Filth
Dir: Jon S. Baird
2013
****
 Irvine Welsh adaptation Trainspotting came out at a time when cinema, particularly from the UK, was stagnant and in need of a shake up. The novel was popular enough for an adaption, throw in a catchy soundtrack and heavy promotion and it was a resounding success. It's still good in retrospect but not quite the classic it's been labeled in my opinion. I believe Filth is a better film. So was Filth unfilmable? Well, yes it is, but they came very close. The big disappointment is the lack of talking tapeworm, although this is replaced by large-headed (thus big brained) psychotherapist played by Jim Broadbent. It works, it's just not as good as a talking tapeworm. Everything else was a close adaptation of Welsh's book and intelligent crudeness. The cast is brilliant, James McAvoy takes on the lead role and grabs it by the balls, I can't say he was the first person I thought would make a good Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson but now I wonder if anyone else could have played it as well. The direction is appropriately punchy, not unlike the style used in other Welsh adaptations but a little more mature and less reliant on that one iconic scene. It's a celebration of the gritty and of debouched reality, it's a sly and sharp comedy as well as a uncompromising emotional drama. If that isn't enough to wet your appetite, it's got a David Soul sing-along cameo! What's not to love about that?