Whisky galore

Ken Loach’s The Angels’ Share, which has just won the Jury Prize at Cannes, is part social realism, part comedy caper, and so good-natured, warm and affectionate it’s rather a joy, even though it doesn’t exactly add up; even though its climax is implausible, its tonal shifts are sometimes jarring, and it feels so familiar. It’s quite Bill Forsythian (with particular reference to his first ever feature, That Sinking Feeling, since you didn’t ask, but should have) via Whisky Galore! and The Full Monty.

Our hero is also familiar, as he’s one of those young men caught in a destructive cycle of violence, criminality and long-term unemployment rather than, say, a constructive cycle of cake-baking, helping old ladies across the road and embroidering antimacassars. Just thought it would be best to be clear about this. I do know how disappointing it is to go to the cinema with your heart set on a destructive cycle and getting a constructive cycle instead.