THE dramatic events of the Maze Prison escape of 1983 will be relived in a new movie set for release this summer. It's one of a number of projects west Belfast actor Martin McCann has been busy filming over the past few months.
Written and directed by Stephen Burke, Maze is produced by Brendan Byrne, who also produced Bobby Sands: 66 Days, in which McCann provided the voice over for the hunger striker.
Would he describe the new movie as a sequel? "Brendan, whose new George Best documentary has just been released, is one of the most talented film-makers in Northern Ireland. Maze isn't just about the escape, it's more about the aftermath of the Hunger Strike. It chronicles the fact that these men were let down as the Hunger Strike maybe didn't achieve what they wanted. They were morally down and felt they needed to do something to make a statement and let people know their spirits weren't dampened."
HM Prison Maze (also known as Long Kesh), was considered to be one of the most escape-proof jails in Europe. Prominent republicans, including Sinn Féin MLA Gerry Kelly and Brendan 'Bik' McFarlane who had been a spokesman for the hunger strikers during the 1981 Hunger Strike were among the escapees in the 1983 breakout. One prison officer died of a heart attack as a result of the escape; 20 others were injured.
McCann, who was born in 1983, admits he didn't know the detail about the escape, which to this day is the biggest jail breakout in British and Irish history.
"This was a real learning curve for me. I did hit the history books, but Stephen Burke's script alone was a real eye-opener."
He describes the movie as "factually true but with creative license". Regarding concerns that the film might paint the IRA prisoners as heroes, he says: "The good thing about the script of Maze is it's not a black-and-white script. That reflects life as sometimes the truth lies in the greyer areas. It doesn't paint one side as heroes and one side as villains – it's about what these men emotionally and mentally went through. It's more along the lines of [English director Steve McQueen's acclaimed 2008 film] Hunger, taking a more artistic look at things. It wasn't really about the events that took place, it more focused on the individuals in the circumstances.
"The Maze tries to let you make up your own mind as to who was right and who was wrong. I think by the end of the film it's done it's job. There was a lot of right things and a lot of wrong things going on at the same time."
McCann plays the role of Oscar, an Irish republican prisoner of Italian descent.
"Most of the characters in The Maze are given their real names, but some are fictitiously created – maybe they didn't get permission or they just needed to add more characters in [for dramatic reasons]. I understand Oscar is based on a real prisoner," explains McCann, who is himself of Italian descent through his grandfather George.
"Oscar is the OC [officer in command] of his wing and [senior IRA man] Larry Marley's right-hand man. Larry tries to get Oscar on board with this escape plan. As you watch the film you will see he is in two minds about this as he's getting information from other sources, saying that a failed attempt could be embarrassing."
The Maze was shot over a five week period in the recently decommissioned Cork Prison and also stars Irish actors Tom Vaughan-Lawlor (Love/Hate) and Barry Ward (Jimmy’s Hall).
"The prisoners were literally moved out just a week previously. We got the free run of the place and got to spend time alone in the cells and soak in what it would be like to spend time 'inside'. It's a very old prison and quite claustrophobic, which lended itself perfectly for recreating the Maze."
Laurence McKeown, former IRA hunger striker and founder of the Belfast Film Festival, was one of the advisers on the set of Maze.
"He advised in terms of what the prisoners would be wearing and details like the movement within the prison, which you would only know had you been there."
The 33-year-old actor, who first came to prominence in the late Richard Attenborough's 2007 wartime romance Closing The Ring, certainly isn't in danger of being typecast. He has played a wide range of roles including a US Marine in Steven Spielberg's Second World War movie The Pacific, U2 frontman Bono in music flick Killing Bono, an IRA gunman in the Bafta-nominated '71 and a recluse in the post-apocalyptic thriller The Survivalist.
This year sees him star in another naturally driven story, which he describes as "more exciting and not as glum as The Survivalist". Calibre is a psychological thriller, filmed in the Scottish Highlands, which tells the story of two best friends who go on a weekend hunting trip – but they stray off the beaten track and accidentally kill a child.
"One wants to admit what they've done, but the other talks his friend into burying the child. Then they go back to the small town where they rented the guns so as not to arouse suspicion and join the manhunt for the child they have killed."
In January McCann was part of the cast for the world's first live-streamed movie. Lost in London was written and starred Woody Harrelson, who found himself in a misadventure in London that winds him up in prison.
Also starring Owen Wilson and Willie Nelson, the live event, which was shot in London was broadcast live to 550 US movie theatres. It is now in post-production to be released as a feature film.
"It was a wonderful experience and a stroke of luck to get working with Woody and learn from him. He's a great guy and marvellous actor and to watch him work was a pleasure. He is as nice off screen as he is on screen. The whole experience was certainly unique, the best way that I can describe it is, theatre meets film. It was a hard thing to achieve, but he did it. It's a first for the industry," adds McCann, who would like to work in theatre in the next year.
Also in the pipeline is a new film penned by Boogaloo and Graham writer Ronan Blaney about Ballymoney motorcycle racing legend Joey Dunlop.
"It's very much at an early stage, but it will be a privilege to play Joey. If and when it all kicks off I will have to bite the bullet and get on a motorbike which I'm slightly afraid of," adds McCann, who starred in Blaney's earlier award-winning short.
