Directed by Danny Boyle
Picturehouse, Liverpool
From 27th January 2017

Reviewed by Darren Guy

This film sees the return of Trainspotting, twenty years on, with all the original characters, Renton, Spud, Sick Boy and Begbie, together with the original director and writers.

Renton (Ewan McGregor) returns after living in Amsterdam for twenty years, remember (cos you’re not reminded) he scarped with 16 grand. Spud (Ewan Bremner) is about to do himself in. Still struggling with smack addiction, he has nothing left to live for. Sick Boy is off smack but is now a cokehead, trying to move upmarket through blackmailing and Begbie (Robert Carlyle) as angry as ever, is in prison.

I haven’t seen many sequels that I thought were much, apart from of course Godfather 2, and Adams Family 2. T2 Trainspotting doesn’t disappoint. It’s drama from start to finish, with pinches of violence, fun, laughter and gruesome bits thrown in. As we are taken through friends reunited, as one friend Renson meets up with the three guys he ripped off twenty years previously. You could say it’s a love and hate relationships of old working class school friends.

I think the film stands alone, not just as a sequel. In many ways it is better than the original. I remember thinking the original, glamorized smack and its users, a sort of middle-class smack world (hardly).

I was never convinced by Ewan McGregor as Rental portrayal, neither am I convinced by his performance here. But Ewan Bremner (Spud) Robert Carlyle (Begsbie but now called Franko) performance are brilliant. As is Anjela Nedyalkova (Victoria), the Bulgarian girlfriend of Simon (Sick Boy) who, along with Spud, are the heroes of the film.

The shots of Edinburgh, day and night from above and within, are excellent.

I think this film is better than the original. Aside of my criticism of McGregor being unconvincing as a council estate kid, I thought the drifting back to the sentimental part of the original film was a bit corny.

Aside of that this is well worth watching. A very entertaining film, But yes, if you can afford £11 to go and see it at FACT, you will enjoy it.