Andy Serkis: 5 Awesome Performances And 5 That Sucked

4. Ian Dury - Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (2010)

Many British actors have made their name by playing famous rock stars. Gary Oldman got his first big break playing Sid Vicious in Sid and Nancy, a film which won widespread acclaim despite being denounced by fellow Sex Pistol John Lydon. Likewise, Sam Riley won all kinds of plaudits for his role as Ian Curtis in the Joy Division biopic Control. By the time Andy Serkis came to play Ian Dury, he was already an established star, but it's a fitting reminder of his ability to completely disappear into a role, capturing physical tics and mannerisms without letting them turn into gimmicks. Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll is the story of Ian Dury, the rock star best known for 'Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick', which topped the UK charts in 1979. The film follows Dury's rise to stardom in the punk and new wave movements in Britain, beginning with Kilburn and the High Roads and going through his peak work with The Blockheads. Throughout the film there is a focus on Dury's relationship with his errant son Baxter (Bill Milner), who seeks to emulate his father's outlandish behaviour. Mat Whitecross' film isn't by any means perfect: certainly its central relationship isn't quite as focussed as, say, its counterpart in Walk the Line. But whatever else may be true about it, Serkis is terrific as Dury. He does a great job of mimicking Dury's vocal mannerisms and unusual posture (caused by a bout of polio as a child), but he keeps the passions and determination of the character at the centre. His chemistry with Bill Milner, himself a fine young actor, is very good indeed, and his singing captures a lot of Dury's energy and spontaneity while still being a dead-on impression.