A lacerating love story, Sid & Nancy chronicles the brief, intense attachment of two of punk’s most notorious poster children, Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious and his girlfriend, Nancy Spungen. Director Alex Cox balances a bleak evocation of star-crossed love with surreal humor and genuine tenderness, creating a compelling portrait of the late ‘70s punk scene. With brilliant performances by Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb, the film’s haunting imagery and black comedy resonate long after the final frames. —The Criterion Collection
English director Alex Cox studied law at Oxford—at least until being deflected into theatre through his participation in the University’s drama department. Cox switched to a film studies program at University of Bristol, received a Fulbright scholarship, then traveled to the United States to attend the UCLA film school. His plans to become the next Welles or Scorsese were muddied by several years’ inactivity, during which time he took a job repossessing automobiles. Drawing from the experience, Cox made his feature-film directorial bow with the wildly inconsistent but very entertaining Repo Man (1984), which served as one of the first starring assignments of Emilio Estevez. Repo Man’s musical score was drenched in punk-rock, a symbolic form of violent rebellion explored further in Cox’s Sid and Nancy (1987), a fascinating if depressing chronicle of the life and death of “punk” musician Sid Vicious and groupie Nancy Spungen. Critically celebrated for both films, Cox’s reputation declined… read more
I'm just going to reiterate what a lot of the commenters have already said on this film's page. Gary Oldman's performance was very good, amazing in fact (but that's really to be expected when it comes to him), but I could not enjoy the movie. I understand Nancy Spungen was an unlikable person, but Chloe Webb's interpretation was unbearable and ultimately brought the film down.
Gary Oldman is incredible in this film but in what movie is he not? I wanted to like this movie more but I felt that Chloe Webb brought it down, she was really annoying and overacted in most of her scenes. I loved Alex Cox's direction, being a fan of Repo Man I knew going into this that he had a unique vision and it shows in this film. It is a dark and disturbing film of two lovers going off the deep end in drugs.
With a naivette that was almost touching and no sense of irony to protect them, Sid and Nancy experienced everything firsthand. They each found a filter in the other and, seeing themselves through their eyes, turned ever inwards. It is with great empathy that the film watches these two desperate souls consume eachother in their quest for oblivion. Love as a means of self destruction, self destruction as a means of liberation.
One of my absolute favorites. There’s a big debate regarding the films tendency to be factually wonky. I don’t understand that at all. Do we ask that Herzog be tied down by the facts of his subjects… read review
“I don’t know what love is” sings Joe Strummer in his original song for the film, and I think that’s what Sid & Nancy is about: two silly teens in the bodies of a man and a woman looking for love… read review
