MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Director: Ken Loach
FilmPulse Score: 5/10
“The Angels’ Share” is phrase used in the whisky distilling business; it refers to the amount of alcohol that evaporates while the whisky’s being stored in their barrels. This small amount of drink is consumed by guardian angels who watch over the whisky; it’s a lovely phrase that attempts to give meaning to an, otherwise, banal occurrence and I’m talking about, both, the evaporated whisky and this film by Ken Loach.
The film follows Robbie (Paul Brannigan) a soon-to-be father who’s currently looking at a lengthy prison sentence for nearly beating a man to death while ‘coked up to his eyeballs’. The prospect of becoming a father affords Robbie a second chance from the judge, who sentences him to 300 hours of community service. On his first day, his girlfriend Leonie (Siobhan Reilly) goes into labor and Harry (John Henshaw), the head counselor of the community payback program, drives Robbie to the hospital where he is contemptuously met by Leonie’s uncles. Back at Harry’s home, the two toast to Robbie’s firstborn son with a 30 year whisky, marking the spirit’s injection into the storyline.
From this point on, whisky propels the plot. Gone is the seriousness of Robbie attempting to break the cycle of familial feuds, drugs, drinking and his overall thuggery. While the first half of The Angels’ Share was a stereotypical film about second chances and redemption filled with all the recognizable cliches – Leonie giving Robbie an ultimatum, Robbie vowing to change, people attempting to tear down Robbie’s new-found conviction, Leonie’s family offering Robbie funds to leave the area for good and, of course, the quintessential ‘being unable to escape your past’. Now, however, one formulaic portion gives way to another; in the second half the film becomes your standard ‘one last criminal activity to secure my family’s future’.
Harry, on his day off, takes the community payback group on a tour of a whisky distillery. It is here that we come to find that Robbie possesses a refined palate and a good nose for whisky, able to smell the complex aromas and notes of various brands. After Harry takes Robbie and a three other fellow ne’er-do-weller’s to a whisky tasting, there Robbie gives an impressive display of his talents which gathers the attention of Thaddeus (Roger Allam), a whisky collector and industry insider. The group also learns of a rare vintage Malt Mill whisky that has only recently been discovered.
A lightbulb goes off in Robbie’s head and, sure enough, the last criminal activity with be the theft of this vintage whisky. He, of course, has to assemble the ol’ ragtag team of misfits – Albert the Drunk (Gary Maitland), who might possibly be the dumbest person in Scotland with the evidence mounting every time he opens his mouth; Mo the Klepto (Jasmine Riggins), who is responsible for obtaining the documents detailing the whereabouts of the Malt Mill; then there’s Rhino (William Ruane), the other capable guy, I guess. The team heads off on a journey to steal some whisky and securing their futures in the process.
The Angels’ Share ends up being a pretty inconsequential film filled with tired cliches from numerous similar films who’ve probably seen before. The only differences with The Angels’ Share, compared to others of its ilk, are the Scottish accents and instead of stealing an expensive artwork or valuable jewels the characters are stealing vintage whisky. Even though the film is predictable and formulaic, it manages to comes off as a somewhat enjoyable, light-hearted jaunt through Scotland and the wonderful world of whisky.
