This is an interesting film from a histrological perspective. Back when Heroin was still a thing, kind of the last major wave of heroin-chic movies where drugs are bad but kinda not really. For heroin, at least. Then is just kinda faded out of vogue. But that kinda shit is always replaced. Then we got the meth and pill farms in the 2000s, followed by fentanyl. Now there’s apparently a new one, claiming even more potency than fent, which is already like 100x more potent than heroin. Fer Fuck’s Sake, I am starting to suspect we have a drug problem here! Yet...always seems to be a black market for em. Sad. This is a slice from those earlier, happy-go-lucky days of junkies and and their utterly life-crushing opioid addictions.
Renton is all about criticizing the Choices. All the choices to make. He chooses not to make them. Why? Heroin. It is the ultimate decider. This processes the ups (few) and downs (many) of the trials and tribulations of being a junkie, trying to kick the habit, and the unfortunate friends that come along with it all. Except for maybe Spud. He’s just kinda dumb and doesn’t know any better. But those Scots in London are always such a Hoot!
This one put director Danny Boyle on the map, his 2nd film, following Shallow Grave (starring Ewan McGregor as well). But this one stepped up on pretty much all accounts, from dynamic filming and editing to the steady decent soundtrack throughout. It’s not exactly an inspirational film, in fact it overall is pretty dark, just sprinkled with a lot of black humor. The fact that everyone doesn’t die of a heroin overdose by the end is kind of a miracle. Well, except for Begbie. That fuckin drunk koont, Begbie. Yeah. Good watch, and definitely not putting heroin in a positive light. It’s nightmarish, on multiple levels, Illustrated well here. And encapsulates a good character arc, even if it does literally include someone shitting the bed. It’s...not pretty. But at least it’s not as downer of an ending as Midnight Cowboy. Or Aronofsky’s Requiem for a Dream. Sheesh, that one is just fkn brutal.
