The Combination

No one in this movie is worth mentioning. There is not alot of acting in this movie, just people acting like people. This movie occurs in Sydney, Australia. The movie centers around the Lebanese minority and recently arrived immigrants. Many of the youth have turned to gangs and selling drugs. Apparently they have chosen not to give life a chance before they toss it away. I have little sympathy for these types. I thought Australia was more stringent on who they allow in their country. I guess they are as foolish as America.

This gang consists of minorities, not just Lebanese.

One brother was just released from prison and the younger one is headed that way. I suppose it is better he has an N.W.A. and Tupac poster on his wall than Osama bin Ladin. Ice Cube makes better music than he did 20 years ago, but that is another story.

The older brother falls for a native female Australian. Obviously that generates a cultural clash. We have seen this before. The parents of the girl offer her an ultimatum, lose the brown skin boyfriend or move out of our nice home. The older brother does not have a place of his own, he works at a gym for a few hundred dollars a week. He did not have any where to live when he was released from prison.

The younger brother has prolems of his own. His friends have formed a gang and a couple are selling drugs for a local drug trafficker. They have obsene and intimidating haircuts illustrating they want to be seen and recognized. One carries a gun as well and is a menace to society. The older brother knows that his younger brother is headed no where fast and they argue about this issue on a number of occasions. The younger brother realizes his older brother is correct and was on the verge of jumping off the path to no where. But he sucked back into the mess when his older brother locates the $15000 worth of cocaine and has flushed it down the toilet. Not good. The older brother wins the subsequent physical confrontation but the problem still remains.

Before this occurs the younger brother's gangster friend shoots a white schoolmate at a club. This is a murder and he is promptly arrested. Racism resides in strength in Australia. This movie shows clips from the white rising up and pounding a few minorities for acting stupid at a beach several years ago. I remember seeing this on the news. This plotline involved some native Australian schoolmates in a rivalry opposed to the immigrants moving in and not assimilating. This same friction occurs in many countries. Including Las Angeles and certain other cities and countries. The French, English, and other western European countries have similiar concerns and have already faced race riots from minorities. Primarily from Arab immigrans who just do not get it, refuse to assimilate, and some have chosen to act like hooligans. The Europeans should not have allowed these folks in their country but they needed the labor. The US has allowed a large influx of Mexicans to perform the dirty and agriculture work but Mexicans are mostly Catholic and not that much different than the Pakistani and native English citizens for instance. I wish the USA would form a zero immigration policy unless the immigrant brings a trade, vital skill, and/or higher educational accomplishments to the table. 310,000,000 people is enough for us. Australia has tough standards but apparently there has been some miscalculations.

Back to the story. The older brother knows the situation is at a climax when the professional gangster shoots up his home with is bother and grandmother in the home. This is now Lebanese on Lebanese violence. Though the large muscle who works with this gangster appears to have some Pacific Islander in him. The older brother goes to the gym late at night to pound the bag-to release some steam. His supervisor, the gym owner, inquires about his frustration. He can see the distrurbed countenance. The older brother says he needs to come up with $15000. His manager agrees to lend him the money if he takes back the boxing license and boxes for the manager. The older brother states he will be the best boxer he has ever seen. Hence, the title, the combination refers to his quick hands.

They pay off the aggressive drug dealer and the older brother warns him to stay away from his family. The bad ass gangster does not take wind. Two days later, he drive by shoots the younger brother with a sawed off shotgun. He even has the temerity to make an appearance at the funeral. Audacity beyond comprehension. Even the devil would say that is bold.

The brother wanted to pound him there but his supervisor said not yet and stood in between them.

The only brother now goes home and loads his handgun up. He leaves, with his mother's blessing, but not his girlfriends. The latter, ofourse the latter, already has revealed she is pregnant. To her consternation, she is watching things quickly and possibly unravel. This is after the brother has unleashed his true feelings to her. She is a pretty blond, this is a wise decision. Why she has put herself in this position is always befuddled me? Just because he stuck up for her in a park which occured earlier in the film?

The living brother somehow knows where this violent prone drug dealer lives. He disarms him by sneaking up on him and sticking his gun to his face. The drug dealer has not made any friends in the neighborhood. He pleads to his neighbors to call the police. How ironic. Atlantis Morisette knows about that. His neighbors do not call the police but urge the brother to destroy this damnable human being. The brother puts the gun down and the drug dealer realizes he will have a chance with his fists to live on. No chance. The brother is a trained fighter. And he offers a fusillade of punches to this killers face. A bullet would have been more kind and humane. The neighbors are crowding around this event. One of them, the nearest neighbor is goading the brother on. The brother stops his flurry of devastating combinations, he is about 2-3 punches from probably mortal results, gets up, and hands the gun to the most vocal neighbor. The neighbors here are all white. Funny thing, the brother probably would have completed the mission if it was not for the nearby pressure. This reminds me sort of Training Day, when the gangbanger(s) refuses to shoot Ethan Hawk and tells Denzel Washington you have to handle your own business in that neighborhood and slides him a piece on the street pavement.

Not sure if the Australian resident will finish off this gangster. It would be murder if he did. But the neighbors know this clown is a clear and present danger to them all. The brother does not seem to consider that if the neighbors do not take this obvious baneful person out, a month later, this atrocious criminal could come after him. But I think he knows that the community has marked him and his predatory days in the area have concluded.

The brother returns home to his life as a professional boxer and father. His mother will have a grandchild. Evil was vanquished. Regarding his brother, his brother made harmful decisions and this almost cost him a loss of a family member. It did cost him his own life. The sad thing is, the dumbass mother may never fully forgive the oldest brother for not setting the best example for his younger brother. But where was the father? Did she run him off? She was not instrumental in their upbringing. She was hands off and naive. Being a single mother is tough though but blaming it on the older brother is repugnant though.

The movie had some good music and told a powerful story. Not much originality here though. Societies all over the world have experienced and are exeriencing this similiar cultural epidemic. It will persist, unfortunately.

I allocate this movie three stars.***