Alex Cox’s cult movie about the doomed relationship between Sex Pistols bassist Sid Vicious and his girlfriend Nancy Spungen is re-released to mark the 40th anniversary of the punk movement, and the 30th anniversary of the film. Here is film-making as abrasive, bratty and antisocial as the characters it follows. And as such, it’s a timely reminder of just how much the dangerous idea of punk has been defanged as it has been appropriated into the mainstream. Fascinating as a time capsule and as a showcase for the early work of the great cinematographer Roger Deakins, this love triangle between Sid, Nancy and the heroin that destroyed them both remains a gruellingly tough watch.
