It certainly delivers.

This powerful and deeply affecting film pulls none of its punches.

Like the main character John, played by film scriptwriter George Basha, Field is clearly unafraid of what people might think about his portrayal of a Lebanese family struggling against the lure of violence and crime.

Recently freed from a two-year stint in prison, John returns home to find his younger brother falling into the violent life that landed him behind bars and is determined to see his sibling's future turn out differently.

So far, so standard.

Watch the film trailer for The Combination

But contrary to what Hollywood might have done to this tale of gangs, drugs, violence and very angry young men, the film steers away from any sentimentality.

Director of photography Toby Oliver's bleached suburban landscapes shimmer with the heat of the white-hot Australian sun and the simmering rage boiling just below the surface.

The two male leads are riveting - Basha's intense and unrelenting rage could power several small substations and there is no doubt doors are going to open for newcomer Firass Dirani who plays his younger brother Charlie with a heartbreaking blend of vulnerability and machismo.

The producers also struck gold with Ali Haidar, who plays gang leader Zeus and whose blistering rage at times makes him mumble but who delivers one of the most powerful moments in the film - an impressive effort.

Clearly at home with the angry stuff, Field fumbles a little with the romantic set-up, which feels awkward.

However, the chemistry builds between Basha and the object of his affection, Sydney, played by South Coast actor Clare Bowen, who likewise settles as the film progresses.

The film pulls up every popular justification for racially motivated violence and anger ever mouthed by yobs, radio shock jocks, social commentators, angry young people and moderate everyday Australians and lets it all hang out - which will make it uncomfortable viewing for many theatregoers.

Although the film certainly does not offer any clear-cut answers, the message is brutally clear - everyone has a choice.