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Trainspotting

Play trailer Poster for Trainspotting R Released Jul 19, 1996 1h 34m Comedy Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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90% Tomatometer 96 Reviews 93% Popcornmeter 250,000+ Ratings
Heroin addict Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) stumbles through bad ideas and sobriety attempts with his unreliable friends -- Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), Begbie (Robert Carlyle), Spud (Ewen Bremner) and Tommy (Kevin McKidd). He also has an underage girlfriend, Diane (Kelly Macdonald), along for the ride. After cleaning up and moving from Edinburgh to London, Mark finds he can't escape the life he left behind when Begbie shows up at his front door on the lam, and a scheming Sick Boy follows.
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Trainspotting

Trainspotting

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Critics Consensus

A brutal, often times funny, other times terrifying portrayal of drug addiction in Edinburgh. Not for the faint of heart, but well worth viewing as a realistic and entertaining reminder of the horrors of drug use.

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Critics Reviews

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Kevin Maher Times (UK) Easy to start, all-consuming, impossible to quit. Rated: 5/5 May 29, 2024 Full Review Jay Carr Boston Globe The unsinkable vigor coursing through the veins of Trainspotting leaves no doubt that it intends to come down on the side of life. In its chance-taking, its virtuosity and its ultimate morality, it's an exhilarating film. May 1, 2024 Full Review Eleanor Ringel Cater Atlanta Journal-Constitution Choose Trainspotting... if you think you can take it. Rated: 3.5/4 May 1, 2024 Full Review Eleanor O'Sullivan Asbury Park Press (NJ) It lacks the harrowing quality of a loser's life, but neither does Boyle have the heart to go for all-out farce. Rated: 2.5/4 Apr 30, 2024 Full Review Aaron Neuwirth Why So Blu This original spin through this specific moment in time continues to play as a high-energy display of wit, tragedy, and style in a manner that solidified so much for all involved. Rated: 5/5 Jan 31, 2024 Full Review Brian Eggert Deep Focus Review The film resists a moralized discussion of drug use to instead presents a story whose ugly, darkly comic details pulse with Boyle's kinetic touch. Rated: 4/4 Mar 2, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Trausti L Simply a perfect movie from all aspects. It changed everything that came after Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/23/24 Full Review Faiz D What a frickin' fantastic film this is. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 08/29/24 Full Review Sams K I like the aesthetic of this, but I think it's a bit overrated. Soundtrack is great! Rated 3 out of 5 stars 08/25/24 Full Review Jerry F This movie was so much better that I expected. Very realistic yet entertaining and a little hard to watch some scenes, but totally worth it. Performances were excelent as well as plot and direction. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 06/05/24 Full Review r96 s Not the most enthralling, but 'Trainspotting' does have plenty to say - and boy does it portray it! There are particularly strong performances from Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner and Robert Carlyle. I didn't like watching the bunch of characters given how severely unlikeable they are. Of course, that is very much the intention so it's a credit to the actors and the filmmakers at how convincing it all is. The humour is weaker than expected, perhaps due to the horrors of the plot taking centre stage. Their struggles are showed in a heavy manner, to the point I did feel uncomfortable seeing them do their thing. I do feel post-watch that I'm missing something from it in regards to being able to appreciate it higher, I can't shake that feeling. That's probably the only negative at nailing the realness so much, you miss out on other bits to enjoy about a film; or at least to me. Cool to see this on the big screen, mind. I think it's the first movie I've ever watched at the cinema that isn't a contemporary release. I evidently hadn't seen this before so thought what better way to watch it for the opening time! Now for the sequel (albeit back in the doldrums of home release!😁). Rated 4 out of 5 stars 05/30/24 Full Review Alec C The downsides of being a drug addict have never been so hilarious and heart-breaking! Mark Renton spends his days with his addict friends getting high and following no direction, until reality forces him to make a decision to step up. Bleak and boisterous, this dark comedy of life in the streets is as energetic as it is engrossing! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/21/24 Full Review Read all reviews
Trainspotting

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Movie Info

Synopsis Heroin addict Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) stumbles through bad ideas and sobriety attempts with his unreliable friends -- Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), Begbie (Robert Carlyle), Spud (Ewen Bremner) and Tommy (Kevin McKidd). He also has an underage girlfriend, Diane (Kelly Macdonald), along for the ride. After cleaning up and moving from Edinburgh to London, Mark finds he can't escape the life he left behind when Begbie shows up at his front door on the lam, and a scheming Sick Boy follows.
Director
Danny Boyle
Producer
Andrew Macdonald
Screenwriter
John Hodge
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
Figment Films, Noel Gay Motion Picture Company, PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Rating
R (Nudity|Graphic Heroin Use|Sex|Some Violence|Strong Language)
Genre
Comedy, Drama
Original Language
British English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 19, 1996, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Dec 19, 2015
Box Office (Gross USA)
$16.6M
Runtime
1h 34m
Sound Mix
Dolby Stereo, Dolby A, Stereo, Surround, Dolby Digital, Dolby SR
Aspect Ratio
Flat (1.85:1)
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