TWO TIMES TROUBLE: Rhys Ifans, front, and Joseph Fiennes face life on the dark side in Rancid Aluminium.

TAKE a top Welsh novelist, a handful of Wales's most exciting young film talents, add locations from Penarth to Poland and you have the complex chemical equation for Rancid Aluminium.

The film of Cardiff writer James Hawes's anarchic second novel, with a screenplay written by Hawes himself, was shooting in and around South Wales in December before heading off to eastern Europe at the beginning of this month.

Rancid Aluminium is directed by Ed Thomas, writer of House of America. Its impressive cast is headed by rising Welsh star Rhys Ifans who, since Twin Town, has been working with the likes of Meryl Streep, Julia Roberts, John Hurt and Hugh Grant.

Joining Ifans on location in Cardiff Bay, Penarth and Barry Island, was Brassed Off star Tara Fitzgerald, TV presenter-turned actress Dani Behr and Sadie Frost of Dracula fame.

Steven Berkoff (A Clockwork Orange), Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love, younger brother of Ralph), Keith Allen (aka Fat Les) and young Welsh actor on the way up, Cardiff's Andrew Howard, were also on set.

Rancid Aluminium charts the misadventures of Pete, a downtrodden young businessman played by Ifans.

Speaking on a dark and dank grey winter day on location at Penarth's Belle Vue Bowling Green, James Hawes explained, "Pete, who is 30 going on 17, works for his father, But then his father dies, the firm goes bankrupt and he discovers he has a low sperm count. Within 15 minutes of the film he's skewered to the floor.

"His only salvation is an Irish accountant (Fiennes) who has come across some idiot Russians with more money than sense who will bail him out. But, of course, the deal is good to be true because they turn out to be the Russian Mafia wanting a western firm to use for money-laundering."

Hawes admitted he was thriving on his first screenwriting project.

"My first novel, White Merc With Fins, was taken up by a production company, but still hasn't been filmed. Ed wanted to make a film and I wanted to make a film where I had more direct involvement. I also liked the idea of getting more feedback from scriptwriting than you get from a novel."

Directing his first film, Ed Thomas, a butcher's son from Ystradgynlais, is another who likes to challenge stereotypes.

"People always try to categorise you as a writer or a director or a producer or whatever," he said. "I just think I am all three at different times and I'm really happy to be a director now."

Disappointed that no Welsh money had been invested in Rancid Aluminium, Thomas was nonetheless proud of its Welsh credentials.

"We've a Cardiff-based writer and director, a Welsh lead and a wonderful crew. I think that's great. It's still a low-budget film, but if we can compete with the Americans, then that's great. And to attract this kind of cast to Wales is good."

It may have been cold, the light fading fast and Polish temperatures of minus 12°C looming, but the atmosphere on set in between takes was almost as anarchic as the script itself, with plenty of banter and at least one flash of a celebrity bum near the mobile canteen.

Exuding the excitement of an actor back among his own after filming several high budget movies back-to-back, including Dancing at Lughnasa and the Four Weddings sequel, Notting Hill, Rhys Ifans enthused, "The script is brilliant, the part is excellent. It's great making a film in Cardiff. I've worked with half the crew on other productions in Wales and from day one it's been an intensely pleasurable experience."

He insisted that his recent rubbing of shoulders with some of Hollywood's biggest names had not changed him - yet - and would still like to work in his native Welsh.

"It's just been a pleasure to work with such quality actors. The whole success and stardom thing hasn't touched me because I have been working non-stop. I haven't had time to go about being flash yet."

- Rhodri Owen