Danny Boyle directs Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle and Ewen Bremner in this belated catch-up with the ageing population of Irvine Welsh’s Edinburgh skagboy universe. 

An absolute laugh out loud charmer this. Given the talent involved and the original’s untarnished importance to a generation, the weight of expectation should cripple this lesser film fatally. Boyle makes quite clear this is a cash-in, an exercise in nostalgia and sitcommy extension. You wouldn’t and couldn’t enjoy it as a stand alone film. It is a remix of all the old iconic moments imbued with streak of worry line maturity, balding self awareness and hope. Fuck it. It is fun and I can’t wait to bang it on the DVD player immediately after watching the true classic episode one. Renton and Sick Boy have become creaky watered down versions of their less interesting selfs. With the exception of a thrilling visit to a Unionist bar (let’s see how that travels overseas) their main plotline dawdles along, allowing echoes of the past to infect the film, pleasingly so. No… the fight is on between Begbie and Spud for who steals the show. Carlyle gets all the best lines and scenes, only his resolution with his son rings false. While Bremner must be kicking himself that T2  has been released on the far side of the moon for award contention. He takes the buffoonish role he perfected decades ago and amps up the pathos and the bathos to heart wrenching effect. Ya fucking beauty! Now Boyle is the one who you feel could have used this time making a better film, he rarely knocks out less than masterpiece but we’ll give him a pass here. He sticks surprisingly close to Welsh’ literary follow-up Porno, removing only what would truly date or restrict an adaptation. In fact a returning Welsh’ cameo as Mikey Forrester is telling, the fateful drug deal that ended the opening rush in ’96 and he’s the only one who has really benefitted from it. That’s quite the lock up for a fence, full of everything Renton choose to reject in his opening monologue all those years ago.

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