Downbeat but engaging "Angels' Share" mines familiar working class theme
The crowd-pleasing British film "Angels' Share" won the Jury Prize at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival and it's easy to see why. The Ken Loach dramedy about some working class misfits with a knack for the flavor of pricey liquor, is engaging with a sheen of realism that pervades most of veteran filmmaker Loach's films. Though overly familiar and somewhat downbeat, "Angels' Share" has enough appeal for those who enjoy an underdog story. It tells the story of a young Glaswegian father and thug Robbie (Paul Brannigan), under the guidance of community-service leader Harry (John Henshaw), is introduced to the distribution and selling of high-priced whiskey, something that could lead to a new life for he and his new community-service payback friends. Veteran moviemaker Loach, best known for his 2006 war film "The Wind That Shakes the Barley," helms the likable yet routine film about the working class, something he's familiar with his other films such as "Sweet Sixteen" (2002) and "Bread and Roses" (2000). The working class theme is prevalent yet so familiar that it often seems predictable and at times depressing, but it's also peppered with a few affecting, poignant moments, and newcomer Brannigan, a young Scottish actor, grounds the film with warmth. The climax and ending is a bit calculated, you have a sense of where this will end up, but it's often fun getting there. Well-acted, directed though redundant, the appealing dramedy "Angels' Share" (named after a term that refers to the disappearing vapors of fermenting liquor) is worth a look.
Wes's Grade: B
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