The Critic (4 Stars)

This is a film with a delayed release in Germany. It was made in 2023, and it's already available on disc in England.

"The Critic" takes place in London in 1934. The central character is Jimmy Erskine (Ian McKellen), a feared theatre critic. He's always in the audience on the opening night of every new play. He sits at his typewriter until late in the night, so that his review can appear in the Daily Chronicle the following morning. There's nothing wrong with a person stating his opinion about a play. I'm fast to criticise any film that I don't like. What's different about Jimmy Erskine is that he veers into personal insults.

In his private life Erskine is a homosexual. Before you say that there's nothing wrong with homosexuality, remember the year. It was considered a crime. Erskine takes part in drunken orgies and is arrested. His employer, Viscount Brooke, uses his influence to get him out of jail, but he fires Erskine the next day so that the scandal doesn't harm the newspaper's reputation. Erskine wants his job back. He wants to blackmail the viscount, so he arranges for the young actress Nina Land (Gemma Arterton) to seduce him in exchange for Erskine promising to write good reviews of all her future ways.

The 1930's were dark years, but the film brightens up the era with colourful characters. Ian McKellen shows off his acting skills in his portrayal of a bad guy with no redeeming features.