Trainspotting (18)

Canny marketing found the generational pulse. A throbbing soundtrack slapped the vein. Helmer Danny Boyle and writer John Hodge hit the plunger, mainlining Irvine Welsh's story of heroin horror into an energetic hit that sent British cinemagoers rolling. Seven years on, try thinking of the best British film you've seen since. Exactly.

DVD Extras:

Pulling together a glut of fresh interviews and archived footage, Trainspotting: The Definitive Edition will have you binning your vanilla release in next to no time.It's the creative trident of Boyle, scripter John Hodge and producer Andrew Macdonald - the men who made the movie happen - who form the mainstays of this chat-heavy double-discer. The commentary pastes in comments from Ewan McGregor for a packed job, chock-full of engaging anecdotes and heated discussion (see right). Better still are nine too-good-to-snip deleted scenes, each backed up by more commentary.Excellent standalone interviews see Boyle and the boys chin-flap about everything from the film's sound and visuals to the challenge of funnelling Welsh's novel into script form and its impact on Brit cinema. A 10-minute Making Of featurette also gives Welsh and the cast a chance to chip in with some intelligent chatter.A bit talk-heavy, maybe? Well, yes, but then the efforts to lighten the load are less successful: B-roll footage of the prosthetic arm used for Renton's shoot-up is hardly heart-stopping, and the footage from the Cannes Film Festival, boasting brief blabs from the likes of Noel Gallagher and Damon Albarn, is neither enlightening nor interesting.A carefully compiled concoction, then, if not quite definitive.

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