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Movies / On DVD / Trainspotting
Trainspotting

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Trainspotting (1995)

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Reviews Counted:54

Fresh:48

Rotten:6

Average Rating:8.1/10

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.

Runtime: 1 hr 34 mins

Genre: Dramas

Synopsis: A kinetic, intimate look inside the subculture of heroin abuse, this acclaimed adaptation of Irvine Welsh's novel follows the misadventures of Renton, a brash, twenty-something Edinburgh junkie,... A kinetic, intimate look inside the subculture of heroin abuse, this acclaimed adaptation of Irvine Welsh's novel follows the misadventures of Renton, a brash, twenty-something Edinburgh junkie, and his nihilistic chums Tommy, Spud, Sick Boy and Begbie. Alternately comic and off-putting, the film ultimately comes down to Renton's choice between self-destruction or life. The stellar soundtrack should not be missed. [More]

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd, Robert Carlyle, Kelly MacDonald, Peter Mullan, James Cosmo, Eileen Nicholas

Director: Danny Boyle

Director: Danny Boyle
Screenwriter: John Hodge

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Trainspotting

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 >> >|
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 
Reviews
Tomatometer Critic Review Category
N/R

Geoff Andrew

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Feb., 09 2006 03:16 AM

Time Out

tomato
5/5

Almar Haflidason

a movie that dares to challenge the audience

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 17 2001 08:59 PM

BBC

tomato

Rob Nelson

Trainspotting is a thoroughly shitty movie, which isn't to say it's a bad one.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 01 2009 10:12 AM

City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul

tomato
4.5/5

Ken Hanke

Though dark in tone and the bulk of the humor is blacker than a raven's wing at midnight, Boyle's sense of humanity persistently creeps in around the edges.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 02 2009 12:32 AM

Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)

N/R

David Ansen

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Mar., 31 2008 03:15 AM

Newsweek

tomato
4/5

Rob Gonsalves

Among its deeper merits is that it proves a movie doesn't have to be mean to be fresh.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Aug., 05 2007 08:43 PM

eFilmCritic.com

splat
1/10

Chuck O'Leary

Full of repugnant junkies so unpleasant that I was hoping they'd all OD just so I could escape this torture test.

comment 9 Comments | Jan., 23 2006 04:37 PM

Fantastica Daily

tomato
A

Robin Clifford

Trainspotting will have to go down in the annals as one of the great anti-heroin films of all time -- better than Otto Preminger's The Man With The Golden Arm, and on a par with Alex Cox's Sid and Nancy, maybe even better!

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Apr., 09 2005 03:35 AM

Reeling Reviews

tomato
5/5

Oz

Put simply, Trainspotting is one of those films that gets the mixture just right. The dialogue, the music, the performances, the direction, the production values, the humor, the shock-value.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 03 2004 03:22 PM

eFilmCritic.com

tomato
5/5

Scott Weinberg

Danny Boyle's Trainspotting is a blast of ice-cold water across a sweaty brow; it's a lively, vibrant and pulsatingly addictive movie.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jul., 01 2004 05:04 PM

eFilmCritic.com

tomato
3.5/4

Matt Brunson

A pop culture sensation that drew notice to its own urgency and immediacy.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 02 2004 02:59 PM

Creative Loafing

tomato
5/5

Alex Ramirez

Una historia excepcionalmente narrada.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 11 2004 11:08 PM

Cinenganos

splat
2/4

Susan Tavernetti

The most controversial film of the summer is both disturbing and exhilarating in its evocative rendering of a smackhead's chaotic universe.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | May., 20 2003 05:12 PM

Palo Alto Weekly

tomato
8/10

Dragan Antulov

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 23 2003 12:30 PM

rec.arts.movies.reviews

tomato
B

Nick Davis

Danny Boyle's movie achieves -- at least for a while -- the psychedelic high for which it clearly aims, but like the heroin fixes he vividly portrays, his film doesn't have much long-term impact.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jan., 10 2003 08:24 AM

Nick's Flick Picks

tomato
5/5

James Rocchi

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Nov., 07 2002 01:22 PM

Netflix

tomato
4/4

Kevin N. Laforest

Another great movie from the guys who did Shallow Grave.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 10 2002 08:18 AM

Montreal Film Journal

tomato
4/4

Jeffrey Westhoff

A rarity: a highly anticipated film that exceeds - and confounds - expectations.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Sep., 05 2002 02:34 PM

Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)

tomato
3/5

Philip Martin

No review available.

comment Comment | Jul., 30 2002 11:01 AM

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette

tomato
4/4

Tor Thorsen

If the essence of Generation X's journey from restless youth to semiproductive maturity could be encapsulated into one film, it would be Trainspotting.

Full Review Source: | comment Comment | Jun., 15 2002 08:14 AM

Reel.com

 
 
1 - 20 (sorted by date; UK critics are listed first)
Bubble View | 1 2 3 >> >|
all

Latest News for Trainspotting

January 09, 2009: UK Critics Consensus: Indifference For Defiance, Whilst Slumdog Millionaire Shines
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January 09, 2009: Five Favourite Films with Golden Globe-Winner Danny Boyle
After sweeping the Critics' Choice Awards this week, visionary and eclectic director Danny Boyle shares his five favourite films with Rotten Tomatoes. As you'd expect from his... More...

August 24, 2005: Danny Boyle's "Sun" Begins to Shine
Thanks to ComingSoon.net for sharing a press release from Fox Searchlight regarding Danny Boyle's "Sunshine" -- and the fact that it began shooting yesterday. More...

June 10, 2005: Searchlight Moving Forward With Boyle's "Sunshine"
Variety reports some great news for all you Danny Boyle fans out there. Production will get underway on "Sunshine" this summer, and the unpredictable director already... More...

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