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"We ended up travelling outside Belfast to nearby Newtownards and Ballybean to find a more authentic Seventies look," recalls O'Callaghan. "And we had a clever art department.

"We were as authentic as possible throughout but where it became impossible, our designer Mark Lowry and our location manager Catherine Geary made sure that imagination and ingenuity took precedence."

O'Callaghan also praises Hirschbiegel's ability to work efficiently and skillfully to deliver scenes on a tight shooting schedule.

Neeson in particular had very little time to be able to give on set as he was also committing time to the production whilst preparing for other projects and promoting upcoming films, but with his commitment to the project and Hirschbiegel's speed of execution, the filming of crucial scenes felt effortless to onlookers.

"Oliver is a minimalist," says O'Callaghan. "Little fuss, little lighting, little tricksiness. His brain works fast and he anticipates problems. He runs a happy ship and isn't slow to praise and support people."

If anything was a concern, it was knowing that at some point two of Northern Ireland's most prominent and celebrated actors would have to enter the streets and film key scenes there. Crowd control and good production management were crucial at this juncture.

"The crowds were hugely responsive to both Jimmy and Liam; both of whom are local heroes. Huge crowds gathered for both stars," says O'Callaghan.