What weight should one assign to the critic? Enormous, if there is any truth to what is contained in this searing period drama cum thriller.
We are in London in 1934.
For 40 years, Jimmy Erskine (Ian McKellen) has been the chief drama critic of The Daily Chronicle newspaper.
Arrogant and entitled, he is noted for his poisoned pen, which he wields as a sword of honour.
Such is his power that he can make or break careers.
Jimmy is gay, drinks like a fish and has a young male assistant, Tom (Alfie Enoch).
An actress who has been trying to win his favour for a decade is Nina Land (Gemma Arterton) and yet inevitably she has merely received his vitriol.
After yet another scathing review of her latest performance, her mother Annabel (Lesley Manville) encourages Nina to confront Jimmy in person, which she does.
Then, on the eve of another show opening, in which she is the lead, Nina is a nervous wreck and asks Jimmy for advice.
Little does she know it, but in time he will use their association to instigate a notorious plan, for, in the background, The Daily Chronicle is undergoing change.
The former owner, who first employed Jimmy, has passed away and his son, David Brooke (Mark Strong) has assumed control.
Brooke is out to reinvigorate the paper and Jimmy is far from safe because of the venom in his writing and the way he conducts himself personally.
When Jimmy appears cornered, he uses Nina, who is desperately chasing fame and acclamation, in a sordid game that will have dire consequences.
The Critic is a reimagining of Anthony Quinn’s novel Curtain Call.
It is a compelling piece of work, written by Patrick Marber (Notes on a Scandal) and directed by Anand Tucker (When Did You Last See Your Father?).
It is very well written and executed.
A strong sense of exploitation is its stock in trade. It deals with picking soft spots and turning the screws to breaking point.
It reminded me of the quote attributed to 19th century British politician Lord Acton, namely “power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.
Ian McKellen delivers one of the performances of his long and storied career. As Jimmy, he is expressive and vituperative, seemingly with an answer for everything.
Gemma Arterton is demonstrative as Nina Land. She is vulnerable and driven to succeed at all costs.
I appreciated the production values and period detail in The Critic, in which
the tangled web of deceit and blackmail makes for thrilling entertainment.
Rated M, it scores an 8½ out of 10.
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