I couldn’t get to a screening of The Angel’s Share south of the border when the film was on general
release, despite the critical praise the movie attracted. Today I finally
caught up with the film on DVD and I’m glad I did. The Angel’s Share is a typical piece of Social Realism from the man
behind the likes of Kes and The Wind that Shakes the Barley. The
plot focuses on a young thug called Robbie (Paul Brannigan) from the rough
streets of Glasgow’s East
End. After narrowly escaping prison following his latest arrest he
is given community service under the guidance of Harry (John Henshaw). Harry
tries to get his guys back on the straight and narrow and introduces them to
the delights of whiskey tasting, something which Robbie picks up very quickly.
When the group discover a valuable cask is about to come up for auction they
realise they can use it as a means of escaping the gutter.
The Angel’s Share
is a beautiful phrase and is used to denote the 2% of whiskey which is
evaporated from barrels each year. Later it is given another, equally poignant
meaning. The film is equally as darkly comic as it is rough and Glasgow is depicted as
the sort of place that you’d never want to visit. It makes Baltimore
in The Wire look like Disney Land.
Through the poverty and dirt though emerges hope in the form of Robbie, a man
on his final chance. He is inches from prison and has a violent gang on his
back as well as a new born baby so decides that now is the time to get out of Glasgow and start afresh.
The way in which this is attempted is highly original, entertaining and funny.
