The 10 Best Scottish Films Of All Time
From Gregory’s Girl to Trainspotting, these are some of our favourite Scottish films. Have we covered all your favourites?
Counting down from ten, discover some of the best Scottish movies that have ever been made.
It was hard to choose – there are so many more amazing Scottish films than we could fit on this list.
Here are our top picks! Let us know if covered your favourites.
10. Trainspotting
Available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video
With heroin addiction, poverty and the arrival of AIDs in Edinburgh as the subject matter, the film adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s best-selling novel should be grim viewing – but it’s anything but!
“Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a starter home. Choose dental insurance, leisure wear and matching luggage. Choose your future. But why would anyone want to do a thing like that?”
Released in 1996 and directed by Danny Boyle, Trainspotting catapulted the then-unknown Ewan McGregor to stardom. He stars as the film’s protagonist, Renton, who seeks a way out of drug abuse and poverty. Trainspotting melds grit with poetry, revealing a dark and disturbing underbelly of Edinburgh.
The first 20 minutes of the film had some re-dubbing for the USA release to make the dialogue more intelligible for American audiences.
It was also the screen debut for Kelly MacDonald, who played Renton’s underage girlfriend, Diane. Kelly went on to voice Princess Merida in Disney’s Brave and star in US crime drama Boardwalk Empire.
And there’s the added bonus of some literal Scottish trainspotting. Spy the back of Waverley Station when Ewan McGregor runs away from security guards, or Corrour train station when the gang goes for a hike.
The gritty humour in this brutal black comedy earns its place on our Top 10 Most Scottish Films.
Sunshine On Leith – Scotland’s ultimate feelgood movie.
9. Sunshine On Leith
Available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video
A late entry but when it comes to feel-good films, this one’s at the top!
It’s also the best advert for Edinburgh ever made – VisitScotland should have bought the rights as no-one can watch this film and not want to go to sing Proclaimers’ songs and go to Edinburgh – now!
However, perhaps Sunshine On Leith’s pièce de résistance is that this film somehow manages to make it utterly believable that two Scottish lads would burst into song while walking down Leith Walk.
Wicker Man – enough to put anyone off island hopping! Image: Everett Collection/Rex
8. The Wicker Man
Available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video
Blame it on the weather, dark nights, our ancient mistrust of strangers following the Glencoe Massacre (we’re also guilty of bearing grudges!) or our verging on obsessive need to know where someone is from, who they know and who their forefathers were – but we can be a cliquey lot in Scotland.
And this film, with the inquisitive stranger being burned in a giant straw effigy, taps into this hidden part of our psyche perfectly.
Image: Postershot from Rex
7. Restless Natives
Available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video
Restless Natives is such an incredibly good film, only us Scots appreciate it!
Bizarrely, the very Scottish humour throughout the film, the soaring Big Country soundtrack and even the beautiful locations failed to entice cinema goers to the flicks anywhere other than in Scotland.
However, even I have to admit that the ability of The Clown and The Wolfman to travel from Edinburgh to remote Glens in the Scottish Highland on a Honda 125, hold up coaches packed with American tourists and be home in time for tea was stretching the bounds of possibility!
Braveheart – Mel in all his glory!
6. Braveheart
Okay – so the main man’s not played by a Scotsman and a fair bit of the plot’s not actually true…
But no true Scot can possibly watch Braveheart without a lump of pride in their throat when Mel Gibson’s rough and ready William Wallace’s proclaims his final word – ‘ Freedom’ – just before he is hung, drawn and quartered.
Geordie – still makes me cry no matter how often I watch it. Image: Moviestore Collection/Rex
5. Geordie
Available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video
The 1955 film of a puny wee Highland laddie who sends off for a body building kit from the newspaper and grows into a gentle giant who makes it to the Melbourne Olympics, causes an international incident by insisting his kilt stays on when he competes, catches the eye of a glamorous Danish shot putter and lifts a car with one hand to save man’s life.
Then, in true understated Scottish style, Geordie returns to the glen where he was born, his sweetheart, Jean and a quiet life.
Local Hero – we dare any ex-pat to watch this and not feel homesick
4. Local Hero
Available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video
This comedy drama follows a Texan oil company exec who is sent to buy up an entire Scottish village and make it the site of a new refinery.
David and Goliath transported to the west coast of Scotland, although much of it was filmed on the east coast. It stars one of the best Scottish male casts ever brought together – Peter Capaldi, Rikki Fulton, Alex Norton, Dennis Lawson – there’s even a fleeting appearance from John Gordon Sinclair.
With stunning beach scenes, a perfectly-timed performance by the Northern Lights, music by Marc Knopfler that still conjures up views of Pennan (or Ferness as it was known in the film) and, of course, Burt Lancaster, it’s no wonder this film was soon catapulted to ‘classic’ status.
Let’s face it, we all wanted to be Gregory’s Girl!
3. Gregory’s Girl
Available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video
For a certain age group of Scots (ie mine!), this film perfectly encapsulated growing up in Scotland in the 1980s – although I don’t remember person-sized penguins wandering around my school!
But I do remember boys being desperate enough to hitchhike to Caracas in search of a girlfriend, first dates that involved a walk to the chip shop (and that really was all that was involved!) and being incredibly jealous of Dee Hepburn’s perfectly-tonged flick, which went all the way round and was still in place even after a game of football!
Whisky Galore screening in Dunbar.
2. Whisky Galore
Available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video
A simple but hilarious 1949 tale of islanders trying to hide 50,000 cases of whisky – plundered from the SS Cabinet Minister after it was hit by a ferocious storm – from the commander of the Home Guard, who is desperately trying to stop the looting.
The fact that this film is based on a real life shipwreck – the SS Politician, which came to grief on the rocks around Eriksay makes it all the better!
It is believed that there are only 8-10 bottles of the SS Politician‘s cargo left, two of which are on display in Canna House.
There can only be one Highlander
1. Highlander
Available to rent or buy on Amazon Prime Video
This is about as Scottish as Scottish films get.
It’s called Highlander and it’s about a Highlander – the immortal Connor MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod.
Except he’s played by Christopher Lambert, a Frenchman.
Just to make it even more Scottish, it co-stars Sean Connery… who plays an Egyptian who lives in Spain yet still has a stronger Scottish accent than Lambert!
Apart from that it’s still our No.1 Most Scottish Film because… “There can be only one”.
Sorry.
