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Trainspotting

  • 19961996
  • RR
  • 1h 33m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
674K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
655
97
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller, Ewen Bremner, and Kelly Macdonald in Trainspotting (1996)
Trailer for Trainspotting
Play trailer1:55
3 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Drama

Renton, deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, tries to clean up and get out, despite the allure of the drugs and influence of friends.Renton, deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, tries to clean up and get out, despite the allure of the drugs and influence of friends.Renton, deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, tries to clean up and get out, despite the allure of the drugs and influence of friends.

IMDb RATING
8.1/10
674K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
655
97
  • Director
    • Danny Boyle
  • Writers
    • Irvine Welsh(based on the novel by)
    • John Hodge(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Ewan McGregor
    • Ewen Bremner
    • Jonny Lee Miller
Top credits
  • Director
    • Danny Boyle
  • Writers
    • Irvine Welsh(based on the novel by)
    • John Hodge(screenplay)
  • Stars
    • Ewan McGregor
    • Ewen Bremner
    • Jonny Lee Miller
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 674User reviews
    • 154Critic reviews
    • 83Metascore
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Top rated movie #167
    • Nominated for 1 Oscar
      • 23 wins & 35 nominations total

    Videos3

    Trainspotting: Blu-Ray
    Trailer 1:55
    Trainspotting: Blu-Ray
    Trainspotting
    Trailer 0:31
    Trainspotting
    'Trainspotting' | Anniversary Mashup
    Clip 1:21
    'Trainspotting' | Anniversary Mashup

    Photos153

    Ewan McGregor in Trainspotting (1996)
    Ewen Bremner in Trainspotting (1996)
    Danny Boyle in Trainspotting (1996)
    Kelly Macdonald in Trainspotting (1996)
    Robert Carlyle and Jonny Lee Miller in Trainspotting (1996)
    Ewan McGregor in Trainspotting (1996)
    Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller, Ewen Bremner, and Kevin McKidd in Trainspotting (1996)
    Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller, Ewen Bremner, and Kelly Macdonald in Trainspotting (1996)
    Ewan McGregor and Kelly Macdonald in Trainspotting (1996)
    Ewan McGregor in Trainspotting (1996)
    Kevin McKidd in Trainspotting (1996)
    Ewan McGregor in Trainspotting (1996)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Ewan McGregor
    Ewan McGregor
    • Rentonas Renton
    Ewen Bremner
    Ewen Bremner
    • Spudas Spud
    Jonny Lee Miller
    Jonny Lee Miller
    • Sick Boyas Sick Boy
    Kevin McKidd
    Kevin McKidd
    • Tommyas Tommy
    Robert Carlyle
    Robert Carlyle
    • Begbieas Begbie
    Kelly Macdonald
    Kelly Macdonald
    • Dianeas Diane
    Peter Mullan
    Peter Mullan
    • Swanneyas Swanney
    James Cosmo
    James Cosmo
    • Mr. Rentonas Mr. Renton
    Eileen Nicholas
    Eileen Nicholas
    • Mrs. Rentonas Mrs. Renton
    Susan Vidler
    Susan Vidler
    • Allisonas Allison
    Pauline Lynch
    • Lizzyas Lizzy
    Shirley Henderson
    Shirley Henderson
    • Gailas Gail
    Stuart McQuarrie
    Stuart McQuarrie
    • Gavinas Gavin…
    Irvine Welsh
    Irvine Welsh
    • Mikey Forresteras Mikey Forrester
    Dale Winton
    Dale Winton
    • Game Show Hostas Game Show Host
    Keith Allen
    Keith Allen
    • Dealeras Dealer
    Kevin Allen
    Kevin Allen
    • Andreasas Andreas
    Annie Louise Ross
    • Gail's Motheras Gail's Mother
    • (as Ann-Louise Ross)
    • Director
      • Danny Boyle
    • Writers
      • Irvine Welsh(based on the novel by)
      • John Hodge(screenplay)
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

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    Storyline

    Edit
    A wild, freeform, Rabelaisian trip through the darkest recesses of Edinburgh low-life, focusing on Mark Renton and his attempt to give up his heroin habit, and how the latter affects his relationship with family and friends: Sean Connery wannabe Sick Boy, dimbulb Spud, psycho Begbie, 14-year-old girlfriend Diane, and clean-cut athlete Tommy, who's never touched drugs but can't help being curious about them... —Michael Brooke <michael@everyman.demon.co.uk>
    • filthy toilet
    • scotland
    • drugs
    • drug culture
    • scottish
    • 259 more
    • Plot summary
    • Plot synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a starter home. Choose dental insurance, leisure wear and matching luggage. Choose your future. But why would anyone want to do a thing like that?
    • Genre
      • Drama
    • Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)
      • Rated R for graphic heroin use and resulting depravity, strong language, sex, nudity and some violence
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Although it looks thoroughly off putting, the feces in the Worst Toilet in Scotland scene was actually made from chocolate and smelled quite pleasant.
    • Goofs
      After Renton has sex with Diane, he has nothing on his penis, but once he gets kicked out into the hallway, he pulls a condom off.
    • Quotes

      [first lines]

      Mark "Rent-boy" Renton: [narrating] Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suit on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourselves. Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?

    • Crazy credits
      The voice-over during the end of the end credits cites the seven movies in which Sean Connery played "James Bond".
    • Alternate versions
      The Special Edition did not feature the trailer and video. These were available in the Green Edition. UK 'Green Edition' video release is in widescreen format and includes the nine extra scenes featured in the box set special edition, the original theatrical trailer (which doesn't use any of the film's footage) and the complete promotional video of Underworld's Born Slippy, the hit song spawned from the soundtrack.
    • Connections
      Featured in At the Movies: Courage Under Fire/Walking and Talking/Trainspotting/Harriet the Spy (1996)
    • Soundtracks
      Lust for Life
      Performed by Iggy Pop

      Words and Music by Iggy Pop / David Bowie

      Published by EMI Music Publishing Ltd/EMI Virgin Music Ltd/Tintoretto Music

      Administered by RZO Music

      Courtesy of Virgin Records America Inc

    User reviews674

    Review
    Top review
    10/10
    One of the best films of the 1990s.
    In the aftermath of _Pulp Fiction_, much of the filmmaking of the 1990s thrived upon attempts to appear "edgy" within the constructs of independent films, or merely to provide empty shock value cliches. And no film ever came close to the sheer cleverness of Tarantino's masterpiece.

    _Trainspotting_, however, somehow manages to take the excesses of the mid-90s and rise far, far above the cinematic cliches that it easily could have become. A film that tackles any hot-button social issue can, and usually does, simply become a didactic propaganda piece. Thankfully, _Trainspotting_ is vastly more intelligent in its edginess and its shock.

    In order to appreciate _Trainspotting_ fully, the viewer must abandon any preconceptions about what defines truly great cinema, because this film defies convention at nearly every turn. And with the rapid pace of its plot, that's quite a bit of ground to cover.

    Though a great deal of the picture's brilliance is derived from director Danny Boyle's consistent rejection of typical cinematic techniques, the most satisfying and _best_ aspect of _Trainspotting_ is that Boyle creates a film that is neither pro-drug or anti-drug. Instead, he maintains a rare objectivity throughout the film, depicting this fascinating array of complex, beautifully acted characters with an honesty that it seldom captured on film. And, given the life that each character lives, it's nearly incomprehensible that a director would refrain from influencing the viewer's impressions in any way, yet that's exactly what Boyle does.

    The dialogue-- or at least what portions of the brogue-drenched dialogue American viewers will be able to comprehend-- is alternately hilarious, raw, and brutal. And Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, and Robert Carlyle bring a remarkable compassion and depth to their portrayals of characters that could have easily lapsed into cliche.

    Despite its sheer brilliance, _Trainspotting_ is not a film that's easy to watch. The viewer is bombarded with images that transcend visceral discomfort in their horror-- this movie contains two of the most graphic, horrifying scenes I've ever encountered. But, amazingly, none of these elements is used merely for shock value. Though the viewer will be mortified by some of the things that happen onscreen-- the well-documented dive into Scotland's most vile public toilet, for example-- these scenes all make _perfect sense_ within the context of a masterfully told story.

    In order to notice all of the subtlety that also exists in _Trainspotting_, repeat viewings are necessary, primarily to reduce some of the most powerful shocks ever-so-slightly, though their effects are never lost entirely. Some of the images will likely haunt even the most cynical, jaded viewer for weeks.

    RATING: 10 out of 10. Never patronizing and completely unpretentious, _Trainspotting_ is one of the most daring, unconventional films ever made. It inspires a level of discomfort rivaled by very few movies, because, even at its most graphic, Boyle never insults the viewer with mere shock tactics. Brilliantly acted, directed, and written, with a truly rare objectivity that allows each viewer to interpret its story on his/her own terms.
    helpful•384
    74
    • omophagia-2
    • Mar 25, 2000

    FAQ16

    • Is 'Trainspotting' based on a book?
    • Why is it called "Trainspotting"?
    • What is Sick Boy's actual name?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • August 9, 1996 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • На голці
    • Filming locations
      • Corrour Station, Highland, Scotland, UK
    • Production companies
      • Channel Four Films
      • Figment Films
      • The Noel Gay Motion Picture Company
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • £1,500,000 (estimated)
    • Gross US & Canada
      • $16,491,080
    • Opening weekend US & Canada
      • $262,673
      • Jul 21, 1996
    • Gross worldwide
      • $16,767,475
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 33 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby SR
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.85 : 1

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