Sid and Nancy, a film of Alex Cox

an old movie that is a terrific anti-drug statement

Director: Alex Cox

 

In his biopic about Sid Vicious (Gary Oldman) the bassist of the seminal punk band, The Sex Pistols, and his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen (Chloe Webb), the director was very unapologetic about the negative tone of the movie. Johnny Rotten, nee Johnny Lydon, another member of the band, thought the movie sucked, and he said he would never forgive Cox for it. He claimed that the only thing that Cox got right was that the main character’s first name was Sid.

 

The movie is brash, loud, sick and ugly, but it is like a car wreck. You don’t want to gawk, but you cannot look away. Courtney Love, the future widow of Kurt Cobain of Nirvana makes a few appearances as the character Gretchen.

 

Both Sid and Nancy were heroin addicts, which will probably tell you how both ultimately ended up. Cox intended it as an anti-drug statement which it is. Some of the images are undeniably poetic such as when the two main characters are kissing in silhouette next to a dumpster and garbage cans and other refuse are raining down in slow-motion around them.

 

It’s a piece of cinema that you need to see once. Locales in NYC, L.A,, London and Paris are featured.