For Lee Miller, it’s about again finding what
he labels “relatability”. It’s what he sees as the
core strength of the original in its ability to
cut through. Sure, it may have been about a
bunch of junkies and reprobates, but their
moves were built on wanting something more,
about trying something different and a desire
to escape the mundane. It was accessible. It
was universal. It was why, ultimately, the film
travelled so well.
“Even though it’s really out there and the
characters were taking heroin and were prett y
extreme in their behaviour, it was still relatable
- to the way the characters interacted with
each other, its comments on society, the
characters’ view of their circumstances and
[spoiler alert for the three people reading this
who haven’t seen Trai n s pot t i ng] Renton
screwing everybody over at the end. And
I think there are some similarities in this
new movie, but it’s relatable for a whole new
set of reasons such as, ‘What have you got
left? What have you done with your life? Who
are you? And what’s important to you and
who are your mates?’ So I’m hoping it will
work in that respect.”
Based on Welsh’s trickier 2002 novel, Porno,
T2 calls for reflection as the key group – and
all actors involved in the original are on board - come together 20 years on.
“You’ll see all the guys are in very different
places,” says Lee Miller. “Rather than being
the group unit they were before, they’ve all
gone their very different ways, so it’s different
in that respect. And you’re revisiting these
characters 20 years later – it’s about how much
bite do they have left in them and how
rebellious are they, what have they done with
their life and what are the consequences of
that. I don’t think it’s going to be a revelation
to the youth of today like the first movie was,
but that’s not the intention – none of us are
looking to do that, because that’s trying to
recreate something you’ve already done and
that’s not the point. Because, as I say, we did
that, and it was brilliant.”
T2: Trainspotting is in cinemas February 23
FIGHT CLUB, 1999
Big year – The Sixth Sense, The Talented Mr Ripley, The Matrix, Three
Kings, Being John Malkovich – and yet this is the film we go back to,
as it reminds us of adventure, fun and surprise. And because it’s
Ed Norton, which in 1999 was a good thing. And because we never
read the book, it meant we could namecheck Chuck Palahniuk
three years after the event.Grosse Pointe Blank, 1997
Like pulling over a blanket
on a cold winter’s night after
inhaling too much pizza,
this mid-’90s sleeper hit is
warm and filling. Even with
Minnie Driver. Landing the
same year as LA Confidential,
Chasing Amy and Lost
Highway, it sees assassin
John Cusack question his
murderous day job, especially
on returning to small town
Michigan – the titular Grosse
Pointe – and his 10-year
school reunion. Oh, the
bloody shenanigans.The Big Lebowski, 1998
There are only two Jeff
Bridges films you need
see, and this is not Crazy
Heart. His portrayal
of Jeff Lebowski, aka
The Dude, elevates this
obscure stoner-meets-
organised-crime effort
that, quite bizarrely, centres
on a soiled rug. It’s acerbic,
highly quotable and even
better than the car chase in
Ronin – another ’98 release.“IT WAS OUT
THERE AND
MOST OF THE
CHARACTERS
WERE TAKING
HEROIN, YET
IT WAS STILL
RELATABLE
TO VIEWERS.”