Movieline

Celebrate Mick Jagger's 68th Birthday with His Performance in Performance

Sixty-eight years ago today, a Hirschfeld caricature named Mick Jagger was born. In addition to inventing our current perception of rock stars, the Rolling Stones frontman has produced some of the darkest material ever to permeate the mainstream. While you could revisit the harrowing Altamont doc Gimme Shelter or Martin Scorsese's 2008 concert film Shine a Light to celebrate Mick's special occasion, Movieline is instead turning back to Mick's performance in the once-abhorred, now-revered 1970 movie Performance. Check out the slickest Mick ever ahead!

Director Donald Cammell and Nicolas Roeg's portrait of the swingin' sixties gives us grit, Mick's fun performance as a former rock star, the sultry Anita Pallenberg, James Fox as gang soldier Chas (in a role originally slated for Marlon Brando), and one great musical number called "Memo From Turner" (which Martin Scorsese put to great use as well in the final 10 minutes of Goodfellas). Sure, this movie didn't quit shake up the universe like Exile on Main Street, but it's an astounding little curio. Happy birthday, Mick!