Filth

When Danny Boyle adapted Irvine Welsh’s Trainspotting for the screen years back, audiences were in awe at the genius of his delivery. Irvine Welsh’s novels are hard enough to read, the thought of turning his books into movies serving as a huge challenge. Boyle lived up to the challenge and in 2013, so did director Jon S. Baird. Filth was brought to screens with high expectations from avid readers of Welsh’s work. As Trainspotting was more grounded in its meaning, the response to Filth wasn’t received as well. This being the case, Baird still produced a filmed version worthy of viewers’ time.

Where Trainspotting placed emphasis on drug use, Filth is more about mental health. Drug usage is a factor, but there are deeper things at play here. Fellow Scottish actor James McAvoy leads Filth as crooked Edinburgh police officer Bruce Robertson. Bruce is an absolute savage of a human being, and not in a good way. He’s an alcoholic, drug addict, he has weird sex fetishes, and he has a sadistic personality. His worst character traits come to life when the department announces there is a promotion available within their ranks. Bruce thus makes it his mission to manipulate, sabotage, and torment his colleagues in an attempt to secure the promotion for his own self-gratification.

Where Trainspotting placed emphasis on drug use, Filth is more about mental health. Drug usage is a factor, but there are deeper things at play here.

With all of the stellar performances, directing, editing and integration of music, everything that makes Filth a quality picture stems from Welsh’s source material. The dialogue is dark yet authentic, the characters are reprehensible, and the story is sexual, violent, and intelligent at the same time. This all amplified by Baird’s directing and McAvoy’s performance as Bruce. Baird’s credit comes from his capacity to present the plot as a dark drama with black comedic elements. His pacing of the movie never stalls nor gets dim, every scene framed with a purpose to serve the larger objective. McAvoy just plays the part, and looks it as well. He’s rude, bigoted, disgusting, and absolutely irredeemable in every sense of the word. ‘Bold’ is the best way to describe his portrayal. Everything about Bruce’s character is flawed, written as the type of person of which any decent human being would have nothing to do with. McAvoy brings the essence of that lack of likeability right off the page, acting as though this was the last movie he’d ever even be allowed to take part in.

A less significant message in comparison to Trainspotting? Maybe. A lesser film? Not even remotely. Filth is not a movie that everyone can enjoy due to its content and graphic imagery, so let that be known. Its audience is out there though, and for those whom it’s made for, they’ll know when they see it. Movie fans without weak stomachs, feeble sensibilities, or a negative predisposition towards sex should have no issues, and above all else, Filth will challenge the mind as well as attack the senses. It is a film that inflicts, but it is also a film that invokes contemplation.