The Critic

In 1934 London, the theatre critic Jimmy Erskine (Ian McKellen) is a force to be reckoned with, delighting in scathing reviews that leave actors quaking in their boots. When his boss wants him to tone it down, Erskine strikes a Faustian pact with a struggling actress, Nina Land (Gemma Arterton), entangling them and the boss in a deadly web of desire, blackmail, and betrayal. As the stakes escalate, Erskine's own demons come back to haunt him in a thrilling game of cat and mouse that ends in murder and mayhem.