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The Critic
Australian Premiere
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The Critic

An all-star cast lead this wickedly mischievous reimagining of Anthony Quinn’s novel Curtain Call. The year is 1936. As the new steward of London’s Daily Chronicle, David Brooke (the always superb Mark Strong) seeks to revive the financially troubled newspaper. Enter Jimmy Erskine (a brilliant Sir Ian McKellen) the Daily Chronicle’s most famous and feared theatre critic of the age and a young actress, Nina Land (the sublime Gemma Arterton) who is devastated by Jimmy’s recent negative review of her performance.

Whilst the three may have little in common at first, things change as WWII looms with fascism on the rise, the three become entangled in a whodunnit entering a devilish pact as their strange triangle of deception weaves tighter, culminating in a devastatingly deadly web of blackmail and betrayal. Treading the boards with a scintillating tale of ambition and deceit, The Critic brims with five-star intrigue propelled by a killer cast offering a cunning reminder that the pen is truly mightier than the sword.

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2023 | 93 mimn | UK | Drama
Director: Anand Tucker
Cast: Ian McKellen, Gemma Arterton, Mark Strong, Ben Barnes, Alfred Enoch, Romola Garai and Lesley Manville
This is the Ian McKellen show and he makes Jimmy simultaneously despicable, understandable and wholly entertaining
The Wrap

Festivals and Awards

OFFICIAL SELECTION
Toronto International Film Festival, 2023