Filth, Starring James McAvoy, is an adaptation of a novel by Irving Welsh.
Regular readers of my blog will know my views on sex and violence in film, but with Irving Welsh you know what to expect before you enter the cinema. I had considered adding Filth to my growing boycott list, for that reason, but it has had so many great reviews, that I felt I had to see it and make up my own mind.
Set in Edinburgh, it tracks the fall of Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson, who is in line for a promotion to Inspector, and will do anything to eliminate the competition.
McAvoy is superb as Robertson, as he goes about ruining his own life, and many of those around him, with descent into Drug, Alcohol, and sexual pleasure addiction.
The screenplay is great, with some very crude jokes along the way, It is a very difficult novel to film, as parts of the book are narrated by a tapeworm, and the way in which that is used in the film is interesting.
I also enjoyed the fact that the film leaves you guessing right up to the last second as to the eventual outcome, right up until the closing credits I didn't know if he would get the help he needed, or if his lifestyle would eventually destroy him.
However, I did feel that there is something missing that turns a good film into a great film. It is certainly not as good as Trainspotting, some of the minor characters are not very well drawn after the opening scenes where we are introduced to them, and the twist/reveal regarding Robertson's wife was just a little bit off the wall, I have not read the book so don't know how that is handled in the Novel, but I'm not sure about the way it is revealed in the screenplay.
If you enjoyed Trainspotting you will definitely enjoy this, but its just lacking that little extra something 8/10
Regular readers of my blog will know my views on sex and violence in film, but with Irving Welsh you know what to expect before you enter the cinema. I had considered adding Filth to my growing boycott list, for that reason, but it has had so many great reviews, that I felt I had to see it and make up my own mind.
Set in Edinburgh, it tracks the fall of Detective Sergeant Bruce Robertson, who is in line for a promotion to Inspector, and will do anything to eliminate the competition.
McAvoy is superb as Robertson, as he goes about ruining his own life, and many of those around him, with descent into Drug, Alcohol, and sexual pleasure addiction.
The screenplay is great, with some very crude jokes along the way, It is a very difficult novel to film, as parts of the book are narrated by a tapeworm, and the way in which that is used in the film is interesting.
I also enjoyed the fact that the film leaves you guessing right up to the last second as to the eventual outcome, right up until the closing credits I didn't know if he would get the help he needed, or if his lifestyle would eventually destroy him.
However, I did feel that there is something missing that turns a good film into a great film. It is certainly not as good as Trainspotting, some of the minor characters are not very well drawn after the opening scenes where we are introduced to them, and the twist/reveal regarding Robertson's wife was just a little bit off the wall, I have not read the book so don't know how that is handled in the Novel, but I'm not sure about the way it is revealed in the screenplay.
If you enjoyed Trainspotting you will definitely enjoy this, but its just lacking that little extra something 8/10
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