Every once in a while a film comes along which you don’t know much about, but it turns out to be a feel-good film which leaves you with a spring in your step. Of course it helped that it only cost me 50p to see! The Muppets was also a feel-good film, but we all knew essentially what was going to happen. In The Angels’ Share, Robbie (Paul Brannigan) has a history of of drug use and violence, but when his girlfriend gives birth to his son he is determined to change his life for the better. Encouraged by his community service officer Harry (John Henshaw) Robbie discovers the pleasures of whisky, and it turns out that he has a very good nose for it. When an opportunity arises to witness the auction of a very rare whisky, Robbie and some friends from the community service group travel to the distillery with a view to procuring some for themselves, the sale of which could really help Robbie and his new family.
Despite Robbie’s history, and the local thugs that are trying to get back at him, the film is very light-hearted and whimsical, and what little violence there is just adds to Robbie’s emotional journey. Paul Brannigan and John Henshaw are both very good in their roles, as is Gary Maitland as Albert who provides a lot of the laughs. More importantly it is the way that the characters work together that gets the viewer involved in the story; and the cast all work perfectly together resulting in a very enjoyable, funny and uplifting film.
Living in Scotland DOES have its advantages as it turns out! ;) I could't find this film anywhere in Manchester. It was only at the art house cinema for a couple of days and nowhere near a multiplex. I'm glad you enjoyed it, I'll be waiting patiently for the DVD release.
ReplyDeleteThat sucks that you couldn't find it anywhere. Having said that, it isn't a must-see in the cinema, so you'll be able to enjoy it just as much on DVD.
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