ThrillerCrimeDramaMystery

The Critic

- Ambition seduces. Power corrupts.

Jimmy Erskine is the most feared theatre critic of the age. He lives as flamboyantly as he writes and takes pleasure in savagely taking down any actor who fails to meet his standards. When the owner of the Daily Chronicle dies, and his son takes over, Jimmy quickly finds himself at odds with his new boss and his position under threat. In an attempt to preserve the power and influence he holds so sacred, Jimmy strikes a Faustian pact with a struggling actress, entangling them and the boss in a thrilling but deadly web of desire, blackmail, and betrayal.

Release Date : 2024-09-13

Language :English

Adult : false

Status : Released

Production Company : BK StudiosSeven StoriesGreenwich Entertainment

Production Country : United Kingdom

Alternative Titles :

Cast

Character Name : Jimmy Erskine

Original Name : Ian McKellen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nina Land

Original Name : Gemma Arterton

Gender : Female

Character Name : David Brooke

Original Name : Mark Strong

Gender : Male

Character Name : Annabel Land

Original Name : Lesley Manville

Gender : Female

Character Name : Stephen Wyley

Original Name : Ben Barnes

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cora Wyley

Original Name : Romola Garai

Gender : Female

Character Name : Tom Tunner

Original Name : Alfred Enoch

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hugh Morris

Original Name : Ron Cook

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mary Brooke

Original Name : Claire Skinner

Gender : Female

Character Name : Graham Meadows

Original Name : Matthew Cottle

Gender : Male

Character Name : Freya

Original Name : Beau Gadsdon

Gender : Female

Character Name : Ferdy Harwood

Original Name : Nikesh Patel

Gender : Male

Character Name : Joan

Original Name : Rebecca Gethings

Gender : Female

Character Name : Dolly Langdon

Original Name : Éva Magyar

Gender : Female

Character Name : Slyfield

Original Name : Jay Simpson

Gender : Male

Character Name : Robbie

Original Name : Jacob James Beswick

Gender : Male

Character Name : Richard Pugh

Original Name : Nicholas Bishop

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lennie

Original Name : Albie Marber

Gender : Male

Character Name : Critic

Original Name : Grant Crookes

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mrs. Keefe

Original Name : Debra Gillett

Gender : Female

Character Name : Flamineo

Original Name : Jake Neads

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lodovico

Original Name : Griffin Stevens

Gender : Male

Character Name : Brachiano

Original Name : Joe Coen

Gender : Male

Character Name : Rowan

Original Name : Oliver Shaw

Gender : Male

Character Name : Lizzie

Original Name : Avye Leventis

Gender : Female

Character Name : Police Officer

Original Name : Tom Padley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Ivan Franklin

Original Name : Ed Madden

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gideon Lambert

Original Name : Jasper Britton

Gender : Male

Character Name : Mr. Morrisey

Original Name : Pearce Quigley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Blackshirt

Original Name : Nick Moss

Gender : Male

Character Name : Giovanni

Original Name : Tom Rouvray

Gender : Male

Character Name : Doctor Julio

Original Name : Louis Pieris

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cornelia

Original Name : Aisling Longshaw

Gender : Male

Character Name : Gasparo

Original Name : Magnus Gordon

Gender : Male

Character Name : Isabella / Viola

Original Name : Eleanor Wyld

Gender : Female

Character Name : Zanche

Original Name : Shanika Ocean

Gender : Male

Character Name : Oswald Mosley (uncredited)

Original Name : Ross Armstrong

Gender : Male

Character Name : Daphne (uncredited)

Original Name : Cara Ballingall

Gender : Male

Character Name : Critic (uncredited)

Original Name : Grant Crookes

Gender : Male

Character Name : Diana Guinness (uncredited)

Original Name : Libbi Fox

Gender : Male

Character Name : Private Members Club / Bar Patron (uncredited)

Original Name : Ty Hurley

Gender : Male

Character Name : Nurse (uncredited)

Original Name : Natalie Law

Gender : Male

Character Name : Wanda (uncredited)

Original Name : Colleen Neary McClure

Gender : Male

Character Name : Hospital PC (uncredited)

Original Name : James McNicholas

Gender : Male

Character Name : Family Mourner (uncredited)

Original Name : Tina Simmons

Gender : Female

Character Name : Stage Hand (uncredited)

Original Name : Jonathan Sparrow

Gender : Male

Character Name : Cafe Owner (uncredited)

Original Name : David Thrower

Gender : Male

Character Name : Distinguished Gentleman (uncredited)

Original Name : Paul Warwick

Gender : Male

Reviews

CinemaSerf

@Geronimo1967

2024-09-22

If you saw Sir Ian McKellen with fellow thesp Sir Derek Jacobi in the television sitcom "Vicious" from around ten years ago, you'll be able to anticipate the gist of his characterisation of the acerbic theatre critic "Erskine" who is way more famed for distributing bile rather than bouquets. His new boss (Mark Strong) wants the newspaper to appeal to an altogether more wholesome family audience and so wants him to tone things down a bit. "Yeah, right" thinks he - and then his own behaviour gets him into trouble with the police and given one month's notice from his job. Facing looming ignominy, he determines to get the lowdown on his ostensibly pure as the driven snow aristocratic proprietor and to that end recruits aspiring actress "Nina" (Gemma Arterton) of whom he has been much less than flattering in the past. Rather gullibly, she agrees to become a pawn in his manipulate game that leads to a series of misadventures and thence to a tragedy that maybe puts the role of opinionated curmudgeon into perspective. This starts of quite entertainingly with plenty of pith and ghastliness from the star, but very quickly it descends into an entirely far-fetched and rather disappointing affair (no pun intended) that plays to just about every stereotype as it rather sadly sets out to prove that the best bits are all in the trailers. At it's best, the writing does make you smile and writhe a little uncomfortably in your cinema seat, but for the most part it's just predicable with characters that it's fairly easy not to like - except, maybe, Alfred Enoch's factotum "Tom" whom at least starts off with some shred of human decency to counter "Erskine" and his selfishness. Ben Barnes shows he is ageing well but again hasn't really enough of a part to work with developing his lovestruck character and Strong is really anything but. It does look good, but it's too reliant on a shock factor that isn't so very original and that soon peters out.