Sid and Nancy

I don’t really care that Johnny Rotten disagrees with the way this story is told. I believe that it might have happened somewhat like it is portrayed in this movie even if it is not precise. It was an incredible time and Sex Pistols were something new and different and continue to shock even after all these years. Someone might say that Chloe Webb as Nancy is incredibly overacting. But I quite liked how she portrayed her role. I know that her behavior in this movie had a reason. Quite the contrary, Gary Oldman portrays his role perfectly, I almost had a problem to recognize him. Well, not everyone is as lucky to get a role of Sid Vicious as a young actor and Churchill as a mature actor. A movie that oscillates between extremes but if you are interested in this era and environment I doubt you would be disappointed. (24/08/2019)

Well, the film accurately captured the punk rebelliousness and provocativeness. Some biographical films tend to smooth out the controversial aspects of their protagonists to avoid disputes with "guardians of the legacy" and uncritical fans of the idols they depict. However, in the case of Sid Vicious, that's not possible. If you overlook Sid's hooliganism, you won't find any other anchor point or another dimension to his character. Biographical films work best when they can offer complex, multi-layered characters. Still, Sid was a talentless troublemaker who couldn't deal with himself. He wouldn't even fit into a street gang, as they require discipline, loyalty, and the ability to fight, whereas Sid was a weakling. The real creators of the Sex Pistols' success were frontman Johnny Rotten, who gave the band expression, energy, and ideology, and above all, manager Malcolm McLaren as a manipulator and marketing strategist. Sid joined the band only because Rotten needed his "Robin," and Vicious's neglect and wild demeanor fit into the image of naughty boys that the band stood for. If a film were to be made about the phenomenon of the Sex Pistols, the central character would have to be Rotten, who became the face of the entire punk movement. But back to the film – a bull's eye was casting Gary Oldman, who gave Sid's character much more charisma and uniqueness than Sid actually had. Chloe Webb is a decade older than Nancy Spungen was, and it was noticeable in the film, but Chloe knows how to get on your nerves as effectively as Nancy did. In my opinion, Johnny Rotten didn't turn out well at all. Until the band's breakup, when the story of the Sex Pistols is told, the film is more interesting. After that, it's just an inevitable and somewhat stereotypical descent to the bottom. The film could be another in a series of cautionary tales about drug addiction, but those work best when they show the fall of an innocent victim. Sid and Nancy, as unguided missiles, belong to that fraction of a percent that rushes to its destruction with inevitability, and therefore, it doesn't shake the viewer. Somehow you feel that those two deserve it. Sid and Nancy can be seen once, but it's not the type of film that entices repeated viewing. Overall impression: 55%. (05/09/2018)