Cox made this in three weeks after a Nicaraguan tour collapsed, cast the musicians who were already booked, and produced the strangest artifact of 1980s punk cinema — Joe Strummer with a gun, The Pogues as a coffee-obsessed bandit clan, and a plot that barely holds. The director's cut restores material that helps and hurts in roughly equal measure. If your idea of a good night is a film that should not exist, come.
What to expect
A late crowd in Anthology's spare Second Avenue screening room, laughing at things that may or may not be intended as jokes. The director's cut runs longer than the theatrical version and is harder to find anywhere else. There is no concessions culture here, so eat in the East Village beforehand and come ready for chaos.
Good to know
- Anthology Film Archives is at 32 Second Avenue at 2nd Street
- Take the F to 2nd Avenue or the 6 to Bleecker Street
- This is the director's cut, which differs from the version on most home releases
- The theater is bare-bones; eat in the East Village beforehand
- It sits alongside other westerns in Anthology's late-summer programming
- Contact Anthology about accessible entry and seating in advance
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Common questions
Is Joe Strummer really in it?
Yes — the cast is drawn largely from the punk world, including Strummer, Elvis Costello and members of The Pogues.
What is different about the director's cut?
Alex Cox reworked the film years after release, restoring and rearranging material from the original shoot.
Do I need to know spaghetti westerns?
It helps — the film is a pastiche of the genre, though the anarchy plays regardless.
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