Trainspotting (film) - Plot

Plot

Mark Renton (McGregor) and Spud (Bremner) are running down Princes Street pursued by security guards. Renton's close circle of football enthusiast friends are introduced: James Bond-obsessed amoral con artist Sick Boy (Miller), clean-cut athlete Tommy (McKidd), simpleminded, good-natured Spud, and violent sociopath Begbie (Carlyle). Sick Boy, Spud and Renton are all heroin addicts and spend their time shooting up at the flat of their drug dealer "Mother Superior" Swanney (Mullan).

After awaking from a heroin induced state, Renton decides to quit heroin. Realizing he needs one last high he buys opium rectal suppositories from Mikey Forrester (Welsh). After this final hit (and a violent spell of diarrhea) he locks himself into a cheap hotel room to endure withdrawal. He realises that being around his friends sober, he feels that he is missing something. He later goes with his friends to a club, finding that his sex drive has returned and eventually leaves with a young woman named Diane (MacDonald). After sex Diane refuses to let him sleep in her room and he spends the night on a sofa in the hallway of the flat. In the morning he realizes that Diane is a fifteen-year-old schoolgirl and that her "flatmates" are actually her parents. Horrified, Renton tries to shake the incident but is forced to remain in touch after Diane blackmails him.

Tommy had been dumped by his girlfriend Lizzy after a chain of events initiated by Renton. Renton had stolen one of Tommy and Lizzy's personal sex tapes, hiding it in the case of a football video. Lizzy angrily believed that Tommy had returned their tape to the video store. Sick Boy, Spud and Renton decide to start using heroin again and a brokenhearted Tommy begins using as well, despite Renton's reluctance to get him started. One day the group's heroin-induced stupor at Swanney's flat is violently interrupted when Allison, their friend and fellow addict, discovers that her infant daughter Dawn has died from neglect. All are horrified and grief-stricken especially Sick Boy who is implied to be Dawn's father.

Renton and Spud are later caught stealing from a book shop and are pursued by security guards and arrested. Due to prior convictions Spud goes to prison but Renton avoids punishment by entering a Drug Interventions Programme, where he is given methadone. Despite support from his family Renton is constantly depressed and bored with life and escapes to Swanney's flat where he nearly dies of an overdose. Renton's parents take him home and lock him in his old bedroom so he can beat the addiction. As Renton lies in his bed and goes through severe withdrawal symptoms, he hallucinates Diane singing on the bed, his friends giving him advice and Allison's dead baby crawling on the ceiling. The heroin withdrawal is inter-cut with an imagined TV game show in which host Dale Winton asks Renton's parents questions about HIV. Renton is finally roused from his nightmares and hallucination by his parents who tell him he needs to get tested. Despite years of sharing syringes with other addicts Renton tests negative.

Though clean of heroin, Renton is nevertheless bored and depressed, feeling that his life has no purpose. He visits Tommy in his now dark filthy flat. Tommy is now a full-on heroin addict and is HIV positive. On Diane's advice, Renton moves to London and starts a job as a property letting agent. He begins to enjoy his new life of sobriety and saves up money on the side while corresponding with Diane. Begbie commits an armed robbery and arrives at Renton's London flat seeking a hiding place. Sick Boy, who now sees himself as a well-connected pimp and drug pusher also shows up at Renton's doorstep. They soon learn of Tommy's death from toxoplasmosis and travel back to Edinburgh for his funeral.

Back home, they meet Spud, who has been released from prison. Sick Boy suggests a profitable but dangerous heroin transaction, but needs Renton to supply half of the initial £4,000. After the purchase, Renton injects a dose of heroin to test the purity. The four then sell the heroin to a dealer for £16,000. They go to a pub and celebrate, discussing possible plans for the money. As Begbie and Sick Boy leave to order another round of drinks, Renton suggests to Spud that they steal the money, but Spud is too frightened of Begbie to consider it. Renton believes that neither Sick Boy nor Begbie deserve the cash. Early in the morning as the others sleep, Renton quietly takes the money. Spud sees him leave but does not tell the others. When Begbie awakens he destroys the hotel room in a violent rage which attracts the police.

Renton travels to London and vows to live a stable, traditional life. Later, Spud finds £2,000 Renton has left for him, so he can have a clean start.