Posts
Hooligans on heroin
Tuesday, June 2, 2026
To listen to a recording of our CineVerse group discussion of Trainspotting, conducted last week, click here.
Arguably, Trainspotting is relatively nonjudgmental about drug addiction. Yes, the downsides are graphically depicted in extreme detail, with abhorrent visuals and unflattering portrayals of despicable users and criminals. But our narrator Renton also intriguingly describes the unbridled ecstasy he experiences when shooting up, and some scenes – while not going so far as to glorify or endorse drug use – suggest a fun and excitingly dangerous lifestyle pulsing with kinetic vibrancy and electric energy.
The story is firmly anchored by Renton’s voiceover narration, which informs the entire proceeding. “Having already learned the lessons within the film’s story, he looks back much wiser and more self-aware, and so if his character onscreen seems contrary to the narrator’s perspective, we must remember Renton is telling the story with a sense of reflection, after he has escaped with a bag of stolen drug money in the last scene, out to start a new life,” wrote Deep Focus Review critic Brian Eggert. “His onscreen hedonism (even more evident in his friends) is interrupted by his unique moments of thoughtfulness, sensitivity, and reflection through narration. His story may be myopic as a result, but his tone and acerbic observations refuse to romanticize drug addiction and bring purpose to the film’s grimy subject matter.”
Yet, while Renton’s voice is a reliable guide, much of Trainspotting is episodic, where each chapter could be appreciated as its own self-contained mini movie.
Boyle and company concoct some of the most viscerally effective visuals of any 1990s film or, for that matter, picture about drug use. The close-ups of needles going into veins, murky brown liquid inside a syringe, and surreal scenarios like diving into a commode overflowing with liquid feces and watching a ghost baby crawl across the ceiling are unforgettably disturbing. Interestingly, the visual approach alternates between realistic and fantastical, with the latter representational of shots and sequences presumably viewed through a drug-induced prism.
The film feels constantly in motion, thanks to occasionally frenetic mobile camerawork, exaggerated lenses, concise editing that trims out any fat, and characters who seem constantly on the move or, even when motionless during heroin scenes, taking a mental trip.
The title is a complete non sequitur, as there is no mention of “Trainspotting” or the British hobby of writing down the numbers of railway engines associated with that word. Instead, the audience connotes “trainspotting” with the practice of scoring and using heroin.
The thick Scottish brogue and distinctive vernacular of the characters make this one of most difficult films for non-Scottish viewers to decipher, which could explain Trainspotting’s appeal as a popular repeat watch for those trying to catch up on what they missed the last time around.
Importantly, this is Ewan McGregor’s breakout role, the one that solidified him as a terrifically gifted young actor and that led to him being cast in many big-budget Hollywood films to follow.
And what an impressive soundtrack, steeped mostly in early to period-authentic techno and Britpop tunes from the early to mid-1990s as well as vintage classics by punksters like Iggy Pop and Lou Reed. Cribbing from Scorsese and Tarantino’s playbook, the music fuels many of the scenes, lending a vigor and syncopated urgency to what’s happening onscreen.
Trainspotting pulls no punches about the vicious cycle of addiction. These warts-and-all degenerates can’t shake their dependence on heroin or alcohol, and even the relatives and friends around them are hooked on something (such as Renton’s mother’s addiction to Valium). We see firsthand the severe consequences of this damaging habit: the dead baby, the friend who dies of toxoplasmosis, the horrific detoxification sequence, and the disgusting scene where Renton must wade through the filthiest toilet in Scotland to retrieve drug suppositories. He and his cronies are stuck in a self-destructive, stagnant loop, unable to rise above their low socioeconomic status, get or retain jobs, or function as productive members of society. Renton’s only hope, he eventually realizes, is to remove himself entirely from this environment and leave his friends behind.
We also have a story that oscillates between betrayal and redemption. Renton ultimately opts to steal away with his friends’ collective drug deal money, abandoning their lifestyle and circle of futility. By completely cutting ties, he’s able to make a clean break and begin a new life elsewhere, presumably in the mainstream among the living dead normies he mocked in voiceover when the film began. On one hand, we can feel optimistic that, by removing himself from the drug subculture and the negative influences of his friends, Renton can establish a sober and productive life; but then again, we can’t forget that he has stolen from and crossed his friends and has relapsed into heroin use multiple times. His future looks more promising, but is uncertain.
Lastly, Trainspotting reinforces the perceived futility of youth culture actually giving a fuck. “When Mark asks, ‘Who needs reasons when you’ve got heroin?’ it is, in context, a great line, not because heroin is as good as a reason, but because in this movie, the clean world has no reasons at all,” posits Slate reviewer Michael Wood. “The older generation–parents, judges, employers, crooks–is pointless–permissive and amiable at best, but dim and mechanical in general, dedicated to a zombie existence that can’t compare with the joys of shooting up.”
Similar works
- Goodfellas (1990)
- Pulp Fiction (1994)
- Human Traffic (1999)
- A Clockwork Orange (1971)
- Requiem for a Dream (2000)
- 24 Hour Party People (2002)
- Permanent Midnight (1998)
- Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998)
Other films directed by Danny Boyle
- Shallow Grave (1994)
- 28 Days Later (2002)
- Millions (2004)
- Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
- 127 Hours (2010)
