A wild, freeform, Rabelaisian trip through the darkest recesses of Edinburgh low-life, focusing on Mark Renton and his attempt to give up his heroin habit, and how the latter affects his relationship with family and friends: Sean Connery wannabe Sick Boy, dimbulb Spud, psycho Begbie, 14-year-old girlfriend Diane, and clean-cut athlete Tommy, who's never touched drugs but can't help being curious about them...
Written by Michael Brooke <michael@everyman.demon.co.uk>
Cameo:
[Irvine Welsh (author)]
as Mikey Forrester, Renton's heroin dealer.
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Goofs
Revealing mistakes:
When Begbie strikes the seated man with the pool cue, he clearly hits the seat. The back of the chair is covered by the man's jacket and the cue hits the chair underneath the jacket.
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Quotes
[first lines]
Mark "Rent-boy" Renton:
[narrating]
Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suit on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourselves. Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin? See more »
Crazy Credits
Profile pictures of the cast are shown during the beginning of the end
credits.
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"A Final Hit"
Performed by Leftfield Written by Neil Barnes (as Barnes) / Paul Daley (as Daley) Published by Hard (UK) Hands Publishing Ltd/Chrysalis Music Ltd Courtesy of Hard Hands/Columbia Records By Arrangement with Sony Music Entertainment (UK) Ltd
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