Six stolen cars. Twelve young joyriders. The movie Accelerator crashed controversially on to Belfast cinema screens last night and, in a city blighted by the grim consequences of juvenile car theft, it is not being given an easy ride.

For a time it was uncertain whether the award-winning movie would ever be shown in Northern Ireland. Last December, the brakes were put on its release when Dana Fitzpatrick (28) and her son Kevin (8) were killed after being struck by a speeding stolen car as they crossed the Antrim Road in North Belfast, less than a mile from Yorkgate Cinema.

"When that happened I made a decision with the distributors, Clarence Pictures, to postpone the film, which at the time I had not seen," said Michael McAdam, owner of the cinema. "I felt it would be insensitive to relatives to screen it so close to where this senseless tragedy had occurred." He defended the decision to screen it now. "I am not a censor, I cannot tell people what to watch or what not to watch," he said, adding that the movie had been given a 15 certificate by British authorities.

This week, the mother of a 26-year-old man killed by the driver of a stolen car five years ago speculated that the film may inject glamour into what the RUC estimates is the hobby of choice for around 2,000 mostly young men in the greater Belfast area. Marguerite Gallagher said she was disgusted by the decision to screen it.

"The only people who will want to watch it will be other joyriders," she said, calling on cinemas to ban the film. Around 9,000 cars were stolen in the city last year and the head of the autocrime division of the RUC, Insp Liam Byrne, has expressed a personal concern that Accelerator could add credibility to car theft.

While the reaction is hardly surprising given the scale of the problem in Belfast - vast tracts of unpoliced wasteland in the west of the city have been a notorious playground for so-called joyriders - neither Insp Byrne nor Ms Gallagher had the benefit of seeing the film before making their comments.

It could be that the breathless pre-publicity material, which describes Accelerator as a tale of six stolen cars that "blaze a trail from Belfast on a wild journey of love and gunfire, promising to change 12 young lives forever", has not helped the movie's cause.

Meanwhile, those who have seen the film insist that, rather than encouraging crime, the film is likely to have the effect of dissuading youngsters from jumping behind the wheel of the first available stolen car.

"In no way does it glamorise joyriding," said Mr McAdam of the film, which recently completed a successful run in the Republic and won awards at Cannes last year. "It shows it for what it is - a lot of young people out for a good time that goes very badly wrong. It shows the horrors of joyriding and it is very clear from the film that those who take part pay a very high price for their kicks."

He called on concerned groups or individuals to view the film before condemning it.

THOSE behind the young people's film festival Cinemagic, who run anti-joyriding workshops in community centres and youth clubs around Belfast, agree. "We are planning to incorporate the viewing of Accelerator into these workshops because we believe it will put youngsters off joyriding," says Cinemagic's Outreach manager, Jude Sharvin.

The group currently uses another "joyriding" film, You, Me and Marly, as part of its outreach work. "The problem is hugely prevalent in Belfast," said Ms Sharvin. "The thing about Accelerator is that all the characters come to a sorry end as a result of their activities.

"There are horrific crashes and savage beatings. The message that innocent people are hurt through joyriding is particularly strong in the movie." Described by one critic as "both frightening and affectionately hilarious", the movie centres on a race between six "joyriders" from Dublin and six from Belfast along the M1. In one scene, two characters take an e-tab while going at 110 m.p.h.

In response to the controversy, writer and director Vinny Murphy said the film explored many issues involved in "joyriding" in a way that young people could relate to.

"If you make a film that preaches about joyriding you will be preaching to the converted or you will be laughed at by others," he said. Northern Ireland audiences can now make up their own minds.