The Angels' Share (Theatrical Version) [DVD]

This highly enjoyable film attempts something quite difficult in combining gritty drama about mindless urban violence with feel-good, rural comedy. It succeeds in this, with the comedy coming to the fore in the second half of the film.

The Angel's Share tells the story of Robbie, a vicious Glaswegian thug, given one last chance by the system in the hope that his fathering of a child by a very sensible girlfriend will enable him to turn his life around. The hand of mercy is extended further by Harry (John Henshaw), who supervises Robbie's Community Pay-Back, offers him shelter, and introduces him to the rarefied world of single-malt whisky. Despite this, Robbie appears to be heading back into his world of hopelessness and violence, until a unique and extremely valuable barrel of single-malt, and his own sharp mind, present the opportunity for final escape.

At this point the film faces a conundrum. We are asked to sympathise with the well-intentioned attempts of a wayward but intelligent youth to escape from a life of crime, but he tries to do this through a heist. That the film succeeds in winning our sympathies was made very clear by the collective and audible gasp of anguish from all the people in the cinema at the point when Robbie and his friends suffer a massive set-back in their plans.

There is a lot to love about this film. Great characters and acting; some very poignant scenes (brace yourself for a harrowing episode in which Robbie meets one of his previous victims as part of a reconciliation scheme); some laugh-out-loud moments; a well-paced and clever plot; and some beautiful shots of Scotland's fabulous countryside. It doesn't quite make five star perfection - there are times when credibility is stretched, and the combination of the two styles undermines its coherence - but doesn't miss by much, and is well worth seeing, especially if you enjoy off-beat British comedies or just fancy a break from Hollywood blockbusters.

Finally, special mention for two of the secondary female characters. The guide at the whisky distillery is a delight - with swinging hips and the straining buttons on her blouse she creates a sexual presence which many other films would have to display yards of flesh to achieve. And Siobahn Reilly, as Robbie's girlfriend Leonie, has expressions and a manner of speech strongly redolent of the delectable Clare Grogan in that most wonderful of Scottish comedies - indeed that most wonderful of films - Gregory's Girl. I would have no problem putting this new Ken Loach film in that company.

This film, which was a surprise winner of the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, begins as a hard-edged and extremely realistic account of the fortunes of three young men and a girl, all offenders, who appear in court for a variety of minor crimes. One, however, has been in prison for a serious and brutal assault, and he is the central character in the film. Memorably played by Paul Brannigan, whose own life apparently has parallels with that of the character, he just escapes prison again, partly because he now has a stable relationship with a good woman, Leonie, and is about become a father ; he is ready to put his old life behind him if he can. But he has enemies, and they are out to get him, and the offer from Leonie's father of £5000 if he will leave and never reappear in Glasgow is one that, at one point, he gloomily sees as the only option. All four come under the wing of a kindly Community Service Supervision Officer, Harry, excellently played by John Henshaw, with whom they paint derelict halls and clean gravestones. But then, on his day off, he takes them to a distillery, where Robbie finds he has a 'nose' - a natural talent for judging and identifying fine whiskies. The plot moves on, with a second visit to what is probably the Malt Whisky Society and the news that a cask of 'malt mill', an exceedingly rare, distinguished and expensive whisky, is to be auctioned up north. The four young people form a plan and, donning kilts, make their way north, where various things happen ; and the end of the film is hopeful and distinctly 'feel-good'.

This film moves, as does Robbie, from the hard reality of a brutal and bleak, violent, drug-ridden council-estate life to escape and real hope for him, his partner and their child, Luke. The earlier part of it includes stark scenes - he is attacked and badly beaten in a hospital, he is chased through the streets by his traditional enemies who would do him real damage but for the intervention of his partner's father, and in a very effective scene he has a meeting with the young man whom he himself assaulted in the incident which led to his imprisonment, and with his parents and girl friend (or possibly sister) ; the mother goes for him and all he can do is weep - he is now a father himself and can begin to understand how she feels. Once the four leave Glasgow and make their way north, however, the 'feel' of the film changes with the scenery, and it becomes much less hard-edged. This part of the film is very enjoyable - funny in places, and with a compelling plot - but there has to be some suspension of disbelief ; several times I found myself thinking, 'Could that really happen?'. In this film, it does, and you are glad for the lad, his girl and his friends. So I don't think it can be classed as a great film, but it is involving, engagingly unusual, and extremely well made and acted. It is certainly 'different' and well worth seeing.

Being brought up in the East end of Glasgow, where a lot of this film is set and filmed. I wouldn't say I can relate personally to the characters but I can see that the storyline could well be based on true events. Its a wonderful story with a nice ending. Love it and cant wait to buy it, I saw it on a flight to America and I watched it twice. So funny in parts too.