I admit that I have a held a few grudges in my life, from a few days or hours to months and even years. However, some can literally last the rest if one’s life if they can never forgive that person for what they have done to them.
"T2: Trainspotting" is the new film directed by Danny Boyle (127 Hours, Slumdog Millionaire) with the returning cast of s Ewan McGregor (Big Fish, Miles Ahead), Ewen Bremmer (Snatch, Black Hawk Down), Johnny Lee Miller Emma, Dracula 2000), Robert Carlyle (28 Weeks Later, The Last Enemy), James Cosmo (Braveheart, Troy), and Gordon Kennedy (Final Prayer, Robin Hood). Picking up the story twenty years later from the first film, Renton (McGregor), Spud (Bremmer), Simon (Miller), and prison escapee Begbie (Carlyle) are dealing with the return Renton to Scotland after fleeing to Amsterdam. Simon and Begbie are still mad at Renton for leaving with each of their share from the drug deal gone wrong from back then, and what follows is the story of Renton dealing with coming home and mending relationships as well as Simon trying to start a new business and the rest of the crew dealing with letting go of the grudges they have had for the last two decades.
This film basically has the same dark and eerie look and scenery of the original. Most of the outside shots are cloudy, which compliments the feel of the story. When it comes to the acting, I hate to say it, but it reminds me of the original, with the 4 leads doing well in their parts: McGregor does well in his role of the man trying to keep things in the norm, Bremmer does incredible playing Spud who is the man who is still a junkie, Carlyle is good at playing the hard line guy and kind of the enforcer of the bunch, and Miller has vastly improved as well.
With the same director, writers and main cast from the original, the story also felt the same to me. There are some differences, but this film still has its share of psychedelic images as well. At about two hours long, it could have easily had 30 minutes cut out to be paced better. At its core, the story is simplistic, but there are added scenes and events, just like in the original to make it unique. If you liked the original, you will have to see this film, but for me, it just does not work. I did not hate this film, but I did not love it either, so I will recommend this film as a Redbox rental.