In The Critic, Academy Award nominee Sir Ian McKellen (The Lord of the Rings, The Good Liar) plays Jimmy Erskine, a powerful 1930s London theater critic for The Daily Chronicle. That is, until his career in the newspaper is suddenly challenged by the new man in power, David Brooke (Mark Strong). Different from his father who originally ran the paper and hired Erskine as a critic, Brooke isn’t fond of the writer’s sharp comments, especially when they are targeted toward a young actress called Nina Land (Gemma Arterton). To keep his post, Erskine must use Brooke’s affection for Land to his advantage, promising the actress to only publish positive comments on her work moving forward if she maintains an affair with Brooke.  Also co-starring Lesley Manville (Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris), this suspenseful thriller threads through a web of lies and the tug of war for power becomes messy, with deadly consequences.