Common Sense Media Review
By Kat Halstead
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Australian crime drama has strong language and violence.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 16+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Lone Wolf
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
In LONE WOLF, environmental activists Conrad (Josh McConville) and his girlfriend Winnie (Tilda Cobham-Hervey), plot small-scale, non-violent protests from their underground adult video store. When Conrad is convinced to plot a "victimless atrocity" to disrupt the G20 summit, he becomes intangibly linked to the police and state officials with devastating consequences.
Is It Any Good?
Great effort has gone into the style of this Australian crime drama involving police and state corruption, and environmental activism. Lone Wolf's action is almost exclusively seen through a secondary lens -- whether CCTV footage or cellphone cameras -- creating a strong visual stamp and a different slant on the found-footage approach. But this also creates an additional barrier, keeping the characters at arm's length, and results in a slow-moving plot -- particularly in the first half.
The film channels current day socio-political debates and concerns about surveillance states into a crime drama that never quite musters much of a sense of urgency or scale. The performances are solid but often lackluster with characters suffering from being underdeveloped in some cases. Overall, it's a film of style over substance, which offers an eventual payoff (however predictable) for those willing to see it through, but drags its feet longer than necessary in the process.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how Lone Wolf portrayed environmental activism. Were the activists sympathetic or did they go about things in the wrong way? What other ways are there to protest about climate change and other environmental issues?
Talk about the strong language used. Did it seem necessary or excessive? What did it contribute to the movie?
Discuss the violence in the movie. Did the violent scenes help tell the story in an effective way? Was it shocking or thrilling? Does exposure to violent media desensitize kids to violence?
How did the film represent disability? How did it compare to other depictions you may have seen in movies? Why is representation important? How does that help with how people living with physical disabilities are seen in society?
Movie Details
- In theaters : September 24, 2021
- On DVD or streaming : September 24, 2021
- Cast : Tilda Cobham-Hervey , Josh McConville , Chris Bunton
- Director : Jonathan Ogilvie
- Inclusion Information : Female Movie Actor(s)
- Studio : Gravitas Ventures
- Genre : Drama
- Topics : Activism , Family Stories ( Siblings )
- Run time : 99 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : September 29, 2025
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