Director: Danny Boyle
By Alex Watson
20 years in the making, Danny Boyle's Cool Britannia reunion is one that feels very welcome. While T2: Trainspotting may be lacking in story, seeing the gang back together feels incredible. The passage of time has been a real test and frequent delays made us wonder if we would ever see this sequel? Danny Boyle's direction isn't quite strong or passionate as the original, but no-one else could have brought this to fruition but him.
After betraying his friends years ago, Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) has been living in Amsterdam. Compelled to return to his native Edinburgh, Renton revisits his old 'so-called mates'. Sickboy (Jonny Lee-Miller) is still living a seedy life running a ramshackle pub. Francis Begbie (Robert Carlyle) escapes prison in a furious rage and is out for revenge on Mark. Luckless Spud Murphy (Ewan Bremner) is still addicted to heroin and estranged from wife Gail (Shirley Henderson).
"So what have you been up to for 20 years?" asks Sickboy during the big reunion. That is the question all audience members minds through the opening half of T2: Trainspotting. The characters are as we remember them, but Boyle doesn't investment long enough on how their lives panned out over the last two decades. Both Renton and Sickboy are the movies centre piece and the lurking threat of another double cross looms large. The original dealt with the follies of youth and repercussions of living dangerously. In this instalment, Boyle deals with the reflections of middle aged men and the questions that come with life. Spud sadly is the one our sympathies go with as he has been unable to kick the habit. His reunion with Mark is the one that causes both shock and hilarity in equal measure. One of the principle issues is that three of the four characters seem to be lacking depth. Both Sickboy and Renton feel like older versions of their old counterparts while Spud is exploited simply for comic effect.
Cinema's favourite psycho Begbie has lost none of his firepower. A human ball of continued rage, Begbie is like a bull in a china closet from his opening scene. Rather than making him the movie's main threat, Boyle goes deeper by introducing his wife and son. In one moving scene, our sympathy for him increases when we hear about one faith night in a decrepit Leith train station. The side plot diversions are a mixed bag, the one about Sickboy's prostitute girlfriend/business partner Veronika (an excellent Anjela Nedyalkova) works well. A tug of war of between friends start for her affections but we are never sure which way she leans. There is also the notion of 'watching history repeat itself' and as old friends delve in old pastures things threaten to get out of balance. Sickboy and Renton's comradery during these sequences is what gives this sequel its glow. In one sectarian pub, they are forced to improvise a song about the Battle of Boyne. What follows is a bizarre but catchy song about Catholics deaths.
It cannot be denied that it feels good to finally see this on screen again. Boyle and screenwriter John Hodge's tailoring of the characters has a slightly flat feel. Getting older and figuring out how their lives brought them to this point is the real selling point. Reflecting on the past and how they used to be, some painful past ghosts are revealed. Renton's previous betrayal has left a deep seeded resentment in many of the characters- they have each dealt with it differently. Renton's reasons for coming home are frustrating ambiguous- what is out of duty? Or did his past guilt become too painful to bear? By throwing himself back into his world, Mark is not just reopening his old wounds but is threatening to push other over the edge. As Begbie skulks around, we anxiously await the inevitable showdown. Danny Boyle has taken his sweet time but thankfully his pride remains intact in this sequel. Now for the debate about whether T3 will come around?
Ewan McGregor is a wiser and more assured Renton this time around. Still showcasing the same cocksure attitude that won him so many admirers- McGregor feels born to play this character. After a nasty fallout with Boyle over the movie The Beach, their reunion is a great thing. Jonny Lee Miller is also wonderful again as Sickboy and his morally complex approach again is magnificent. Is Sickboy simply drawing his friend in for the kill? Or does he relish this second chance at friendship? Robert Carlyle once more is a tour de force as permanently angry Begbie. Not losing an ounce of intimidation, Carlyle commands the screen. Though this time, he is allowed more room to explore and the root cause of his problems are brilliantly presented. Ewan Bremner however, is wasted as the lovable idiot Spud. He is given little else to but be the group buffoon when so much else could have been possible.
T2: Trainspotting might not be the unforgettable experience that we wanted, but still it is a movie that brings us full circle. Cool Britannia is still alive and well.
