The Angels' Share (2012)

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.

Director:

Ken Loach

Writer:

Paul Laverty (screenplay)

Stars:

Paul Brannigan, John Henshaw, Roger Allam

7 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Paul Brannigan	...	Robbie
Siobhan Reilly	...	Leonie
John Henshaw	...	Harry
Gary Maitland	...	Albert
William Ruane	...	Rhino
Jasmin Riggins	...	Mo (as Jasmine Riggins)
Scott Dymond	...	Willy
Scott Kyle	...	Clancy
Neil Leiper	...	Sniper
James Casey	...	Dougie
Caz Dunlop	...	Caz
Gilbert Martin	...	Matt
Stewart Preston	...	Sheriff
Vincent Friell	...	Procurator Fiscal
Kirstin Murray	...	Defence Lawyer

Storyline

This bitter sweet comedy follows protagonist Robbie as he sneaks into the maternity hospital to visit his young girlfriend Leonie and hold his newborn son Luke for the first time. Overwhelmed by the moment, he swears that Luke will not have the same tragic life he has had. Escaping a prison sentence by the skin of his teeth, he's given one last chance......While serving a community service order, he meets Rhino, Albert and Mo who, like him, find it impossible to find work because of their criminal records. Little did Robbie imagine how turning to drink might change their lives - not cheap fortified wine, but the best malt whiskies in the world. Will it be 'slopping out' for the next twenty years, or a new future with 'Uisge Beatha' the 'Water of Life?' Only the angels know........

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Plot Keywords:

distillery | community service | heist | kilt | scotch whisky | 

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Taglines:

Four friends. One mission. Lots of spirit.

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title refers to an expression that describes the portion of a whisky's volume that is lost to evaporation during the ageing process.

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Goofs

When toasting the birth of Robbie's child and Robbie dislikes the whisky, Harry calls him a Philippine. Whilst the usual saying is "philistine", Harry, ever polite and moderate, is softening the criticism by using a light-hearted sound-alike alternative.

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Quotes

Mairi: Now every year about 2% of the spirit is actually lost. It just disappears and evaporates into thin air. Gone forever. It's what we call the "angels' share".

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Alternate Versions

UK cinema- and DVD versions have eight uses of the strongest profanity removed in order to obtain a 15 classification. The Blu-ray is uncut and rated 18.

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Connections

References Braveheart (1995)

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Soundtracks

Some Chords
Performed by Deadmau5
Licensed courtesy of Virgin Records Limited
Written by Deadmau5 (as Joel Zimmerman)
Published by EMI Music Publishing Limited

User Reviews

Growing up in tough working class Glasgow and then finding nirvana in Scotch Whisky

The Angels' Share (2012)

A deceptively simple movie that builds slowly and is mixture of outrageous fun and touching social commentary.

The main young man, Robbie (Paul Brannigan), has been convicted of a violent crime and is trying to get his life together. His girlfriend is about to have his baby, his old rival is out to get him, and he can't get a job. He also has to do community service, which leads him to the main plot—a growing love of whiskey, a gift with his nose, and an eventual plot to steal some of the rarest of the liquid.

It's this last part that dominates the second half of the movie, and it's fun, for sure, but also a little contrived compared to the first half which has a gritty realism to it. Brannigan, and all his supporting actors, is really good. If you don't know Scottish movies, be prepared for some major swearing by everyone. And the Netflix version of the movie has the subtitles on because the accent makes a lot of the movie hard to hear. (I think you'd be better off without them, however, and just get most of it without the distraction of reading.)

You might be able to read into the serious parts of the movie and see a valid commentary about the strength of community service, and about the rough life on the streets of Glasgow. But this is more the hard nails backdrop to make the clever, and rather fun (almost joyous) secondary plot shine brighter. It works. The movie pulls it together seamlessly (maybe a hair too seamlessly by the end, as you'll see).

So, yes, an enjoyable surprise.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

UK France Belgium Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 June 2012 (UK)

Also Known As:

The Angels' Share

Filming Locations:

Mitchell Lane, Glasgow, Strathclyde, Scotland, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$18,837, 14 April 2013

Gross USA:

$346,669

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$13,090,471

Company Credits

Production Co:

Entertainment One, Sixteen Films, Why Not Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

101 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1