The Combination was for me, a refreshing surprise of a flick, initially banned, I believe, which would of been such an injustice, as it would deprive movie goers of what is a first rate, independent flick, directed by acting great, Field. This film and it's ferocity, really surprised me, it was that engrossing. It's one film I just couldn't turn off, and finish watching the next day. Not many films focus on the Lebanese community, and here racism still runs high in the inner suburbs of Sydney. An older brother has just got out of the joint. There's much conflict between him and little brother (Firass Dirassi) who's heavily mixed up in crime, where he's heading in the same direction. Not only this, but he's clashing with another student, not Lebanese, at high school over a girl, where a small gang war breaks out. This movie is more take the gloves off high school flick, which can really show what happens with two cultures clash, and the tragic results can culminate. For me, Dirassi's fate was pretty mapped up, where I knew it wasn't gonna end well for him. There's many lessons illustrated in this film, where The Combination is one of the most impressive and searing Aussie films I've seen, and one that must be seen. The same can be said about explosive new talent, Dirassi. Thank you Mr Field, where you've now impressed me as a movie maker.

This film comes oh so very close to being a genuine attempt at Australian urban drama but its let down by absolutely awful acting on behalf of one or two actors that really distracts from some amazing acting and genuinely menacing Zeus and some hugely over choreographed fight scenes that belong in a Hollywood shot em up action flick not in a realistic urban drama. the other problem is that Australia has many different types of youth gang from the traditional American/English types to biker and surfer gangs the main reason why these youths are involved in gangs and thug lifestyle is not to do with poverty and horrible circumstances (although I'm sure that is the case some of the time) the vast majority of it seems to be bored teens replicating what they see on TV and hear in rap music in fact most of the people in this movie come from beautiful suburban neighbourhoods drive nice cars and have expensive clothes they come across as obnoxious posers who have no sense of national identity which is of course the point of the film anyway but you just cant help feel thats its pointless to point a camera at a group of rich kids who live in paradise and say "look their pretending to ghetto kids" because everyone accept them can see it anyway and one day their going to look back and cringe at how they used to behave if they're mature enough and mange to survive the little world they've created. thankfully there is more to the story than that, there's racial tension which oddly isn't usually a component of an urban drama so in itself could of been ground braking but its weighed down too heavily by the main clichéd urban drama story of big brother former hood sees little brother going down same route which lead him to jail and must delve in to save his brother (bullet boy, green street, American history X) in short this wants to stand up next to the big boys of the genre (Boyz N The Hood, Menace 2 Society, Babylon, Bullet Boy, La Haine, City Of God, Tribu) but in the end is overly choreographed badly acted and in the end doesn't really have a lot to say about what is probably the most civilised western nations problems of young suburban Asian Australian men imitating black American/British men whilst using race as a subplot (which in itself seems like a total hypocrisy) still worth a look to see a real side of Australia that is scarcely represented on screen and does leave you hoping the Australian film makers realise there are story's to be told in the suburbs with real people in real circumstances and despite what Australia thinks the rest of the English speaking world have no problem understanding their accents and dialects we watch neighbours, home and away, prisoner cell block H, chopper, mad max and much more just as much as we do home grown material and frankly its an insult to our intelligence and to Australians themselves to think otherwise.

When Australia makes any dramas set in the burbs they generally always have the feel of being written by someone with not only a separation from suburban life but utter contempt for it as well. The characters are flagrant stereotypes, the dialogue has the feel it was written by a 5 year old trying to sound tough and the stories always generally deal with the idea that growing up in the burbs gives you 2 opportunities. Mundane blue collar jobs or pursuing criminal enterprise.While the combination does include the final element in it's story, it does not offer it as the only choice for the burbs either. And it skillfully shows that each person has a choice and must take responsibility for their actions.Well written, starring an amazing cast and finally giving a sense of realism to suburban life in Australia, The Combination is a great film.Being a Sydney 'westie' I can't get over the aspect of dialogue in this film. Finding an Australian film that does not come across as a parody in the way characters interact with each other is nearly impossible. Even within a great film like Two Hands if you watch the movie again note the absence of free flowing dialogue that feels real. This film has it down pat. The characters seem undeniably real. George Basha has done a great job. Let's hope he is not a one trick pony and can use his skills for further great Australian films in the future.

This is a little Aussie movie that packs a punch. With a not particularly original storyline (older brother gets out of jail and tries to stop younger brother from going down the gangs - drugs – crime – jail path, a la "American History X"), the film puts the story in a Lebanese-Australian context. These Lebanese have a Christian background yet are still treated as aliens by the Anglos. Not surprisingly gangs form and are exploited by local criminals (the police, by the way, are pretty well on the sidelines).What gives the story its power is the mapping out of the relationship of the older brother, former pro boxer John (George Basha) with his errant sibling Charlie (Firasss Dirani), and the effect of external pressures on their bond. John also develops an emotional relationship with a beautiful Anglo girl, Sydney, (Clare Bowen) but this is mild compared for the feelings he has for his family. There is plenty of headline stuff here, knifings in the street, drive-by shootings, teenage drug-dealing (cocaine seems to be the drug of choice these days) set against TV footage of our very own race riots at Cronulla in 2005.The ending, however, is not quite the disaster one might have expected.One interesting question raised is: just what are Aussie values anyway? John as a migrant kid finds that his Lebanese relatives see him as an Australian, while fellow pupils see him as Lebanese. His Anglo girlfriend's father spouts the assimilationist line, but by the end Sydney seems to have gone over to the Lebanese side. Charlies' school is an ethnic battleground and relationships between the ethnic groups do not seem to be improving. John, however, shows every sign of climbing out of the mire and the film ends on a hopeful note.David Field, a veteran character actor who specializes in downtrodden ocker types, has as a first time director come up with the aid of George Basha's script with a colorful, noisy dramatic, and yet authentic, story. He is aided by some standout performances from his leads and from a goodly number of not well-known but talented and experienced actors in some of the key supporting roles roles,. Doris Younane as John and Charlies' widowed mum Mary, John Brumpton as Sydney's dad and Michael Denkha as the local crime boss are particularly good, and the cinema photography and editing are first rate, though as I saw it screened there was a peculiar flicker.The script is pretty crisp, but some of the characters could have done with a little more of their back story. How did Zeus the gang leader (the burly Ali Haidler, very convincing) get to be such a menace, for instance? What happened to John and Charlie's dad? There was also a surprising gap in the storyline when, about a third of the way through the gang is involved in the knifing of another student. They flee the scene but are arrested by the cops at gunpoint. In the next scene Charlie is free as if nothing has happened, and there is no further reference to the incident.Even so, this is a bright start to Aussie movies for 2009, and the kerfuffle over it being withdrawn from some cinemas will have given it some much-needed publicity. Compared with "Underbelly", for example, this is a very honest piece of work.