Pistol Limited Series Review

The Sex Pistols were one of the most influential bands during the punk rock movement in London during the mid 1970s. Their run may have been short but their impact remains to this day. For those wondering how the band came to be, cue the aptly-titled limited series Pistol. Unfortunately for the series, its limited nature goes far beyond its limited length, choosing to pain the story with very broad brush strokes. As a result, the series feels on the thin side as it seemed content staying on the surface and never going particularly deep. While this could have been due to it only being six episodes, the series would arguably be better served by a longer format. That being said, it did have its entertaining moments across the season. However, the series is likely to appeal more to fans of the band. Despite this, it still delivers plenty of style, though perhaps too much at times, and a cool soundtrack which shouldn’t come as that much of a surprise to anyone. The big takeaway at the end of the day will be its performances, particularly that of the titular four band members.

Pistol is essentially another derivative rise and fall biographical music drama that merely checks those boxes, rushing through the rest in order to hit those points. It’s a shame that there is some interesting subject matter surrounding those benchmarks but that subject matter takes too much of a backseat. Based on the memoir from Sex Pistols guitarist Steve Jones, the series follows Jones (Toby Wallace) during the early days of the band, before they were called the Sex Pistols. Coming from very little means, Jones, John Lydon (Anson Boon), Paul Cook (Jacob Slater), and Sid Vicious (Louis Partridge) all had dreams and aspirations to become big. All they needed was a break. That break eventually came in the form of a clothing designer and aspiring anarchist named Malcolm McLaren (Thomas Brodie-Sangster) who saw something in him. Though McLaren had managed other bands in the past, there was something different about this one.

Ultimately, the band needed to find their sound and a place within the crowded musical landscape at the time. Whether or not they could survive each other before they got there remained to be seen. They were all still young and didn’t know any better which came with the usual pitfalls while the pressure of fame presented its own set of challenges for them and Malcolm whose original purpose for the band got lost in the midst of their rise. While they were so supposed to be a major disruptor of the status quo, the band became something that not even he could control. The band also had their ups and downs as band members came and left to make up its final configuration but that ride was fun to watch for the most part. However, Pistol was more about that Coles Notes kind of ride than the characters themselves which left out plenty of opportunities for some depth. Maybe it’s the perspective of the source material but it would have been nice to have had more.

At the end of the day, the worst part of Pistol is simply how it rushes through the story therefore not giving viewers any time to slow down and connect with the characters on an emotional level. Those more familiar with the story of the Sex Pistols more or less already know what happens but the series’ limited nature is still disappointing as those benchmark moments over the course of the story just don’t have as big of an impact as they could have. Meanwhile, the series boasts plenty of style from its depiction of the era through costumes and production design, to the soundtrack, to the camerawork. However, the flashy editing and graphics do become too much at times. Trying to be edgy which makes sense considering the subject matter, the series would have been better served reigning itself in at least a few levels.

The best part of Pistol was its performances in spite of the material. If Babyteeth didn’t move the needle, this series should move the needle and make Wallace a bigger star following his performance here, oozing boatloads of charm and charisma as the rootable underdog Steve Jones. Boon, on the other hand, delivers a scene-stealing performance as a man commonly known as Johnny Rotten, capturing his unhinged energy and personality. Brodie-Sangster delivers a similarly unhinged yet still entertaining performance as McLaren. Besides the main characters, the female character also emerged with impressive performances of their own with Sydney Chandler leading the way as Chrissie Hynde. She was an absolute delight in making the most out of her criminally low screen time.

In the end, Pistol is yet another case of unrealized potential that still delivers a decently-entertaining watch but it could have been so much more.

still courtesy of FX

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.