First he made his name playing indie music icon Ian Curtis in the critically-acclaimed movie Control.

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Now he's following in the footsteps of screen legend Richard Attenborough in a remake of classic British film Brighton Rock.

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Riley has taken on the role of Pinkie Brown, the razor-wielding hoodlum memorably brought to life by Attenborough in the 1947 original.

And the 29-year-old jokily admits he is loving getting to grips with a character who has a genuinely nasty streak.

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"I'm relishing being unpleasant, with a scar on my face, a bottle of acid in my pocket and a flick knife," he said. "I'm in heaven!"

Riley spent time working in a warehouse and Meanwood's Primrose pub before Control shot him to Bafta nomination fame in 2007.

His fellow cast members on Brighton Rock include Dame Helen Mirren and Andrea Riseborough, who won plaudits for her portrayal of the young Margaret Thatcher in BBC drama The Long Road To Finchley.

Like the original film, it is based on Graham Greene's novel – but its action unfolds in the Brighton of the mid-1960s rather than the 1930s and is set against the backdrop of the seaside town's infamous Mods versus Rockers clashes.

The film is due for release next year.

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