Angels' Share - Ein Schluck für die Engel

Every Ken Loach movie strikes by its accuracy and social realism, same goes for "The Angels' Share".

The movie is pleasant and endearing overall. The script relies on a pretty good mix between drama and comedy with well written dialogues. However, the story is in fact quite linear in its unfolding with a few overlong passages, clearly lacking depth and substance. Also, the characters are a bit shallow and under-developed, but still touching and one can easily feel sympathy towards them.

Last thing: the cast is outstanding and accurate in their performances, as usual with Loach.

hilarious at the start, a unique storyline, great entertainment throughout the whole film, this film is well worth seeing. Attended the premiere today and loved the film from the start to the finish. The whole film had a fresh feeling about it that is both thought provoking and just pure entertainment. The film shows how difficult it is to break away from a situation you are born into but how, with a little imagination, luck and creativity along with someone who believes in you, some things can change. I you want to go and see a film that doesn't follow a theme covered many times before and want a good laugh then this film is for you. If you want something same old same old then go and see something else.

'The Angels Share' is the latest film by Ken Loach about living on the rough side of Glasgow, Scotland and trying to cope with your past. It's a delightful little film that's really funny as well as portraying a lot of dark aspects about modern Scottish lifestyles.

The acting is surprisingly great; there are no real known actors in this besides John Henshaw who was fantastic despite not having a lot of screen-time. New-comers like Paul Brannigan are excellent and really carry this film. The performances of those main four characters are all done well, particularly Gary Maitland.

The script is quite interesting and has a great Scottish theme to it. The dialogue is fantastic, the conversations in this film seem so real and the colloquialisms provide so much humour for Scottish audiences. There have been few Scottish films lately that seem like a real Scottish film. The film also discusses a lot of other important issues i.e. alcoholism, drug abuse, poverty, violence and gang culture. It paints a picture of some people's lives in Glasgow.

Overall, this is a feel-good film which does discuss a lot of important, dark Scottish issues. It also has some great comedy included and fantastic dialogue making this film one of the best British films of 2012.

The Angels' Share is the first Ken Loach film I have ever seen, and I really liked it. I heard a lot about Ken Loach films before I saw The Angels' Share but I never had time to see one. I must say he is a talented director. I was impressed by the choice of actors, which is very judicious. I would compliment all the actors and I would reserve a special mention for Paul Brannigan, the main character. The acting is so realistic that the film seems like a real documentary about Scots'lives. The characters are friendly, and endearing. We can see a lot of beautiful Scottish landscapes during the whole film, and this is really pleasant. Ken Loach made an original storyline, and his film allows everybody to have a great time. It is a sweet comedy, hilarious sometimes, but mainly poignant. The film speaks with heart, humor and lightness about the social realism of delinquents. It shows that everyone deserves a second chance in life, even if it is very hard to get out of a situation you were born in. Ken Loach knows how to put a strong message in simple words. The Angels' Share is a good film, which is food for though. I was interested in watching it thanks to his participation at the Cannes Film Festival, and I was not disappointed by any aspect of the film. If I were you, I would go quickly to the cinema to see it. I would recommend it to anyone.

The Angels' Share (2012)

A deceptively simple movie that builds slowly and is mixture of outrageous fun and touching social commentary.

The main young man, Robbie (Paul Brannigan), has been convicted of a violent crime and is trying to get his life together. His girlfriend is about to have his baby, his old rival is out to get him, and he can't get a job. He also has to do community service, which leads him to the main plot—a growing love of whiskey, a gift with his nose, and an eventual plot to steal some of the rarest of the liquid.

It's this last part that dominates the second half of the movie, and it's fun, for sure, but also a little contrived compared to the first half which has a gritty realism to it. Brannigan, and all his supporting actors, is really good. If you don't know Scottish movies, be prepared for some major swearing by everyone. And the Netflix version of the movie has the subtitles on because the accent makes a lot of the movie hard to hear. (I think you'd be better off without them, however, and just get most of it without the distraction of reading.)

You might be able to read into the serious parts of the movie and see a valid commentary about the strength of community service, and about the rough life on the streets of Glasgow. But this is more the hard nails backdrop to make the clever, and rather fun (almost joyous) secondary plot shine brighter. It works. The movie pulls it together seamlessly (maybe a hair too seamlessly by the end, as you'll see).

So, yes, an enjoyable surprise.