A Parte dos Anjos

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.

Ken Loach does funny! Ken Loach does bleakness, misery, sorrow and hopelessness, too, but in The Angels' Share it is present only to serve the plot and not for characters or viewers to wallow in. The second in my unexpected eight-star double bill after Seeking a Friend for the End of the World, The Angels' Share is a delightfully engaging story of Scottish desperation and resolve to escape the vortex into the plughole of doom.

I watched it in an Inverness cinema surrounded by Scots who loved every reference, in-joke and scenic delight and I benefited hugely for it. Jump on a plane and do likewise. Or at least find a quiet cinema devoid of morons who bore easily if there are no explosions and settle into your seat a colourful trek through claustrophobic, violent council estates to the sprawling, peaceful Highland vistas.

Robbie (Paul Brannigan) narrowly escapes a long prison sentence for yet another violent attack that has left an innocent victim's life in tatters. He remains free thanks to the work of his persuasive barrister and the small matter of the impending birth of his first baby. It isn't a hero's escape. He's an unpleasant creature who has fallen into a habit of violence and crime, the kind of person you strive to avoid and write off as one of life's hopeless failures.

Fortunately, not everyone thinks this way, least of all Loach. Leonie (Siobhan Reilly), the expectant mother, is a gentle but strong and resolute force in Robbie's life and she supports him, loves him and makes it very clear that she won't take any more of his crap. Either he sorts his life out or he'll lose her and the baby for good. The second great impact on Robbie's life comes in the form of Harry (the always watchable John Henshaw), the man in charge of his community service group. A gentle, caring soul, who is quite possibly alone in the world but for his charges, he could easily be a doormat for the group of young criminals but instead they respect him because he, in turn, respects them. Harry sees potential in Robbie and introduces him and the group to the world of whisky; not drunken swigs from a bottle in a brown paper bag but of touring distilleries, tasting, appreciating and understanding quality single malts and the joy of experiencing the finest of them.

And that leads to a plan… The Angels' Share is a strange combination of Trainspotting, any number of 'one last job' capes and Whisky Galore! that confounds the myriad risks of failure. It could so easily be unpleasant because of the characters depicted but they evolve and so we care about them; it could be insensitive by diluting the violent crimes they have committed but Loach never uses that brush to paint a more palatable picture; it could be predictably upbeat and feel-good but the gritty reality of what they are trying to escape is never far away and they uncertainty of whether they will succeed or fall straight back into it is ever present.

There is an impression of non-actors in the cast at times and occasionally it jars but it is easily forgivable because of the setting, the circumstances and the camaraderie they share. The scripting is a rally track through lanes of vicious language and actions, one-liners and jaw-droppingly funny comments and some brutal honesty that is both tough and caring. Oh, and there's one gross-out moment that had most of the audience gagging and laughing simultaneously.

The Angels' Share isn't a film for those who easily squirm at ripe language but it is an uplifting story of scoundrels who become rascals and just may find redemption. The big screen certainly accentuates the occasional stunning, rugged scenery but this is a film that you'll appreciate just as much in the seclusion of your own living room if you can't find a screen near you playing it.

If you're easily put off by the aura of 'worthy' Ken Loach then shame on you. This is easily his most accessible film yet and a great place to start if you're a Loach novice. And a knowledge of or taste for whisky is unimportant although after watching The Angels' Share I wish I could both stomach and appreciate a wee dram.

Watch it! For more reviews from The Squiss subscribe to my blog at www.thesquiss.co.uk

'Never judge a book by it's cover' is a line used roughly halfway through this relatively benign recent effort from British directing stalwart Ken Loach. This is a maxim to keep in mind if approaching Angel's Share with the poster's main advertising soundbite 'Scotland's answer to The Full Monty' as a trusted precursor. Like wine or whisky tasting itself, much of a film's effect is to do with the aftertaste, and it is only in the closing third of the film that the aforementioned tagline could bolster a challenge to be relevant at all, as Angel's Share, upon full viewing, provides an awkward mixture of traditional 'Loachian' working-class realism with lovable-rogue, schadenfreude comedy.

There is much to like and take away from Angel's Share, including great dialogue, brilliant comedy and memorable characters. The problem is that these elements span what feels like two films fighting each other to exist in one, with neither sitting comfortably together or allowing the viewer to solidify a perspective to settle on in terms of their relation to the main characters. It could certainly be argued that this should precisely be the case for the parts of the film which reflect how ambiguously and inconsistently characters in real life can behave, but when Loach suddenly wants to do good on that tagline, all that comes before betrays the impish, happy-go-lucky final third that is well written yet foreboded by scenes not dissimilar from the violence in films like Sweet Sixteen. Imagine some of the generic, heart-warming, feel-good comedy scenes in The Full Monty interspersed with gang beatings and attempted grievous bodily harm and you can imagine the failed dichotomy displayed during Angel's Share.

This disharmony in tone, however, is pleasingly the only main fault of the film, which can certainly be included as another of Loach's great accomplishments. Taken on a scene-by-scene basis, both the characters and the actors portraying them are addictively watchable, as they blunder and plunder as worst and best they can in the context of their worlds. The theme, born from the meaning of the title itself, is subtly explored and comes wonderfully full circle as that aftertaste at the end is about to kick in. There is honest drama amongst the frivolous escapading, much coming via the standout performance by John Henshaw as the poor guy charged with overseeing the group's community service tasks. It also includes the only known example to me of the use of '(I'm Gonna Be)' 500 Miles by The Proclaimers where the lyrics actually fit the context of the story as opposed to simply occupying a clip because they are Scottish (other stereotypes do exist, however, such as Irn Bru and kilt wearing, though these also exist in logical situations even if they may grate some at the front end).

Loach's style is never compromised as regards to the way the film is shot, even if it strays in tone come the end of the story. Glasgow is shown rather than shown off, with barely an establishing shot in sight, helping to bring the viewer down to the level at which the characters themselves exist at - drab interiors, hostile alleyways, rundown tenement areas, etc. It is when the group set off on their daring 'heist' that the beautiful shots of the Highlands offer a sensible contrast as a visual metaphor - the job at hand providing faint hope of starting afresh (even though it is still a crime they are intending to commit). An awful, almost ten-minute tour of the whiskey distillery makes you feel like you've wandered into the filming of a tour itself rather than still watching a film, but is subsequently saved by the attempted pilfering of the 'Holy Grail' of whiskies - perfectly paced and ramped up with tension. In fact the crux of the story is so well crafted it almost makes you forget how little reason you should have to root for the success of the group's plan in the first place.

Intentionally ambiguous yet jarringly inconsistent, Angel's Share succeeds in delivering an entertaining and memorable mixture of comedy and drama. Just ignore that tagline, and watch out for the aftertaste . . .

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.

I've always liked Ken Loach's films, but this one is special. Set realistically in Glasgow, it could be set in virtually any major city in the UK with only minor tweaks (kilts apart). As with most of Ken's work, it's essentially about the infinite redeem-ability of the human spirit, given half a chance.

Comparisons are being made to the Full Monty, but I don't quite see that. If anything, it's a far better Trainspotting, with jokes to replace the parts you hardly want to watch. It's hilariously funny and if you don't blurt out at least one guffaw during the film, you are dead from the neck up. At the same time it is not a "feelgood" movie as such, because it faces the stark realities of the situation of the main character head on. Their lot is fairly hopeless and unlikely to get much better.

Inevitably in a film designed to fit within the constraints of the medium, it compresses far more than is sensible. More development of the way Robbie comes to understand his options would have been better, as would his growing relationship with Big Harry. You can forgive that, as otherwise it would have been a 10 part series for TV. Budgets are tight and we all know that this would never have made it.

I raise a glass to Ken, we need more like him. A man who reminds us so well how the world can be a better place, rather than just telling us how bad it is. That's really the Angels' Share, after all.