Films: Outcast Nesbitt discovers dark side

A departure from his previous "cheeky chappie" roles, the affable Irishman's latest cinematic vehicle sees him play against type in Edinburgh-set horror flick Outcast as Cathal, a dangerous individual, intent on tracking down and killing former flame Mary (Kate Dickie) and their teenage son Fergal (Niall Bruton).

What's more, he is using a dark form of magic to find them. Mary's only defence is to use the same ancient witchcraft in order to protect her son. But how long will it be before Cathal manages to outsmart her?

When residents in an Edinburgh council estate – Outcast was made on location around Sighthill and Greendykes – begin to be brutally killed by an unknown life force, the sense of fear escalates.

Is Cathal the beast responsible for the killings? Or is it the beast that he is trying to destroy?

Elements of the story are based on Irish mythology which came from writer and director Colm McCarthy's father, who would tell him stories around the "Shi" and "Shape shifters".

Nesbitt also did a lot of research into the Shi for his role as Cathal. "There is quite a large network of people involved in the worship of these mystical and magical powers and the belief in them, and so I read a lot about that," explains the 45-year-old. "But I try and pick scripts where the writing is so strong that a lot of the time you just have to learn the words and say them."

The Ballymena-born actor admits that he's not the biggest fan of horror films, but feels that Outcast – already a hit at US festival South By Southwest – is several notches above the usual slasher fare.

"It's not a genre that I follow a huge amount but I think there is a new breed," he says. "I think this is cerebral and intelligent. There is, of course, a beast in it; there is gore in it; there is tension. It's scary, but there's also a good story backing it up, and a love story at the centre of it as well.

"I really enjoyed working with Katie. She's a very generous actor in that she understands the importance of listening as much as speaking, so I think that worked very well. She throws herself into the project which is something I like to do as well. We worked very well together – she's great."

The opportunity to work again with McCarthy, with whom he teamed up on Murphy's Law, was another deciding factor when signing up for Outcast.

"He is a very good director – very intelligent, original, inventive, very good with actors." says Nesbitt. "He had been writing the script for a long time with his brother (Tom] and the notion of doing a horror film had never necessarily appealed to me, but I thought the script was very strong and very cerebral and dark.

"The character was quite different in that he was someone who could be perceived as a baddie, but in a way he had what he thought was a noble quest to be part of the Shi, and have their powers. He had always felt on the outside, someone who had from maybe an early age got into dark arts, voodoo and witchcraft, and was kind of obsessed with it.

"I thought the notion of him trying to become obsessed with it and prepared to go to any extreme as in murder, mayhem or even the murder of his own offspring to somehow achieve these powers was interesting," he continues.

"It sounds kind of fantastical but also there was quite a human element to the story, bizarrely I thought. I thought it would be interesting to do, to play a psychotic character."

As someone best known for his television roles, what does the talented and charismatic actor prefer – film or TV work? "I don't think it's something about which you can make a choice," he says. "Some of the best stuff is shot on film for television, and we don't have a massive film industry here.

"I have no real preference, but even though I'm 45 you still think it's cooler to say you're doing a film, you know? Apart from that, in these difficult times, it's just nice to get work."

Getting work doesn't seem to be such a slog for Nesbitt right now. As well as Outcast, which has its UK premiere as part of the Edinburgh International Film Festival at the Cameo tomorrow, the in-demand actor stars alongside Gerard Butler and Vanessa Redgrave in Ralph Fiennes' upcoming adaptation of Coriolanus, and in Emilio Estevez's intriguing pilgrimage drama The Way – both of which will be at a cinema near you next year.

The married father-of-two, a former language student at the University of Ulster before taking up a full-time acting career, admits that when his career first took off he became a bit of an egomaniac.

"I thought I was God's gift to mankind and the greatest Irishman since George Best," he laughs. "I'm no pin-up. The more hair I lose, the more I think 'God, I have been very jammy to get this far'."

Nesbitt and many of his Outcast co-stars – who include Doctor Who star Karen Gillan and Edinburgh actress Hanna Stanbridge – will be on the Cameo's red carpet for Saturday's UK premiere, and the actor says that he loved filming in the Capital.

"I have filmed there before. It's such a fantastic city and we were filming in very interesting places like Dalkeith where a huge crowd came out – that was bizarre," he says. "People were great, and it was great filming in a place like Edinburgh because everyone was so welcoming.

"They celebrate the fact that people are going to film there, so it makes the process much more enjoyable."

Outcast, Cameo 1, Home Street, tomorrow, 10:30pm/Wednesday, 10:45pm, 8.50, 0131-623 8030

Jonathan Melville: Reel Time

NEW Festival, new opening night film, new venue. You've probably seen the photos of the great and the good, including Sir Sean, Britt Ekland and Jason Isaacs, arriving at the Festival Theatre on Wednesday night to celebrate the launch of the 64th Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF).

If you were lucky, you perhaps even watched Sylvain Chomet's animated tale, The Illusionist. If so, you'll know that while the script may be both funny and sad, the star of the piece is actually the city around us, Edinburgh rarely looking so beautiful on the big screen. Forget Google Maps, this is the way I want to remember Auld Reekie in my mind's eye.

This week also saw a number of other films make their debut at the EIFF, most notably for me Gareth Edwards' sci-fi/romance/drama Monsters and the documentaries Girl with the Black Balloons and The People vs George Lucas.

While Monsters features a young couple slowly falling for each other against a backdrop of 100 foot tall creatures from space, it's script partially improvised by actors Scoot McNairy and Whitney Able. Black Balloons tells of an artist living in New York's Chelsea Hotel who has worked on her portfolio all her life but never exhibited it, instead living amongst it and sleeping on a garden recliner to save space. The People vs... is an affectionate look at the Star Wars creator from those who love and hate him the most: his fans.

All three films show the diversity of the EIFF in a year which is encouraging us to take a chance on unknown features.

Of course, taking a chance can have its pitfalls, my biggest disappointment so far being The Last Rites of Ransom Pride. Fooled by a great title and cast including Dwight Yoakam, Peter Dinklage and Scott Speedman, this was a shallow, over-stylised caper with no redeeming features, most of it so murky and dark that it was impossible to tell what was happening.

Still, you win some, you lose some. Here's to another week of searching for a surefire classic...

Follow my EIFF blog at www.edinburghnews.com/reeltime

MUST-SEE AT THE EIFF

Top 5 Films

The People vs George Lucas

Saturday 19 June, 15.30 Cineworld

Fans from around the globe offer their insights into the work and methods of George Lucas, the man who brought the much revered Episodes IV, V and VI to cinemas as well as the almost universally-loathed Episodes I, II and III. Is Lucas a creative genius or a monomaniacal businessman? You decide.

Winter's Bone

Saturday 19 June, 20.15 & Sunday 29 June, 15.45 Filmhouse 1

Forced to go in search of her drug addicted father who has put the family home up as bond, we follow Ree (Jennifer Lawrence) through a rural community damaged by a strong drug culture. Co-starring the always-excellent Garret Dillahunt, this could be a tough watch but the early buzz has been positive.

Outcast

Saturday 19 June, 22.30 & Wednesday 23 June, 22.45 Cameo 1

James Nesbitt stars in this Edinburgh-set horror with echoes of the classic An American Werewolf in London, as a young couple come into contact with some very strange people on a local housing estate.

Gravity (Schwerkraft)

Thursday 24 June, 17.45 & Friday 25 June, 15.45, Cineworld

This psychological drama from Germany has been winning awards around Europe and tells of a bank teller whose life changes when a customer shoots himself in front of him, leading to a dark odyssey between worlds.

Barry Munday

Monday 21 June, 21.35 & Tuesday 22 June, 21.45 Cineworld

With a cast including Cybill Shepard, Malcolm McDowell and Patrick Wilson, this comedy tells of a man forced to grow up and choose between women and his job after an accident. Very odd, and one for adults only.

Top 5 events

Behind the Scenes

Friday 18 June, 14.15 Cineworld

An introduction to the hidden secrets of filmmaking from some of the leaders in their field. This should be a fascinating afternoon.

Free for All?

Saturday 19 June, 13.00 INSPACE on Crichton Street

To download or not to download? This talk will allow debate and discussion on the hot topic of illegal movie downloading and filesharing with a panel of experts.

Graham King: Variety Interview

Saturday 19 June, 15.00 Cineworld

Hollywood producer Graham King, originally from London but now a high flier across the pond, discusses the highs and lows of his long career in what promises to be a fascinating event.

After the Wave: Discussion Event

Sunday 20 June, 16.00 Cineworld

A chance to hear leading filmmakers discuss the health of the nation's filmmaking, a talk which ties into the EIFF's Retrospective featuring a number of "lost" films from the archives. The talk will be aired on Radio 4 at a later date.

BAFTA Scotland

Interview: Sir Patrick Stewart

Monday 21 June, 17.30 Cineworld

Best known as Star Trek: The Next Generation's Jean-Luc Picard and X-Men's Xavier, Sir Patrick Stewart beams down to the Cineworld to discuss in person his film, TV and theatre career which has seen him become a household name around the world.