The Film (3.5/5)

    Alex Cox' 2nd film (following his debut slice of punk rock sci-fi excellence Repo Man) has always been a hit or miss sort of film with me. It's not that it is a bad film. It is well acted and directed. Stylistically it channels the era in which it is set, and I am a huge fan of the punk musicians that appear in the film, yet I have always felt a disconnect with this particular film.

     While I understand that the film depicts a surface level view of the lives of Sex Pistols pseudo-bassist Sid Vicious, and his on-again, off-again love interest Nancy Spungen that surface level view is a harsh depiction of two people that are not the best company in situations that are rarely pleasant. Of course, a film covering murder, and the dark side of drug addiction should not be considered a pleasant viewing experience, and as such Cox' film is a rousing success.

    Sid and Nancy opens with the after math of Spungen’s murder and then flashes back with Sid Vicious having just joined the Sex Pistols, and about to play his first show with them. Earlier that afternoon he meets the woman that would change the course of his life Nancy Spungen. Nancy is a groupie that left New York to get away from some troubles that she was having in that city, only to find herself addicted to heroin still in London.  Soon after meeting, she gets Sid addicted to heroin, and the two start to bring each other down into a spiral that neither will survive.

     Cox' gives the film a very raw stripped down look that benefits that material. The performances from Oldman and Webb as the titular Sid and Nancy are an absolute triumph, so much so that at most times they are painful to watch.   The outliers in the cast are solid, and to be honest they only need to be.   Overall, the film is both an excellent film that depicts the duo, and the era, but it is a brutal and difficult watch. Other times it falls into that difficult biopic  zone of feeling sort of after school special, and just hitting the basic beats of the story of people whose lives they are chronicling.

Audio/Video (5/5)

    Sid and Nancy is presented by Criterion in a splendid 1:85:1 1080p AVC encoded transfer preserving the films OAR. The Blu-ray looks and sounds fantastic. The film is grainy, and looks film like and natural as it should. The transfer is well detailed, and colors are muted in keeping with the look of the film.

    Audio is presented with a DTS-HD 5.1 track and an LPCM 2.0 track, both are quite serviceable but the stereo seems to be the stronger option here. Both sound crisp and clear, score, and dialogue come through nicely, as do the re-recorded punk tracks.

Extras (5/5)

    Sid and Nancy feature a blend of new and archival material including 2 commentary tracks featuring  blends of cast, crew, and cultural historians. we are also treated to episodic TV shows from the era, documentaries, featurettes, interviews, trailers, and more. This release is absolutely stacked, and is the definitive release of the film at the moment.

Overall

    Sid and Nancy does an excellent job of hitting on the story beats of the love story between Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen. The Blu-ray looks and sounds terrific, and is loaded with extras. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.