The Combination Gets The Sequel Treatment

By Erin Free

“You can never be prepared for certain material,” multi-tasker, George Basha, tells FilmInk. “Especially material that brings home some real truths. I believe that this film will really push through some hard truths.” The Sydney based actor, writer, and director would certainly know, as he speaks from his own rich, hard-scrabble experience. Basha was the driving force behind the controversial 2009 Australian drama, The Combination, and the new film that he’s talking about is its sequel, which is tentatively titled The Hard Road. A true outsider, Basha got his script for The Combination through to veteran actor, David Field (Chopper, Two Hands, The Secret Daughter), via unconventional means. Looking to off-load a second-hand car, Field put the feelers out for a buyer. He found one, and that man just happened to be a friend of a young, aspiring screenwriter called George Basha, who was earning a living as a panel beater in Sydney’s west.

A keen soccer player, Basha had broken his leg twice on the field and, while laid up at home, had started writing a script based on his experiences growing up in the suburbs of Guildford and Parramatta. Impressed by the script, Field and Basha helped to finance the film, with Field eventually making his directorial debut. Basha also took the lead in the film as John, who returns home after a stint in prison determined to turn his life around and provide a guiding hand to his younger brother, Charlie (Firass Dirani before Underbelly made him a major star), who is hovering dangerously around the edges of the criminal element in the Lebanese-Australian community of Guildford.

Following warm reviews, this tough, gritty, but deeply sensitive film made a big splash in the mainstream media. During some cinema screenings, this tale of multicultural youth (something of a rarity upon its release) was accompanied by fighting and minor bursts of violence. There were, significantly, just a few minor incidents, as opposed to the full scale riots that media reports suggested. In response, The Combination was pulled from select cinemas, quickly derailing what had been a highly successful opening period. By the time the film was returned to theatres after the cinema chains’ decision was questioned, the damage had already been done. “Our screen averages were as good as The Dark Knight, and with averages that high, we really expected it to flow on,” David Field told FilmInk after the film’s release. “They had no right to take the film off. We might have had grounds legally, but how are you going to take on a big chain like that? It had a lot to do with the amount of Arabic kids that were walking into the cinema to see the film; it was about more than that one single cinema. The police reported that it was nothing to do with the film. Why take the film off? Let’s be honest – if it was Rocky, would they have taken it off?”

Basha and Field, however, were hardly deterred by the controversy that bubbled and boiled around The Combination. They reteamed for the tough-as-nails 2014 prison drama, Convict, and have just finished shooting on their initial collaboration’s sequel. “I never intended on making a sequel, although I had a lot of fans asking if I was ever going to,” Basha tells FilmInk. “When I made The Combination, I had something to say that was important and close to my heart. Then one day I was watching the news, and seeing all the issues that we have not only in Australia but around the world, an idea came to me. I felt exactly like I did with the first one: I had the passion to say something. I’d never really had any discussions about a sequel, it was just my decision. The material is so relevant, and the sequel can also be watched as a stand-alone film, but if you’ve seen the first film, you will see the continuation.”

As with Convict, Basha joins David Field as director, with the two functioning as an unlikely behind-the-camera duo. “It’s the third time that David and I have worked together,” Basha says. “We have this great bond and understanding and so much trust in what we are out to achieve. With every project, we just feel more and more energised. We know what we want and we prepare so well for it. But this was by far the toughest film that me and David have made. The weather was a huge factor, plus not only did I play the lead, I also produced, did the stunt choreography, and dealt with issues that would arise every day. I re-wrote certain scenes during shoot, and location managed, so our hands were full. But to be honest, I love the pressure. I thrive on it.”

And once again, Australia’s film funding bodies were not on the list of must-see people for Basha and Field when they were seeking to raise money to get the sequel happening. “I went through private investment, just like I have for my past two features,” Basha says. “This was a project where I wanted and needed full control. David and myself love the freedom to make the film that we envision.” That film finds Basha’s John at a low ebb. In a deep hole after the death of his brother (which served as the crushing denouement of The Combination), this strong, decent, but deeply troubled man only feels at home in the local gym, where he continues to work with the seen-it-all Wes (Tony Ryan). Things then take an even darker turn. “John is put into situations that are out of his control,” Basha says. “That helps him find himself and his place in society.”

Currently in the editing suite working on a cut of the film, Basha is shooting for a release later this year. “We really want a theatrical release, as we believe that the film not only has a huge fan base, but also that it’s a film that will stand on its own two feet. People in Australia don’t get treated to films like this very often. We really want to make sure that this film is given enough promotion. We want to make sure that people know its release dates. We won’t be rushing a release.”

 The Hard Road (aka The Combination 2) will be released later this year. Stay tuned for more on the film.