KEN LOACH DEPICTS REDEMPTION IN THE ANGELS’ SHARE
Director Ken Loach, long noted for social problem films, begins The Angels’ Share with an inebriated Scotsman who is among several in the next scene pleading guilty to receive the mercy of a Glasgow court, namely, hundreds of hours of “community payback.” One in particular, Robbie (played by Paul Brannigan), viciously assaulted two men in the past but now his public defender pleads that he is a changed man because his girlfriend Leonie (played by Siobhan Reilly) is pregnant, and he is eager to be a good father. It turns out that he and one of his attackers have been carrying on a feud that started with their fathers while schoolmates. Robbie has served time before, never has had a job, and Leonie’s father does not want his daughter to partner with such an ill-bred person. However, Harry (played by John Henshaw), the court-appointed probation official who supervises those committed to community service, has a soft heart for Robbie, especially after those whom he assaulted beat him up and Robbie prefers not to press charges. Harry has a hobby—fine whisky. He treats his favorite four probationers (and filmviewers) to a brewery tour, where they learn about the “angels’ share,” namely, that 2 percent of each barrel somehow evaporates. Then Harry takes his probation crew to attend a whisky tasting event. Robbie volunteers to do a blind taste test and nearly guesses the exact brew, impressing one of the longtime whisky connoisseurs. The event’s host informs those in attendance that a special event will be held soon—an auction of a recently found barrel of an extraordinary brew. Robbie displays genius, hatching a plot, reminiscent of The Sting (1973), to secretly steal some of the elixir, which will not be missed because of the “angel’s breath” phenomenon, and then sell the purloined bottles to the connoisseur for a princely sum that may not only lift him and his three probationer friends out of poverty but may also land him a job. With lots of hearty laughs, the plot of The Angels’ Share then proceeds, and Ken Loach has made a truly classic film. MH