Performance is a great film for those that want to feel verve and are willing to pay the cost of nonconformity. The dialogue has got liveness and the music has soul; the attitude is rock-and-roll ("I am alive and well. You push the buttons.") The pacing is good, and goes back-and-forth with tension and play throughout, right up to a memorable climax. This is an arty kind of film, but is also challenging and edgy, with a fair amount of violence, sex, and drugs (mostly violence) in its look at what man is spiritually. The performances of Mick Jagger and Jamie Fox are very complementary, it has a naturally artificial feeling as they give each other a hard time and secretly love it (the bit where they are in bed together is pretty damn funny). This is the interesting 60s, where the setting is old but the vibe is fresh and unrestrained and un-50s.

4.75 / 5.0