Training Day

Some will tell you it's a modern classic; it all depends on who you ask. Either way, I decided I wanted to check out Trainspotting, the film about basically being poor and addicted to heroin in Scotland. It's the movie that put Ewan McGregor on the map, and also features Robert Carlyle, Jonny Lee Miller, and Kevin McKidd.

It's also just flat-out difficult to watch, and intentionally so. There is nothing glamorous or cool about the world of Trainspotting. Though the film does at times adopt a flashy, non-literal style, it always does so in the name of making drug addiction look absolutely terrible.

But that's really all the film has to say. There's a loose but rather unimportant plot that almost even feels like a distraction. There's no deeper message here than "drugs are bad," and no real emotion evoked other than revulsion.

So what you think of the film will ultimately depend even more on personal taste than the average movie. This is a one-note piece, but the note is played extremely proficiently. There are at least a half dozen moments that will make you cringe in your seat in discomfort. But if you're looking for a full-course film meal here, you won't find it.

I give credit where it's due for actors, script, and cast all working in such a unified way. But I personally want a more rounded film, and so I only would rate Trainspotting a C+. I wouldn't think you'd have to be into some drug scene to like the movie (in fact, I would think such a person wouldn't actually like a movie that held up the mirror so starkly), but I'm not quite sure exactly what sort of person would like this movie more than I.