Neil Young once argued that, in rock 'n' roll, it's "better to burn out" than to simply "fade away". Earlier, Pete Townsend of The Who crafted a similar slogan: "Hope I die before I get old." No one epitomized the explosive/implosive nature of sudden rock stardom better than John Simon Ritchie, aka the notorious bassist for the seminal Sex Pistols, Sid Vicious. Barely talented, with a look that solidified the defiant DIY stance of the musical genre, he came to symbolize everything good - and very, very bad - about the mid '70s movement, both in Britain and abroad.
In his undeniable masterpiece Sid & Nancy, director Alex Cox highlights the fatal attraction between Vicious and American groupie Nancy Spungen. It would be this relationship that would forge the final chapter in the man's lingering myth, the still mysterious section where the icon goes from 'fabulous disaster' to impoverished junkie and then accused killer. Indeed, we first meet Vicious (a brilliant Gary Oldman) as he is being interrogated by the police. They have just found Spungen (an equally spellbinding Chloe Webb) dead on the floor of their Chelsea Hotel bathroom and want to know what happened.
When then travel back in time to the moment when the two met. As the best mate of Pistols' lead singer Johnny Rotten (Alex Schofield), Vicious is brought in to replace the recently fired bass player. Barely capable of holding his own onstage, he is still seen by manipulative manager Malcolm McLaren (David Hayman) as vital to the band's image and success. One night, he meets Spungen and the two hit it off. The next thing we know, they are immersed in a downward spiral of heroin use, career dysfunction, personal Hell and eventually, a weird murder/ suicide pact. As things turn from bad to worse, Sid and Nancy become prisoners of addiction and the constant need for a fix...or a way out.
While purists constantly argue over the amount of "truth" contained in this notoriously nuclear biopic, there is no denying the raw, realistic power in Cox's creative rewrite. Sid & Nancy is like watching an open wound become infected and gangrenous. This is not a movie out to explain the appeal of the Pistols or their contribution to pop music. It's not even meant as a sympathetic view of two mixed-up, miserable kids. Instead, Cox clearly hates what drugs can do to the promise within a person, yet he also makes a sound case for how delusion, codependency, and desperation lead to an insane insularity. Today, Vicious and Spungen would be regulars on reality TV and guests of the dapper Dr. Drew. Thirty years ago, they were pariahs, better left to die without glory or anyone giving a damn.
Throughout it all, Cox uses small surrealistic nods to keep us close to our leads. He also guides two Oscar worthy performances out of his then unknown actors. In the flashier role, Oldman is a revelation. He is Vicious, from the spiked hairdo to the off key caterwauling that he calls singing. His body language and facial expressions show a man in trouble. The rest of him is pure punk iconography. Webb has the more difficult role (Spungen is a horribly whiny witch) but she always finds layers of subtle sympathy within this smacked up shrew. Together, they take the typical film biography and transform it into an astonishing Master Class. You will never see a better overall cast than the one Cox claims here.
And still, Sid & Nancy seems to escape the label of 'classic' among the movie mainstream. Within the considered cult of both the band and film independents, it remains a flawless primer. Indeed, Cox may have fallen out of favor with his oddball history lesson, Walker, but this effort will always be his claim to fame. It's a stunning work, warts, weaknesses, and all.
When then travel back in time to the moment when the two met. As the best mate of Pistols' lead singer Johnny Rotten (Alex Schofield), Vicious is brought in to replace the recently fired bass player. Barely capable of holding his own onstage, he is still seen by manipulative manager Malcolm McLaren (David Hayman) as vital to the band's image and success. One night, he meets Spungen and the two hit it off. The next thing we know, they are immersed in a downward spiral of heroin use, career dysfunction, personal Hell and eventually, a weird murder/ suicide pact. As things turn from bad to worse, Sid and Nancy become prisoners of addiction and the constant need for a fix...or a way out.
While purists constantly argue over the amount of "truth" contained in this notoriously nuclear biopic, there is no denying the raw, realistic power in Cox's creative rewrite. Sid & Nancy is like watching an open wound become infected and gangrenous. This is not a movie out to explain the appeal of the Pistols or their contribution to pop music. It's not even meant as a sympathetic view of two mixed-up, miserable kids. Instead, Cox clearly hates what drugs can do to the promise within a person, yet he also makes a sound case for how delusion, codependency, and desperation lead to an insane insularity. Today, Vicious and Spungen would be regulars on reality TV and guests of the dapper Dr. Drew. Thirty years ago, they were pariahs, better left to die without glory or anyone giving a damn.
Throughout it all, Cox uses small surrealistic nods to keep us close to our leads. He also guides two Oscar worthy performances out of his then unknown actors. In the flashier role, Oldman is a revelation. He is Vicious, from the spiked hairdo to the off key caterwauling that he calls singing. His body language and facial expressions show a man in trouble. The rest of him is pure punk iconography. Webb has the more difficult role (Spungen is a horribly whiny witch) but she always finds layers of subtle sympathy within this smacked up shrew. Together, they take the typical film biography and transform it into an astonishing Master Class. You will never see a better overall cast than the one Cox claims here.
And still, Sid & Nancy seems to escape the label of 'classic' among the movie mainstream. Within the considered cult of both the band and film independents, it remains a flawless primer. Indeed, Cox may have fallen out of favor with his oddball history lesson, Walker, but this effort will always be his claim to fame. It's a stunning work, warts, weaknesses, and all.
