Part of Music City Mondays
Director Alex Cox reimagines the crash-and-burn affair between punk’s most notorious self-destructive poster children: Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious and his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen—brought to visceral life by brilliant performances from Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb. Cox turns his anarchic filmmaking style on the explosive energy of the London punk scene and the degenerate streets of seventies New York, making for an eviscerating depiction of excess and addiction. Through the lens of cinematographer Roger Deakins, the imagery goes from swooning to grimy, and the film’s bleakness is balanced with surreal humor and genuine tenderness, making for an affecting, music-fueled vision of doomed love. Featuring an unforgettable soundtrack featuring the music of The Sex Pistols, The Pogues, Joe Strummer, Link Wray, Black Sabbath, John Cale, X-Ray Spex and more. (Synopsis courtesy of Criterion Collection)
“Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb dramatically and unforgettably burst from nowhere onto the screen with their searing portrayals of Sex Pistol Sid Vicious and American groupie Nancy Spungen…. A haunting love story about a mutually self-destructive and harrowing pair, who were also the clown fools of punk rock.” —Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle “Why should anyone care about a movie about two scabrous vulgarians? Because the subject of a really good movie is sometimes not that important. It's the acting, writing, and direction that count. If a movie can illuminate the lives of other people who share this planet with us and show us not only how different they are but, how even so, they share the same dreams and hurts, then it deserves to be called great.” —Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times (Oct 25, 1986) “What makes the film a classic is the skill with which the leads are so believable as heroin addicts, pivoting from intense love to hatred and dope sickness, all while maintaining the couple's signature snarl.” —Elizabeth Garber-Paul, Rolling Stone
