“The Critic” is a film about a nasty drama critic that often resembles one of the plays he’s waiting to tear apart through the art of opinion writing. It’s a picture that doesn’t quite work, yet remains watchable, just to see how far screenwriter Patrick Marber (adapting a novel by Anthony Quinn) goes with the premise, which navigates dark turns and examines the behavior of a few corrupt individuals. There’s potential for something macabre to emerge, but director Anaud Tucker (“Hilary and Jackie,” “Leap Year”) doesn’t exactly unleash hell, aiming for a more atmospheric examination of psychological gamesmanship. The helmer scores with select moments of confrontation, and there’s a sharp cast to manage, with star Ian McKellen sinking his teeth into his role as the eponymous demon, stopping just short of campiness as he portrays a man with no morals newly energized to seek revenge on an employer looking to silence him. Read the rest at Blu-ray.com