Angels' Share – Ein Schluck für die Engel (2012)

Angels’ Share – Ein Schluck für die Engel: Directed by Ken Loach. With Paul Brannigan, Siobhan Reilly, John Henshaw, Gary Maitland. Narrowly avoiding jail, new dad Robbie vows to turn over a new leaf. A visit to a whisky distillery inspires him and his mates to seek a way out of their hopeless lives.

“Yesterday was my birthday and this was the film my wife and I decided to go out to watch, even if it seemed almost all the other screens at our u0026#39;Plex were showing u0026quot;Spider Manu0026quot;. I think we made the right choice. It probably helped our enjoyment being from Glasgow enabling us to play u0026quot;Spot the Locationu0026quot; as you invariably do in these situations and of course our familiarity with not only the u0026quot;typesu0026quot; portrayed in the film but also their what Iu0026#39;ll politely term vocabulary and vernacular.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhat it is at heart is a caper film involving four young offenders who as part of their u0026quot;community pay-backu0026quot; sentences get taken under the wing of a good-hearted middle-aged u0026quot;minderu0026quot; well played by John Henshaw and learn that they have a penchant for whisky-tasting after a sponsored visit to a distillery. From there, they hatch an unlikely plan to steal for a private collector extracts from a rare cask which takes them up to the islands on an intrepid mini-u0026quot;Mission Impossibleu0026quot;, which after some ups and downs ends happily for all.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe film displays Ken Loachu0026#39;s by now usual mix of naturalistic realism with everyday settings and improbable plotting with attendant unlikely coincidence along the way. The film starts with a couple of violent scenes to fully convey the tough environment from which the protagonists are seeking a way out but changes into a different film altogether when the four decamp to the Highlands to carry out their ingenious theft. That dichotomy in retrospect seems a little forced at times and the coincidental nature of the plotting which affords them their once-in-a-lifetime opportunity stretches credulity as it settles into almost Ealing-esque territory but itu0026#39;s carried off with some flair and conviction with a nice human touch at the end to send everyone home out of the cinema with a u0026quot;feel-goodu0026quot; smile on their faces.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThe ensemble acting is as usual with Loach of a high standard. Paul Brannigan as the brains behind the misfits shines but each of the four comes across with their own personality. The dialogue is sharp and up to date with some funny set-pieces thrown in too, particularly those involving the wrong bike and how a recovering junkie slaked his thirst.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOverall, once you suspend disbelief at the plot development and denouement, this is an easy film to settle down and enjoy. My wife and I certainly did, happy birthday to me!”