Trainspotting

Trainspotting

Choose life.

Directed by Danny Boyle

Produced by Figment Films, The Noel Gay Motion Picture Company

199694 min8.0 / 10

A visceral, darkly comic descent into heroin addiction and the inescapable gravity of a destructive lifestyle, told with kinetic style and unflinching social realism.

Heroin addict Mark Renton stumbles through bad ideas and sobriety attempts with his unreliable friends --Sick Boy, Begbie, Spud and Tommy. He also has an underage girlfriend, Diane, along for the ride. After cleaning up and moving from Edinburgh to London, Mark finds he can't escape the life he left behind as Begbie and Sick Boy come knocking.

Where to watch

Questions people ask

  • Is Trainspotting one of a kind? Yes, very. More singular than 97% of films.

  • Is Trainspotting easy watching? No. Less comforting than 92% of films.

  • Is Trainspotting sad? Yes, very. More sad than 91% of films.

  • Is Trainspotting violent? Yes. More violent than 80% of films.

  • Is Trainspotting scary? Somewhat. More frightening than 72% of films.

  • Does Trainspotting end with hope? Not especially. Less hopeful than 70% of films.

These describe how the film comes across, measured across the whole film and compared with other well-known films. They are not a content list — nothing here was counted or checked scene by scene, so for age-suitability or specific content use a classification board or a dedicated content-warning service.

Written about

92/ 100

Cinnamon Score

How much this film gives you that nothing else will, and whether it delivers.

There is almost nothing else like this.

Rarity95

How unlike any other film this one feels

Surprise85

How much more it delivers than it promises

Love96

How much audiences actually like it

The highest scores in the catalogue →

Ensemble

Everything like Trainspotting, and what each one shares →

Like Trainspotting

Nearest across the full emotional profile.

Same Mood as Trainspotting

Nearest on what's most distinctive about this one.

Like Trainspotting, But Darker

Similar, pushed toward heavier and more intense.

Like Trainspotting, But Lighter

Similar, pushed toward warmer and easier.

Like Trainspotting, But Less Popular

Same territory, far fewer people have seen it.

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