Danny Boyle: Ranking His Films From Worst To Best

By Shaun Munro /

1. Trainspotting (1996)

Though the only attention it drew from the Academy was for its screenplay, Boyle's second feature, Trainspotting, is without question his best film. Based on Irvine Welsh's novel about the perils of drug use, this film proves above all others that Boyle is a master of tone; he doesn't craft a miserable dirge nor does he make an overly flippant film that glamourises drug use. The film is wryly funny while not shying away from the grimmer aspects of drug abuse - who can forget the toilet and the baby? - immersing viewers fully in the hedonism that accompanies Renton's drug use. Trainspotting noted Boyle's penchant for energy right from its opening scene, featuring Renton running along set to Iggy Pop's Lust for Life, but perhaps more crucially, gave a world stage to a glut of up-and-coming Scottish actors, including Ewan McGregor as the lead, Robert Carlyle as the unforgivably savage Begbie, as well as Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller and Kelly MacDonald. What's your favourite Danny Boyle film? Let us know in the comments below.