"NOT only do I think he's one of Ireland's best, I think he's one of the world's best – he's something special," enthuses Moe Dunford of working with Derry-born director Stephen Fingleton (2015's The Survivalist) on the ambitious new thriller Nightride.
"I'm very proud of this film and our collaboration on it – I'm excited for people to see his new work."
Dunford (34) plays Budge, a Belfast drug dealer attempting to pull off one last score so he can finally go straight and realise his dream of opening Nightride, a high-end car customisation outfit.
The film finds us constantly on the move as Budge drives the night-time streets of Belfast to meet with his connections while fielding calls with his girlfriend Sofia (Joana Ribeiro), business partner Graham (producer Paul Kennedy in a voice cameo) and various parties involved in the deal, from his hapless flunkies Lefty (John Travers) and Beaker (a voice cameo by Stephen Fingleton) and middleman Scholar (Ciaran Flynn) to notorious loanshark Joe (Stephen Rea), who has supplied the cash for the big buy and is demanding repayment in full before midnight – or else.
'What could possibly go wrong?', you might ask: unsurprisingly, the answer is 'pretty much everything'.
Shot in one take and playing out in real time, the Ben Conway-written Nightride was filmed in Belfast last year and successfully mates the claustrophobic yet absorbing motorised drama of Steven Knight's Locke with the pressure-cooked 'criminals in a jam' tension of films like Michael Mann's Thief (directly referenced in Nightride), Nicholas Winding Refn's Drive and the Safdie brothers' Good Time and Uncut Gems.
"We shot for six nights for six different takes," explains Dunford of the challenging movie-making process, which found him constantly driving while acting and being filmed from a camera rig attached to the bonnet: the set-up could be quickly removed and hand-held for scenes outside the car and for close-up shooting within the vehicle.
"It wasn't easy, and the real elements outside of the film affected everything," he tells me.
Indeed, at one point in the movie, Budge is pulled over by the police, a completely unplanned encounter with the real PSNI during which Dunford managed to stay in character while being filmed by Fingleton from the passenger seat.
In another scene, the actor is forced to duck a bottle thrown at him by local youths who had gathered to watch the filming in north Belfast.
"I love Belfast and I've love shooting up there, ever since I worked with the Tohills [Belfast directing duo Andy and Ryan Tohill] on The Dig, so it was sort of sad to see how quiet it was during the lockdown – though that suited us because it was easy to drive around," explains the Dungarvan man, a former regular on TV's Vikings whom we've recently seen in Lance Daly's Black 47, BBC/RTE hit Dublin Murders and Netflix's new 'requel' of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
"We'd start at the docks at 10pm, go for 25 miles and end up back at the docks at midnight.
"There was a certain edginess around, though, which permeated into the film – because there's an intensity when lads in the neighbourhood are throwing glass bottles at you and threatening to set your cars on fire.
"That intensity sort of got into the need for Budge to get out of this life. So it all helped and we got through it. There were things that weren't planned that actually make the movie – they make it better."
Nightride is tightly plotted and cleverly written by Ben Conway, who Dunford was a fan of long before they actually met and became good friends: the pair are currently working together on a new feature, Simon, which will once again be shot in real time.
"Ben is a dear friend, I've read all his scripts and I love his American influences, like Michael Mann and Steven Soderbergh," he explains.
"When Stephen sent me Nightride, he said 'this one is something special, just tell me which role you'd like'. Originally, Budge was written as a 25-year-old – but I just loved him. Thankfully, when I asked Stephen if I could play him anyway, he said yes."
Again, Dunford is quick to sing the praises of his director, who relished rolling with the real life challenges thrown at the production.
"Stephen reminds me of an old school American film-maker of the 1970s," the actor tells me.
"At the back of your mind, when Stephen's holding the camera, you know you have a brother in arms – no matter what happens."
:: Nightride and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre are available on Netflix now
