It's been nearly 20 years since Danny Boyle's adaptation of Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting and no British film has been quite so instantly iconic with its vibrant and shattering representation of a sub-culture in Great Britain. However, the next major attempt at another adaptation of Welsh's gritty work, Filth, comes close. It matches the neon glaze in the grimy cinematography that's been a dynamic element missing from British cinema since, and paired with the tight edit it's an utter delight to watch. If a guilty delight that is, as almost all our characters are corrupt souls, some more than others. The first half hour is by far its strongest aspect with its hyperbolic yet not over-the-top (yet) delivery on camera, behind camera and in the post-production suite. It's a film that really accomplishes the atmosphere it's shooting for especially when combined with its disturbingly jovial Christmas soundtrack.
However, when the content gets messy, the film does too. Frankly, it's too bloated with characters. I'm sure every one gets their time in the book and they all play a part in the story, but there's far too many. It results in a film that struggles with pacing and flow, constantly being interrupted with a tangent or a strange execution of exposition. It wants to raise question marks but instead it loses me. Even though I love its final moments, I'm not a fan of its twist which I don't think fit the rest of the film. It feels like a transparent attempt to shock me, or at the very most, provide some material for film theory textbooks. Despite this, it all hinges on James McAvoy's devoted and depraved performance, who nails the emotion as hard as the comedy. Filth is the film that McAvoy and Boyle's Trance wanted to be and hopefully he's watching so when he reunites the Trainspotting gang to do Porno, they do it right.
7/10
However, when the content gets messy, the film does too. Frankly, it's too bloated with characters. I'm sure every one gets their time in the book and they all play a part in the story, but there's far too many. It results in a film that struggles with pacing and flow, constantly being interrupted with a tangent or a strange execution of exposition. It wants to raise question marks but instead it loses me. Even though I love its final moments, I'm not a fan of its twist which I don't think fit the rest of the film. It feels like a transparent attempt to shock me, or at the very most, provide some material for film theory textbooks. Despite this, it all hinges on James McAvoy's devoted and depraved performance, who nails the emotion as hard as the comedy. Filth is the film that McAvoy and Boyle's Trance wanted to be and hopefully he's watching so when he reunites the Trainspotting gang to do Porno, they do it right.
7/10