Midway through the long-awaited Trainspotting sequel, a trio of former junkies traipses out to the Scottish countryside to memorialize a long lost friend who died 20 years earlier in the first film. The most cynical of the three, Simon fka “Sick Boy” (Jonny Lee Miller), bemoans the trip as an indulgence in foolish nostalgia, even as sentimental Spud (Ewen Bremner) dives into memories of their youthful hooliganism with gusto. Much like our central antihero, Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor), T2 Trainspotting splits the difference between those two sensibilities, keeping one foot kicking up dust from the past as the other remains firmly planted in the modern day.
For the most part, this is a wise decision. We could expect that Danny Boyle would employ similarly clever editing, trippy cinematography and a punkish soundtrack to that found on his 1996 breakthrough feature. But the degree to which he hitches this sequel to its predecessor carries both risks and necessity. It was certainly crucial to bring back the original cast along with screenwriter John Hodge to portray this 20-years-later story. Much like Trainspotting novelist Irvine Welsh’s literary sequel, Porno, on which this film is very loosely based, T2 hinges on the impact of years of bad blood tainting debauched friendships.
We learn that, after stealing the loot that was meant to be split four ways at the end of the original film, Renton fled to Amsterdam and got married. Simon inherited an unpopular pub but makes money on the side by setting up rich perverts for blackmail. Spud had a kid, but his continued addiction has made him a disappointment and embarrassment to both his son and former partner. He’s in the process of attempting suicide when, after 20 years, serendipity leads Renton to knock on his door at that exact moment. Begbie (Robert Carlyle) has spent years behind bars, stewing with a lust for revenge on Renton, and when he escapes he ends up hurtling down a collision course toward that old childhood friend who stiffed him so royally.
Unlike its iconic predecessor, T2 is not a heroin film. Sure, Renton and Simon obligatorily shoot up in one scene (for our old time’s sake as much as theirs), and Simon stuffs as much coke up his nose as will fit. But the film is more concerned with what two decades can do to a person’s priorities, even for a crew intent on remaining unapologetically criminal. Simon and Renton work together to scam their way into a large loan in order to open a brothel, even as Simon secretly intends to eventually backstab Renton as retribution. Renton helps Spud keep clean by taking him running, but his approach to fitness can’t fully beat back the malaise of his mid-forties. Upon escaping from prison, Begbie reunites with his wife and son and tries to pass on his skill-set by getting his son involved in the family business of robbing houses. Meanwhile, despite reuniting with his old friend, Renton has eyes for Simon’s girlfriend, Veronika (Anjela Nedyalkova). They all remain horrible, selfish people who scam and scrap with each other when they’re not covering each other’s backs, but with the wisdom and weariness of an additional 20 years under their belts, their concerns are far more existential than thrill-seeking this time around.
Through flashbacks and more subtle echoes of the first film, T2 succeeds in portraying how even the distant past can drastically inform one’s current reality. Simon may insist the past is over and done with and therefore doesn’t matter, but T2 knows differently. This is not a film for the uninitiated, as it’ll likely make little sense (even with the stylized subtitles in the opening scenes that ease the viewer into the thick Scottish accents). But for Trainspotting fans, this is a worthy (if superfluous) sequel that shows how time can mercilessly ravage our best-laid plans, even when some things never seem to change at all.
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