The Combination, an Australian film set during the race riots in 2005 has been pulled from Greater Union cinemas in Sydney after fights broke out during screenings.

One of the fights was sparked by a smoking complaint. In another case a brawl in the foyer of a cinema reportedly involved four people with about 50 onlookers.

The film is controversial. It revisits a particularly troubling time when tensions between gangs of Australian Lebanese and white youths in Sydney's western suburbs sparked rioting. Some might consider the movie to be provocative or even an excuse for acting-out. But still this is no reason to pull it. It's a critically acclaimed film that addresses the problems associated with violence.

Australian film critic, David Stratton, calls the decision to pull the movie a 'knee-jerk reaction'. He said "It's akin to shooting the messenger. Good films are meant to provoke and challenge, and that is what this film does."

The Australian Film Syndicate (AFS) has called the decision to pull the film "unprecedented".

BBC news:

AFS managing director Allanah Zitserman said Greater Union's decision to pull the critically-acclaimed film was "devastating for everyone involved, especially for the audiences".

The Combination is still showing at Hoyts in NSW and the ACT; at Hoyts and Greater Union in Victoria and Queensland; and at Palace theatres in Victoria and NSW.

The Australian quotes a movie patron named Kamal Nassouh who attended a Hoyts screening as saying: "There's always fights after movies in these areas. It doesn't make sense that this one is taken off because there had been a few fights."

You can watch a trailer for The Combination here.