The Dominator reviews

The Green Edition

Distributed by

Polygram Video

Cert: 18

Running time: 89 minutes (not including extras)

Year: 1995

Cat.no: TGE 60342

Released: 8th September 1997

Sound: Dolby Surround

Widescreen : 1.77:1

Price: £12.99

Extras :

• 9 scenes not included in the final film.
• 2 trailers (one teaser trailer and one theatrical trailer).
• Video promo for Underworld

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Director:

Danny Boyle (Shallow Grave)

Producer:

Andrew MacDonald

Screenplay:

John Hodge (based on a novel by Irvine Welsh).

Music:

Various artists including Iggy Pop, Heaven 17, Blondie, Underworld, Pulp, Damon Albarn, Lou Reed, Elastica and Sleeper.

Cast:

Renton: Ewan McGregor (Brassed Off, The Pillow Book, E.R. (TV))
Spud: Ewan Bremner (Deacon Brodie)
Sick Boy: Jonny Lee Miller (Hackers)
Tommy: Kevin McKidd (Small Faces)
Begbie: Robert Carlyle (The Full Monty, Carla's Song, Go Now (TV))
Diane: Kelly MacDonald
Mickey: Irvine Welsh
Drug Buyer: Keith Allen (Shallow Grave, The Comic Strip Presents... (TV))
Himself: Dale Winton (Supermarket Sweep (TV))

This package brings together all the elements of the 25 quid box-set released last year for only half the price. Not only do you get the film in widescreen format, but also nine scenes not included in the final version of the film, plus two trailers for the film and the promo video for Underworld's classic dance anthem Born Slippy.

The film tells the tale of Renton, a man with a chronic heroin addiction, who is trying to kick the habit. Not easy as you might imagine, but inventive visuals from the director make his journey almost as real for the viewer as it is for his character, and he is played superbly by rising star Ewan McGregor who has been chosen to appear in the new Star Wars prequels.

Also thrown into the mix is Diane, Renton's new girlfriend, who has one major surprise for him; Sick Boy, who aims to kick the habit at the same time as Renton - not for any particular reason, other than to completely piss Renton off as to how easily it can be done; Spud, Renton's best friend, who isn't very good in job interviews, and even worse at trying to keep his bedsheets clean; Tommy, a sex-mad drug-hater, who makes XXX videos with his girlfriend; and last, but not least, Begbie, played by the always-excellent Robert Carlyle, currently being seen in The Full Monty, as a complete madman, always getting drunk and looking for the next fight....oh, and swearing a great deal too...

Picture and sound quality are nothing short of excellent. The picture quality brings out the clarity in the different scenes, most of which are surprisingly colourful for a film about heroin addiction, and the widescreen framing preserves the director's intended cinematic ratio. The previous releases of this film stated a ratio of 1.77:1 (aka 16:9), while the sleeve of this one lists 1.85:1. I understand it's actually 1.77:1 though.

The sound quality is fantastic too, really coming into its own when blasting out classic tracks such as : Iggy Pop - Lust For Life; Heaven 17 - Temptation; Blondie - Atomic; and Underworld - Born Slippy, the promo for the latter being at the start of this video and being one of those songs from last year which started off as one that I couldn't stand, but soon ending up as one of my Top 50 favourites of the year.

It's unfortunate that this, or any UK PAL version of the film will be cut for fourteen seconds of drug abuse. I presume this is for viewing the actual needle piercing the skin while injecting, which is the same thing that Pulp Fiction suffered from when released on UK PAL video and laserdisc.

On a side note, the original American release of this film had the first twenty minutes dubbed into American accents (!), and some sex scenes removed. When the MPAA (the USA equivalent of the BBFC) asked director Danny Boyle what Diane was doing to Renton while on top and reaching down with her hand between his legs... he said "Tickling his balls". The MPAA were not amused, and instructed him to cut the scene. Since then, an unrated NTSC Laserdisc has been released in an uncut widescreen format with a Dolby Digital soundtrack, the nine cut scenes featured here, a brief (and I mean brief) interview with the writer of the book, Irvine Welsh (who incidentally makes an appearance early on in the film as Mickey, a dealer who sells Renton his "final" hit), and an audio commentary from the director.

Other cameos include Keith Allen, who showed up as the temporary flatmate in Shallow Grave, and appears here as a drug buyer; and Dale Winton playing himself as a game-show host.

However, despite the cuts, how much do I recommend this package? To paraphrase from the Renton's own words...

You won't regret it.

Film: 5/5
Picture: 5/5
Sound: 5/5

Review copyright © Dominic Robinson, 1997.