree, I think one of the main themes in the film, but more so the book is that cities like Edinburgh during the Thatcher years of the 80's became breeding grounds for heroin epidemics, because they were completely forgotten about. In the halls of power (London) heroin addiction is presented as a bad moral choice made by those simply choosing to be dropouts, choose life as the famous real life state funded public service announcement referenced in the film/book from the 80's went.
The characters however present it as a form of escapism from the mundane and hopeless nature of reality in a forgotten poverty struck city. So while Edinburgh is shown as being grim, grey and hopeless throughout the film, when Renton gets off the gear and "chooses life" he feels has no other option than to head to London to do so and it's very deliberately presented as a bright, shiny as you put it, almost advert for London, specifically to make a stark contrast between the realities of life in the two cities.
Good response, I love it!
@rumba rumba yea I understood the sentiment I just kind of cringe at the way it was executed ..feels like ,well I said it already , a cheap thrown together montage .
@rumba rumba I love Ginger / red hair ..looks so cool . 😍 Things are not as bad as they used to be !! Any Scot on TV Gameshows in the 80s ,for example , would be put in a kilt and have everything they said repeated back at them by the hilarious host all for the amusement of the Brit audience .,or shown as violent drunks in soap operas or I don't know if you were aware of Russ Abbott ? He was a "comedian" and one of his sketches was an impression of a Scottish person . Had to be seen to be believed . The message was loud and clear ... English cultural supremacy .
Tried to watch part 2 a few times. Cant get through it. Horrible film. So boring.
Your so wrong. You need to be born and have grown up in the 70s 80s 90s in Scotland to fully understand it.
r/gatekeeping
Tell us then
You don’t have a clue mate
Overrated movie.