Swap a DVD: Sid and Nancy Criterion (R)

MPAA Rating: R
Content Advisory: Violence, Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Profanity, Substance Abuse (Alcohol, Drugs)
Movie Release: 1986
DVD Release: 10/28/1998
Format: DVD - Enhanced Wide Screen Letterbox for 16x9 TV
Audio Tracks: English
SwapaDVD Credits: 1
Number of Discs: 1
Run Time: 1 hrs 51 mins
Studio: Criterion
Members Wishing: 26
Genres: Drama, Romantic Drama, Biopic [feature], Addiction Drama
See Also: Sid and Nancy

Punk rock's first great embodiment of the motto "live fast and die young," Sid Vicious joined The Sex Pistols when they were already established as the most controversial rock band in British history; and it soon became apparent that he couldn't play his instrument, had a magnetic attraction to chaos, and possessed a dangerous thirst for booze, drugs, and violence. Sid and Nancy opens shortly after Sid (Gary Oldman) joined the band, when he meets an obnoxious American punk groupie named Nancy Spungen (Chloe Webb). Nancy claims that she can get drugs, and Sid naively gives her his money. Nancy doesn't show up with the goods, but when Sid runs into her a few days later, she has a tall tale about getting ripped off - and Sid sympathizes with her. Before long, Sid and Nancy have fallen in love, and while they argue with uncommon vehemence, they also depend completely on each other. When The Sex Pistols break up, Sid has few prospects and an increasingly voracious appetite for heroin, and Nancy's attempts to "manage" his career only hasten his downhill slide. Former Clash leader Joe Strummer wrote the film's theme song, "Love Kills," and the Pogues, The Circle Jerks, and Pray for Rain contributed to the soundtrack. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Gary Oldman - Sid Vicious
Chloe Webb - Nancy Spungen
David Hayman - Malcolm McLaren
Andrew Schofield - Johnny Rotten
Debby Bishop - Phoebe

Director Alex Cox's dramatization of the sad existence of Sex Pistol Sid Vicious and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen, which details the nihilism of the times and the sick beauty of punk imagery, translates perfectly to DVD. Sid & Nancy is known for its style-to-burn atmosphere, the colorful photography of Roger Deakins, and its fantastic score. Colors are just right; from the fire imagery to the punk period iconography, the look is intact. The dialogue is always clear, a necessity given the sometimes heavy English accents. The musical soundtrack, with songs by Joe Strummer, John Cale, the Pogues, and others, is captured in its full glory. The film-length commentary, which is consistently interesting, has co-screenwriter Abbe Wool, actors Gary Oldman and Chloe Webb, Greil Marcus, filmmakers Julien Temple and Lech Kowalski, and musician Eliot Kidd detailing the importance of punk, the making of the film, and the life of Sid Vicious. "England's Glory" is a low-budget "making of" featurette, with many actors talking in character. The interview scenes from "D.O.A." present a most bleak reality for the two title characters. As dreary as Sid & Nancy seem in the movie, their reality is much worse; there's no glamour in their squalor. The Bill Grundy Sex Pistols interview, which predates Vicious' entry into the band, is an amusing time capsule of societal prudery versus goofy profanity. The phone interview documents a post-overdose Vicious oblivious to reality. Sid & Nancy is a much-loved film for alternative audiences. This DVD presents the movie in all of its glory. ~ Tim DiGravina, All Movie Guide

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