“But Sidney’s more than a mere bass player. He’s a fabulous disaster. He’s a symbol, a metaphor, he embodies the dementia of a nihilistic generation. He’s a fuckin’ star.”
This sad truth about Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious also serves as a wonderful metaphor for Alex Cox’s biopic on Vicious’s tragic life, romance and legendary death. Like the performers on stage, “Sid & Nancy” is loud, wild, antagonistic, trippy and aimless.
This film is a fabulous disaster. It is so gritty, tough and in-your-face that it renders it almost impossible to watch. Yes this is a powerful film and a great one, but to say I “enjoyed” it would be an overstatement.
Here is a movie about a guy who practically starts his life at rock bottom and somehow manages to tunnel hundreds of feet below that. And yet every screw-up, wastoid, detached and rebellious teen you wanted to know about in ’70s England, look no further than Sid Vicious. Gary Oldman, who has since radically transformed as an actor and is here unrecognizable, is so raw and real as Vicious, his performance transcending acting. Never did I think this was Commissioner Gordon doing completely different work. I saw him as a loose cannon kid pulled straight from the streets and spiraling down rapidly.
His catalyst is Nancy Spungen (Chloe Webb also giving a magnificent non-performance), a groupie/junkie who is later stabbed to death, presumably by Vicious’ own hand. Yet the two’s chemistry is based purely on a sexual or drug induced level. The two constantly have the volume cranked to 11, screaming at each other and at the world. Their aggressive heroin binges seem to drag on endlessly long and throughout the entire movie. This is an enduring film.
There are also not many musical moments to point to as great moments in the film. Biopics like these typically have some magnificent on stage cinematography and energy, but Vicious was a horrible musician to begin with (unlike his band mates) and the few musical performances throughout the film seem to reflect that. There is no flash of genius to be seen in this magnificent train wreck, and that is exactly the picture Cox is trying to paint.
More miserable of an existence then is Nancy, who latches on to Sid’s nothingness, his ongoing descent and uses it as a way to survive. And her presence certainly does not make the film any “easier on the eyes.”
I guess the film is famous for the same myth of ferocious decline that it imagines. It carries you down with the characters and puts you through hell the way Sid would’ve wanted you to feel.
(Side note: I can’t believe “The Simpsons” found a way to parody this and make it fun and funny. “Sid & Nancy” is practically the antithesis of comedy)