Inside Blu-Ray: Sid And Nancy (1986)

SID AND NANCY

Rating: R
Running Time: 112 Minutes
Studio: Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment
Release Date: December 27, 2011
Director: Alex Cox
Stars: Gary Oldman, Chloe Webb, Andrew Schofield.

Technical Details:

Visual: Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC; Video resolution: 1080p; Aspect ratio: 1.85:1; Original aspect ratio: 1.85:1

Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1

Subtitles: English SDH

Studio Synopsis:

Gary Oldman (Harry Potter franchise, The Dark Knight) and Chloe Webb (The Newton Boys) “execute performances that are nothing short of phenomenal” (Los Angeles Times) as Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious and his unforgettable junkie girlfriend, two social misfits who literally love each other to death. In this “riveting biography of burnt-out icons” (The Washington Post), visionary writer/director Alex Cox (Repo Man) creates “a great film” (“Siskel & Ebert”) about the destructive lives of two 1970′s punk legends. Their love affair is one of pure devotion. Sid falls hard for groupie Nancy Spungen, who seduces him with her affection and addiction to heroin. Their inseparable bond to each other and their drugs eventually corrodes the band, sending Sid and Nancy down a dark road of despair. Out of money, hope and options, the despondent pair hit rock bottom while living in squalor in New York’s infamous Chelsea Hotel. But their journey takes yet another tragic turn as they face their final curtain and attempt to fulfill their destiny of going out in a blaze of glory!

My Snapshot Review (4 stars out of 5)

Sid And Nancy is a 1986 classic cult film which heralded the breakthrough of Gary Oldman, who turns in an extraordinary performance as Sex Pistols’ bassist, Sid Vicious. His musical talents aside, Vicious was a destructive and addictive personality, who lived the kind of life that no human being could ever be expected to survive. He had an unyielding drug and alcohol addiction and his chance encounter with groupie Nancy Spungen (Chloe Webb), would serve as not only the last romantic relationship either would ever encounter, but ultimately proved to be a relationship which led to each one’s tragic demise.

I first saw Sid And Nancy in college, during the mid-1990′s, and remember wondering why Alex Cox had not become a bigger and more well known director. With Sid And Nancy, Cox’s film is embedded into the lifestyle of its characters, told in non-linear and hyperkinetic mood swings, with a dazzling array of punk rock sensibilities and destructive tendencies. I may not be able to speak to how authentic Cox’s film is to the time and era of the late 1970′s British punk rock scene, but the film sure feels right. The grit and dingy nature of Sid and Nancy’s apartment, the drug-induced bruising on their arms and bodies, the crazed and manic energy is all captured expertly by Cox and his production team. And Sid And Nancy is as much about atmosphere and dropping viewers right into the heart of an untenable and uncomfortable series of events and situations as any film I can remember.

Sid And Nancy also has Gary Oldman in a performance people still remember and rightfully so. I imagine for awards groups in 1986, Sid And Nancy had to have been a cannonball blast of a movie to watch and experience. Sadly, or perhaps necessarily, some of the shocking activity depicted on screen seems dulled now 25 years later, but Oldman’s performance, opposite a raw and unpolished Chloe Webb, is, by definition, one actor completely giving himself over to his character. It is curious that I watched the Blu-Ray reissue of Sid And Nancy the same week as Oldman received his first-ever Oscar nomination for his work in the 2011 British spy thriller, Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy. Watching Oldman’s work here, you could have never imagined that this was the same person, despite all the years which have passed between performances.

Chloe Webb’s turn is an acquired taste and because she has the luxury of pinballing off of Oldman’s performance, Webb works exceedingly well here. I am not entirely sure she is an actress exhibiting great range with her Nancy Spungen, but she is equally as willing to go as far as Oldman does and the chemistry they generate is as impressive as it is difficult to digest.

Sid And Nancy has a bare-bones Blu-Ray release this time around and I imagine more in-depth interviews and bonus features have been featured on other releases of the film. For a 25th Anniversary edition of the film, this is surprisingly minimal in its content, but the Blu-Ray transfer is quite terrific and while I still winced and grimaced in some of the harder moments of Sid And Nancy, it was still refreshing to be able to revisit this classic and distressing punk rock biopic one more time.

The Extra Content:

Overall Thoughts:

If you are prepared to experience it again or for the first time, Sid And Nancy is a mesmerizing and ugly film, one that captures the manic nature and zealous disregard of self commensurate with the late 1970′s British punk rock scene. Once you become as comfortable as you can be in watching young people abuse and destroy themselves and others, Sid And Nancy becomes an insightful and harrowing portrait of the perils of drug addiction no matter the location, venue, and time or place. Gary Oldman’s performance is one for the ages and Alex Cox’s brings this film home with remarkable skill. Notably, cinematographer extraordinaire Roger Deakins shot this film and he simply delivers incredible work for what was just the third feature film in what is now a storied, well respected, enviable, and sadly an Oscar-free career thus far.

I am not entirely sure this is “Date Night” material, but for those with ties or memories to the late 1970′s punk rock movement and remember the Sex Pistols, Sid And Nancy takes its rightful place in serving as a document recording that era in a unique and viscerally exciting way. While the extra bells and whistles seem to have vanished with previous home video releases, Sid And Nancy exists in this muted 25th Anniversary Edition and if at all interested, Sid And Nancy is worth the addition to your home video library.

SHOULD I RENT IT?!?! – Yes, if you can locate it and are prepared…
SHOULD I BUY IT?!?! – Yes, acknowledging how bare this is for a 25th Anniversary Edition.