The Angels' Share

I had mixed feelings about this film. Along with many other people, (see comments below) I didn't understand a lot of what the characters said and I do feel cheated when I pay to see an English language film and much of the dialogue is unintelligible. I suppose the characters were all such stereotypes that I would have got the gist of the plot if they'd been speaking Swahili. All the same, I might have enjoyed it more if I could have followed the back-chat.

When I tried to watch The Wire on TV I couldn't understand the dialogue in that either and ended up using the subtitles for the deaf. That's an improvement but not ideal because you end up reading the stuff you do understand thus giving too much attention to the words at the expense of the action. I expect the DVD had subtitles so we probably could have shown the film with them. If you think that this would have been a good idea – or not – then you could make a comment on the blog.

Was it as good as Kes? Not by a long chalk. But in spite of the clichéd, one-dimensional characters and the tiresome, hackneyed recycling of The Proclaimers on the soundtrack (surely there are other Scottish artists?) I have to admit that the film was a well-crafted piece of work that held my attention through to the end. Good acting and some funny moments. No wonder it got so many awards and nominations.

The feedback score was 85%. Your comments:

A	Good film
A
A	Very British – loved it!
A	A wonderful feel good film. (If not very probable)
A	Well done
A	Another very good “foreign” film
A	Like a Scottish Kes! Hard-hitting at times and feel-good ending. Glad I stayed with it.
A	Gritty, watchable, enjoyable but would have liked sub-titles! Grew on me as it went along!
A	A modern fairy tale when poor Robbie who was so much the underdog finally found the one thing he was good at. Three cheers for a happy ending!
A	a charming film. Worth the entrance fee alone to hear the collective gasp of horror from the audience when two bottles of the precious whisky smashed!
A	VERY ENTERTAINING, GOOD STORY
A	Excellent
A
A
A	Feel good movie with serious undertones. Enjoyable.
A
A	Surprising!
A	Was fantastic – an excellent feel-good movie. And glad it had a happy ending. Laugh out loud funny. Glad I came to see it! More Ken Loach!
A	One of the best opening scenes. Hard hitting + excellent film.
A	Great story from first to last scene.
A	Ken Loach certainly knows how to make a film!!!
A	An enchanting film of human frailty. Didn't get some of the dialogue – dialect too difficult to grasp. Lovely scenery.
B	Wonderful film, if unintelligible! Great story of redemption through crime.
B
B	Needed subtitles in places! How lucky to find a talent to change a young man's life – other youngsters not so lucky. Great that whisky snobs have their own Emperor's New Clothes element.
B
B
B
B	Lovely film. Really enjoyed it.
B	Remarkably cheerful film for Ken Loach. Story a bit far-fetched but a good yarn, funny, well acted.
B	Needed some subtitles!!
B
B
B
B
B	Very enjoyable
B
B	Of its type it was very entertaining. Shame about the poor sound quality.
B	Very amusing. Speech sometimes difficult to understand. Could have done with subtitles!
B	I love a happy ending! Cheers.
B	Highly enjoyable yarn – entertaining and captivating.
B	Excellent – positive approach to working-class 'street life' and how innovative, creative – thinking people can improve physically, emotionally, economically.
B	KEPT ME ENTERTAINED, NICE PACE, NOT TOO MUCH VIOLENCE OR TOO MUCH PATHOS.
C	Could have done with subtitles!
C	Pity about the sub-titles!
C	Difficult to understand diction but perhaps you didn't need to.
C	Entertaining, but subtitles would have been useful for the Glaswegian.
C	Subtitles would have been useful. Some very funny moments.
C	Good plot well acted in this improbable situation. But I could have done with subtitles to follow the dialogues, to fully enjoy the film.
C
E	“Feel good” and the growth of institutional criminality along with social inequality do not fit well together. Loach, along with the rest of the petit-bourgeois ex-left is losing the plot!

On-line:
IMDB user rating 7 out of 10:
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1924394/

Rotten Tomatoes audience rating 80%:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_angels_share/

Interviews with Ken Loach and the production team:
http://www.sixteenfilms.co.uk/films/film/20/the_angels_share/

Peter Bradshaw in the Guardian reviewed it twice! (4 stars):
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/may/21/the-angels-share-review
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/may/31/the-angels-share-review

Philip French in the Observer:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/jun/03/angels-share-ken-loach-review

Mark Kermode and Simon Mayo on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G0VGJaIaykc&feature=youtube_gdata