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The Critic (2024)

Movie"Ambition seduces. Power corrupts."
Audience Score
52
Review Score
55
The CriticApple TV logoWatch on Apple TV
R 1 hr 41 minSep 13th, 2024Thriller, Drama, Crime, Mystery
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London, 1934. Jimmy Erskine (McKellen) 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 newspaper dies, and his son David Brooke (Strong) 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 struggling actress Nina Land (Arterton), entangling them and Brooke in a thrilling but deadly web of desire, blackmail and betrayal.
StarringIan McKellenGemma ArtertonMark Strong
DirectorAnand Tucker
WriterPatrick Marber

The Critic Review

‘The Critic’ Buries an Attempt at a Thriller in Mostly Bland, Sleepy Melodrama. While Ian McKellen and the rest of the cast do what they can with their characters, the film around feel more like it belongs on small screens rather than big.

Opening in theaters on September 13th, ‘The Critic’ adapts Anthony Quinn’s novel ‘Curtain Call’ for the story of a legendary (and legendarily hard to please) theatre critic who looks to escape irrelevance by cooking up a blackmail scheme. Yet despite boasting a quality cast anchored by British National Treasure Ian McKellen, the movie surrounding them feels like a lackluster effort more at home on PBS than up against big screen thrillers.

Movie Details

Theatrical Release:September 13th, 2024 - Buy Tickets
On Digital & Streaming:October 29th, 2024 - Watch Now
Movie Box Office Gross:$824,517 (Worldwide)
Original Language:English
Executive Producers:Tom Butterfield, Naomi George, Luke Scrase, Anand Tucker, Patrick Marber, Harry White, David Gilbery, Mark Gordon, Beth Pattinson
Production Companies:BK Studios, Seven Stories, Greenwich Entertainment
The Critic on the Web:Facebook, Official Website, Instagram, Twitter
Movie Tags:
murder1930sblackmaildeceptiontheatreactressstage actresscritic