Film Review: 'Sid and Nancy' directed by Alex Cox

In 1986 Gary Oldman starred in the tragic biographical tale of Sid and Nancy. Based on the short life of Sex Pistols guitarist Sid Viscous, the movie followed the last few years of a young man who has been a major personality in the1970’s punk music scene. Oldman lost considerable amount of weight to play a heroin addict and his rendition of ‘My Way’ was an eerie replica of the dead rock star. The film was made just a few years after Sid and Nancy died and it revealed how torrid the relationship was between them.

The Sex Pistols still defined what the punk rock scene in England was in the 1970s. The band only released one album and broke up. Their songs were rage filled lyrics of the bleak life of British youth during an enduring recession. Both Sid and Nancy were only around 20 when they died but they remain the poster children for how destructive heroin addiction can get.

Sid and Nancy covered the rise of The Sex Pistols in London to the first meeting of the notorious pair. It was Nancy who introduced Sid to heroin and he was quickly hooked. Nancy was also a major source of tension between the band before their breakup. When The Sex Pistols disbanded and the couple went to New York, their descent in The Chelsea Hotel ended with Nancy’s stabbing death. Sid was accused of her murder but doubts have existed ever since whether it was really someone else who killed Nancy.

Oldman was scary and convincing as Sid. He actually lost too much weight for the role that he was hospitalized. From his mannerisms to his displays of being under the influence, punk fans saw Sid again in Oldman. The movie was intense for its time and hinted at the mystery that still surrounded both deaths. Over 20 years later music journalist Alan Parker examined the evidence from the crime scene to determine if Sid was actually guilty.