Irvine Welsh's Ecstasy

Synopsis: Lloyd (Adam Sinclair) is a small time drug smuggler and dealer. He has a particular attachment to Ecstasy, clubbing, and meaningless sex. He spends his days looking after his alcoholic father (Stephen McHattie), wandering the streets of Edinburgh or popping pills with his two mates. Things start to change when he meets the beautiful and caring Canadian, Heather (Kristin Kreuk). Suddenly, love makes a life without drugs seem all the brighter.

Irvine Welsh's Ecstasy (so called to distinguish it from a 2011 US-Canadian film titled after the same drug) is underwhelming. The script is poor, the performances mediocre and the aesthetic uninspiring. The characters are re-hashed, two-dimensional caricatures which we’ve all seen numerous times before, from thuggish drug bosses to the drifting dependents of drug addiction and then to the switched-on girl that changes everything.  Even Lloyd’s character lacks any real depth or motivation and the emotion that he does display seems unnatural and forced.

Despite some wonderful scenic shots and a few fleetingly captivating moments, this film didn’t really achieve anything new for me. Rob Heydon appears to have been trying to channel the 90’s.  He makes overt references to Guy Ritchie’s fast-paced, quick edit aesthetic and Danny Boyle’s early gritty style. Heydon splices these appropriations alongside his own languorous hand-held shots that linger on the periphery much longer than required. The overall effect is strange. The two styles, in this instance, fail to complement one another and the film comes across as dated and confused.

Like Danny Boyle's iconic1996 hit, Trainspotting, Heydon's film is based on Irvine Welsh’s acclaimed novel. Unlike its predecessor, Ecstasy fails to bring to life Welsh’s dour and desperate drug world,  instead manufacturing a rather clichéd picture of drug-driven excess and abuse.  And, I’m sorry, but is love really all you need?

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