The Critic is worth seeking out primarily as a performance-led period thriller. Ian McKellen plays Jimmy Erskine, a viciously influential London theater critic whose position is threatened when a new newspaper owner takes control. He responds with blackmail, manipulation and murder, drawing a young actress into a dangerous campaign.
Directed by Anand Tucker and written by Patrick Marber, the film is a dark 1930s London drama about criticism as power: who gets to judge, who can be destroyed by reputation, and what happens when private secrets become professional weapons. It is not a documentary, despite appearing on a documentary-focused site; it is a fictional adaptation of Anthony Quinn’s 2015 novel Curtain Call.
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What is The Critic about?
Jimmy Erskine is the feared drama critic of the Daily Chronicle. His reviews can make or break careers, and he has built a position of authority by combining intelligence with cruelty. When David Brooke inherits control of the newspaper, he plans to change its direction and remove Erskine from power.
Erskine does not challenge Brooke openly. Instead, he looks for a vulnerability he can exploit. Nina Land, a struggling actress who has already suffered from Erskine’s criticism, becomes part of his scheme. What begins as professional retaliation develops into a chain of coercion, sexual secrecy, social exposure and murder.
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The film is therefore not structured primarily as a conventional detective investigation. Its central question is less “Who committed the crime?” than “How far will people go to control the story told about them?” Newspapers, theatrical reviews, whispered scandals and police suspicions all become competing versions of reality.
Plot and ending explained (spoilers)
Jimmy Erskine uses Nina Land to attack David Brooke after Brooke threatens his position at the newspaper. Nina’s anger at Erskine gives him leverage, while Brooke’s private life creates the kind of secret that can damage a powerful man in 1930s London. Erskine turns professional criticism into personal blackmail, manipulating the people around him while attempting to preserve his own status.
The resulting murders and betrayals do not transform Erskine into a heroic antihero. They reveal the logic of his character: he treats people as instruments, reputations as disposable and truth as something that can be edited by whoever controls the most influential platform. The title is deliberately ironic. Erskine spends his life passing judgment on others, yet his own vulnerability is exposed through the same systems of judgment he has used against actors and colleagues.
The conclusion is best understood as a moral collapse rather than a clean victory for one side. Even when the immediate threat changes, the structures that enabled Erskine’s power remain visible: an industry dependent on approval, a newspaper capable of destroying lives, and a society in which sexuality, class and prejudice make certain people especially vulnerable.
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The film’s main themes
Criticism as power
Erskine’s reviews are not simply opinions about theater. They are instruments of control. An actor’s career, a newspaper’s influence and a private citizen’s social standing can all be altered by the right public judgment. The film asks whether a critic can claim intellectual authority while using that authority vindictively.
That idea gives the story its strongest dramatic irony: Erskine is comfortable reducing performers to performances, but he is also performing a role himself. His cultivated voice and theatrical confidence conceal fear about losing his job, his social position and control over his own story.
Secrets, sexuality and social vulnerability
The 1930s setting is important because private behavior can carry consequences far beyond embarrassment. The period’s anti-queer laws and social conformity make exposure potentially ruinous, while professional and class hierarchies determine whose accusations are believed. These pressures are historical context for the fiction, not evidence that the film is a documentary reconstruction of a specific case.
Prejudice and the rise of Fascism
Festival coverage also places the story alongside anti-Black prejudice and the rise of Fascism. The film uses these pressures to suggest a society becoming more dangerous and authoritarian, where public respectability can coexist with cruelty. They broaden the story beyond a private feud, although the narrative remains focused on theaterland, newspaper power and Erskine’s personal campaign.
Theater and newspapers as rival stages
Actors perform under lights, while critics and editors perform authority in print. The Critic connects those worlds: Nina depends on public approval to survive professionally, while Erskine depends on the illusion that his judgments are impartial. Both theater and journalism are shown as industries in which style can conceal manipulation.
Ian McKellen leads a strong cast
Ian McKellen is the film’s central attraction as Jimmy Erskine. His performance makes the critic entertaining without making him morally safe. Erskine’s wit, malice and theatrical self-possession are always accompanied by the sense that his confidence could turn into panic if his secrets were exposed.
Gemma Arterton plays Nina Land, the actress Erskine attempts to recruit into his retaliation against Brooke. Mark Strong plays David Brooke, the newspaper owner whose arrival destabilizes Erskine’s professional security. Lesley Manville appears as Annabel Land, while Ben Barnes plays Stephen Wyley. The principal cast also includes Alfred Enoch, Romola Garai and Matthew Cottle.
The film’s official distributor identifies Tucker as director and McKellen, Arterton, Strong and Manville as leading cast members. Its visual presentation gives the period world an elegant, theatrical surface, even when the plot becomes more crowded.
Is The Critic based on a book?
Yes. The film is adapted from Anthony Quinn’s 2015 novel Curtain Call, published by Vintage. The book is set in 1936 London and follows a West End actress, an attempted murder and a killer identified in the newspapers as the Tie-Pin Killer. It combines theaterland, Soho, murder and a society moving toward catastrophe.
The adaptation is not a faithful, scene-by-scene transfer. Patrick Marber’s screenplay is better described as a free or loose adaptation. The film retains the novel’s period atmosphere and interest in theater, murder and social menace, but its Jimmy Erskine is only loosely derived from the novel’s critic character.
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If you want to compare the movie’s choices with its source, Curtain Call by Anthony Quinn is the natural place to start. Penguin lists paperback and ebook editions, although exact retailer stock and regional formats can change.
Release history: why is it called a 2023 film?
The Critic premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 7, 2023, which explains the title year used by film databases and festival coverage. Its United States theatrical release followed on September 13, 2024, through Greenwich Entertainment.
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →The later commercial release also followed changes during development. The project was initially known as Curtain Call, matching Quinn’s novel. Public production reporting described cast and project changes, while a later Guardian review reported reshoots and a fresh edit after the Toronto premiere. Those details help explain the gap between the 2023 festival identity and the 2024 U.S. release.
Where to watch The Critic
Availability depends on country, date and storefront. Greenwich Entertainment listed Amazon, Apple TV, Fandango, YouTube, Google Play and DVD among its home-viewing or purchase pathways, with U.S. digital rental availability listed from October 29, 2024. Rotten Tomatoes currently identifies Starz subscription viewing and Fandango rental or purchase in its watch section.
These listings should not be treated as universal or permanent. A title can be available to rent in one country but unavailable in another, and physical editions can go out of stock. Check the distributor or your local storefront before assuming that a particular subscription, rental or DVD option is still active.
Runtime, rating and content notes
- U.S. rating: R for some language and sexual content.
- Runtime: listings disagree. Rotten Tomatoes reports 94 minutes, while Box Office Mojo and RogerEbert.com report 101 minutes. It is safest to describe the film as approximately 94 to 101 minutes rather than assign one definitive runtime without qualification.
- Content: the story involves blackmail, murder, sexual secrecy, professional coercion and prejudice.
Reception: strong McKellen, uneven thriller
Critical reaction has been mixed rather than uniformly enthusiastic. The most consistent praise concerns McKellen’s performance and the quality of the cast. The most common reservations involve the screenplay’s uneven structure, tonal shifts and crowded third act.
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The Guardian‘s Toronto coverage described McKellen’s performance as delicious while finding the thriller uneven. Its 2024 review again praised the cast but criticized the adaptation’s cluttered third act. Screen Daily similarly argued that Anand Tucker’s visual elegance softened some of the story’s sharper edges.
Rotten Tomatoes’ dossier snapshot lists a 51% Tomatometer score from 94 reviews and a 65% audience score from more than 100 ratings. These figures are volatile and should be checked directly before publication or citation as current scores.
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The balanced conclusion is that The Critic is a performance-led period thriller, not an impeccably engineered murder puzzle. Viewers drawn to McKellen’s maliciously theatrical lead, the 1930s setting or the source novel may find more to appreciate than viewers expecting a perfectly controlled mystery.
How does it compare with the novel?
| Element | The Critic | Curtain Call |
|---|---|---|
| Form | Period crime thriller film | 2015 historical crime novel |
| Setting | 1930s London theater and newspaper circles | 1936 London, including the West End and Soho |
| Central material | Erskine’s power struggle with newspaper owner David Brooke and his manipulation of Nina Land | Nina, an attempted murder and the Tie-Pin Killer investigation |
| Adaptation approach | Free adaptation with a loosely derived critic character | Original source narrative |
The film should be approached as an interpretation of Quinn’s material, not as a filmed version of every event in the book. Reading the novel first is likely to be most rewarding for readers interested in how screen adaptations reshape character, plot and tone.
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- Watch it if: you enjoy Ian McKellen, morally corrosive protagonists, theatrical period settings, newspaper dramas and stories about blackmail or reputation.
- Approach with caution if: you want a tightly plotted whodunit, a historically exhaustive account or a sympathetic central character.
- Read the book afterward if: you want a fuller 1930s London crime story and a direct comparison between Quinn’s novel and Marber’s free adaptation.
Its commercial profile reflects that narrow appeal. Box Office Mojo reports approximately $449,020 in domestic gross, $2,895,768 internationally and $3,344,788 worldwide. Those figures position the film as a niche adult period thriller rather than a mainstream franchise release.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is The Critic a documentary?
No. The Critic is a fictional British period crime thriller directed by Anand Tucker and adapted from Anthony Quinn’s novel Curtain Call.
What is The Critic based on?
It is loosely based on Curtain Call, Anthony Quinn’s 2015 novel about 1936 London, a West End actress, an attempted murder and the so-called Tie-Pin Killer. The film is a free adaptation rather than a scene-for-scene translation.
When was The Critic released?
The film premiered at TIFF on September 7, 2023, but its U.S. theatrical release was September 13, 2024. Its 2023 title year refers to its festival and production identity, not its U.S. theatrical date.
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Published listings vary between approximately 94 and 101 minutes. Rotten Tomatoes reports 94 minutes, while Box Office Mojo and RogerEbert.com report 101 minutes.
The Bottom Line
Bottom line: The Critic is a stylish, morally unpleasant period thriller whose best reason to watch is Ian McKellen’s commanding performance as a critic who weaponizes reputation. Its themes of censorship, secrecy, prejudice and social power are richer than its sometimes cluttered plot. Choose it for the cast, atmosphere and adaptation conversation—not for a flawless whodunit.
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