A different way of telling a story

Fun premise, good actors, bad writing. This film seemed to have potential at the beginning but it quickly devolves into a trite action film. Ultimately it's very boring.

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.

I really don't understand how come some people trash this movie! There is nothing wrong with: the acting is quite good, the direction is quite fresh, the music rules and the story is reasonably good.Yes, there are same scenes taken from Kubrick's work and the whole story is NOT original, but the setting in Scotland's capital is quite nice. I was pleasantly surprised by the actors,quite natural acting helped probably by a story that is very familiar to some of them:)Overall this film is well worth it and would expand your horizon of good European movies.A well deserved 7/10.

I found this movie to be remarkable. I was captivated by the depth of each character from the beginning. The casting was superb. The dualistic forces evident in us all; the undertow of past conditioning and trauma and the propelling urge to transform, are pivotal in Frankie's story. Through the gifted performance of Kevin McKidd, I felt as if I was experiencing this developmental tension from the inside of him. Contrary to the title, alcoholism was rather a subtle subplot. There were no visits to a detox and in the one scene where we are led to a brief glimpse of an AA meeting, Frankie does not identify himself as an alcoholic. None the less, alcoholism provided a powerful back drop to the more obvious themes of rage, repression and the redeeming power of love and intention. Alcohol is portrayed as the catalyst to fuel the violence, betrayal and poor choices, the gage to measure the protagonist's progress and most important a means to pathologically cope with emotional pain and unresolved memories which thematically appear throughout the film. The richness and natural beauty of the women in the movie and the lighthearted romantic moments provided a welcomed balance to the intensity. The artful direction of incorporating stills with action as well as the thoughtful use of sound light and closeups further made this film worthy of high merit.

"Sixteen Years of Alcohol" is a beautiful parable about a Scottish man who grew up into human society's trap of alcoholism and violence. A boisterous, loud-mouthed wannabe droog, the main character (excellently played)'s short, tragic life is recounted in flashback. Beautifully shot, this Scottish film has not received enough critical praise for its very artistic take on the self-destructive lives we all lead. The soundtrack is haunting and mesmerizing, the performances well-staged and inspired. The title card of the American DVD reads "A Clockwork Orange meets Trainspotting"; while this film parodies the former, it runs much closer to the latter in its themes of self-destruction and isolation. "Sixteen Years..." is a great meditation on human frailty.

There is a key aspect of film that Jobson seems to have forgotten - it has the ability to tell a story by showing it to you. You don't need to tell the audience what to think, because they'll see it. The action here is interspersed with some of the most ponderous narration unleashed on the unsuspecting public - the purple prose of the sensitive fifth former. And it should be unnecessary because their is a fine cast here and some beautifully composed and shot visuals. Maybe Jobbo felt that the basic story needed a lit bit of support. And he may have been right, it lacks a basic credibility: 70s Edinburgh wasn't exactly full of beautiful brainy girls with a penchant for the Velvet Underground and a soft spot for a passing sociopath. From the too neat and new looking clothes that character wears to the cod intellectualism that tries to link it all together, it's all too contrived for my taste.