The Sex Pistols are one of the defining bands of the punk genre, despite only ever releasing one album before completely falling apart. They're more than deserving of having their story told, and FX's Pistol does an admirable job of bringing the tale of these punk stalwarts to the screen.
Created by Craig Pearce and based on the book Lonely Boy: Tales from a Sex Pistol by founding member and guitarist Steve Jones and directed by Danny Boyle, Pistol manages to imbue its sometimes formulaic story of a band on the rise with an anarchic spirit and frenetic style that both enhance and embody the tale of four British punks making it big.
Being based on Jones's book means that the story is told mostly from his point of view. It traces the trajectory of both the band and Jones himself, starting with his days stealing musical equipment from the Odeon and moving on to his time playing guitar in one of the most influential bands in England's history. Toby Wallace plays Jones with a combination of pathos and mostly unearned bravado. Jones talks a big game and appears ready to make name for himself in front of an audience, but freezes up when he's finally given the chance.
That's where John Lydon, aka Johnny Rotten comes in. Recruited by the band's manager, the lead singer becomes the face of the band, lending the music and lyrics a powerful punk spirit. However, his presence creates tension among the members. Though they may all play well together, it's clear that none of these people are close friends. This early friction serves as potent foreshadowing for the rest of the Sex Pistols' trajectory: marred by controversy, disagreements, and eventually a famous case of murder.
Of course, this being a tale of rock music, there are plenty of famous supporting characters as well, including infamous manager Malcolm McLaren, model Pamela Rooke (also known as Jordan), fashion icon Vivienne Westwood, and even Pretenders frontwoman Chrissie Hynde. Unlike the typical biopic trope of having the main characters briefly meet other famous people that serve only to indicate the time period, Pistol does an excellent job at integrating these characters into the story and highlighting their importance not just to the band itself but to the entire punk movement and aesthetic.
Oddly enough, Sid Vicious, one of the most recognizable members of the band, is mostly relegated to the back half of the show. However, this is indicative of his time with the band. Vicious was a late replacement, hired more for his look than his ability to actually play music. The show wisely chooses to focus more on the other members of the band and their contributions rather than relitigating Vicious's heroin addiction and infamous relationship with Nancy Spungen (though those are included in the show).
That aesthetic quality extends itself to the entire style of the show as well. Presented in a 4:3 aspect ratio and shot with a gauzy filter, the show feels like it was pulled out of time, more fitting of a TV screen somewhere in 80s England than a cable network in 2022. It's a smart choice, as it wouldn't feel exactly right presenting this tale of London's grimy underground music movement in shiny HD widescreen format.
Danny Boyle (best known for directing films like 28 Days Later, 127 Hours, and Slumdog Millionaire, which netted him an Oscar for Best Director) imbues the show with plenty of stylistic touches that elevate it above standard biopic fare. This includes some Matrix-lite bullet-time shots, frenetic cutting, and deliberate slow motion. Boyle brings much of the same style that made Trainspotting such a phenomenon to the show, focusing on many of the more sordid and ugly elements of the punk subculture.
There's also plenty of archival footage included throughout that firmly place the story in a specific era. That goes for the music as well, with the show featuring needle drops from the likes of David Bowie and Pink Floyd in its early episodes, to featuring almost exclusively music from the Sex Pistols in the back half as the band gains more notoriety.
Even with all of its methods of rising above what audiences have come to expect from biopics, particularly ones about musicians, Pistol can't always escape some of the more cliché notes about tracking a band's rise to stardom. This includes a somewhat awkward scene about how notorious bass player (who could barely play bass) Sid Vicious came up with his stage name. There are also some questionable stories behind how the songs on the band's only album came to be, including an episode dedicated to the story behind "Bodies" that, especially during this time period, may not be deemed entirely sensitive.
The continuing tension between the band members can also be somewhat tiring, although it is a large part of the Sex Pistols' story. This is especially true of the animosity between Johnny Rotten and the rest of the band. Though there are some moments where everyone is getting along and playing nicely, the story mostly revolves around how much Jones and Rotten disliked each other. Luckily, the show doesn't lean too much on this relationship, and instead uses it to amplify the turbulent nature of the music industry as a whole.
Pistol is an engaging watch and an entertaining slice of British music history. The performances, style, and music all raise it above the typical biopic, creating something that aesthetically resembles the music it is highlighting. This is a show that is as much about the Sex Pistols as it is about a burgeoning social movement and a specific period in England's history. It may not always be able to shake the typical beats of the genre, but there is enough frenetic energy and in-your-face enthusiasm to make Pistol a must-watch for any music fan.
Pistol premieres on Hulu on May 31.
Pistol
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- Release Date
- 2022 - 2022-00-00
Pistol is a 2022 biographical drama that chronicles Steve Jones as he becomes the guitarist of the Sex Pistols. The six-episode release was created by Craig Pearce and followed the iconic band's rise to superstardom.