FILM CHALLENGE: 96) Sid And Nancy

96) Sid And Nancy

Director: Alex Cox

Year: 1986

Plot Summary: Morbid biographical story of Sid Vicious, bassist with British punk group the Sex Pistols, and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen. When the Sex Pistols break up after their fateful US tour, Vicious attempts a solo career while in the grip of heroin addiction. One morning, Nancy is found stabbed to death and Sid is arrested for her murder.

Sid Vicious is one of punk rock's most iconic figures and his band The Sex Pistols are similarly legendary. Whether it's spitting at fans or their infamously foul-mouthed TV appearance, both of them will have a place in history for their anarchic assault on 1970s Britain. Therefore, it's such a shame that Sid And Nancy is unable to capture this energy or spirit.

In its style, Sid And Nancy feels like your run of the mill romantic drama. The camerawork is very still, the editing is smooth and the score, aside from a few Pistols songs, is very forgettable. The writing does at times have that rebellious fire that the both Vicious and his band are infamous for, but mostly it feels like it's written by an outsider looking into the world of punk rock, rather than someone who really understood or experienced it. In many ways, this is punk rock from the eyes of the middle class.

Moreover, while the death of Nancy and Sid Vicious' involvement is one of rock and roll's most famous stories, it doesn't deserve cinematic treatment. Yes, the scenes towards the end are compelling and interesting but very little is unearthed if you already know the story and the events leading up to it, really, aren't of much interest. It's the kind of tale that'd best have been saved for a newspaper article, not a two hour feature length movie.

Aside from Gary Oldman as Sid Vicious, who gives an incredible performance that is one of cinema's finest, most of the casting and acting is, frankly, pretty terrible. Chloe Webb is annoying and loathsome as Nancy and her character is as lifeless as they come. And particularly horrible is Andrew Schofield as Johnny Rotten. Not only does he look nothing like him, but Schofield never captures the essence of Rotten for a second.

Vicious's character and Oldman's performance saves it from disaster, but Sid And Nancy is an extremely overrated drama that, really, doesn't need to exist.

2/5

By Daniel Sarath with No comments