Giving this an 7/10 rating
Ian Mckellen is very evil in this fine British post second world war drama set in London theatre land and newspapers. He laps up every moment of his very craft and and despicable critic who just loves his power and what it gives him, until it goes away.
What follows is the great length he goes to get it back and revenge, with horrid consequences to the rest of the cast in this tale of corruption and lack of moral fibre. And it's all rather well done, the cast of Gemma Arterton, Mark Stong, Ben Barnes, Lesley Manville and Alfred Enoch, they all shine, and suffer at the hands of Ian's character.
Great to look at, and it zips along at a good pace, it does the job. Very fine work from director Anand Tucker and a sharp script from Patrick Marber and Anthony Quinn, its a fine bit of film.
