Transfusion  ★★★

FORMER Australian rugby league player Matt Nable isn’t a name synonymous with cinema.

But he made an impact by writing the first film he also starred in, 2007’s The Final Winter, and a procession of tough guy roles since.

Apart from that debut, one of his performances was bikie gang boss Nuck in the under-rated drama 1% released in 2017.

His new film, Transfusion, is another hard-nosed drama that also marks his directorial debut.

Sam Worthington returned to Australia from his extended Avatar duties to play the lead role, Ryan, a former soldier and single father struggling to deal with civilian life and a rebellious teenage boy.

Ryan’s attempts to stay on the straight and narrow are challenged by the sudden need for urgent money which brings him back into contact with his ex-commander Johnny, played by Nable.

Johnny does ‘security-type’ jobs for private clients and gets the unquestioning Ryan to assist him. The ramifications of the job are life-threatening for both men.

It’s a pretty standard action thriller which is elevated to a degree by the presentation of the central relationship and believable acting from Worthington and Nable as two desperate men who may never fit back into normal society.

Watched on Stan