Like a lot of great Ken Loach, The Angel's Share balances a captivating mix of homely and incisive naturalism with straight, easy comedy. But this isn't by any means a classic Loach film. It's a solid movie, but a mild one in the greater scope of the man's oeuvre.
Following the rehabilitation of a man imprisoned for a violent crime, The Angel's Share begins as many of the director's films do: building towards a slow devastation, annotating society's unwillingness to accept changed men. But instead of following this through, the film hits the height of its emotional complexities early, and from that point onwards, seems happy to patter through a (nonetheless) enjoyable romp about a whiskey heist.
