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Netflix has unveiled a "breathtaking" film that is ideal viewing for fans of ITV's latest espionage thriller Secret Service.

Actress Gemma Arterton takes centre stage as MI5 officer Kate Henderson in Secret Service, which made its ITV debut at the weekend.

While fans eagerly await the third episode, due to air on Sunday, May 3, Netflix subscribers can catch the star in the 2023 crime thriller The Critic, which is now available to stream.

Arterton portrays young actress Nina Land, who is dragged into a perilous blackmail scheme by "vicious feared" theatre critic Jimmy Erskine, played by Ian McKellen.

Set in the 1930s, The Critic is billed as a "story of blackmail, murder and high-stakes manipulation in the theatre world.

Even prior to the film's premiere three years ago, The Critic had already amassed a devoted following, owing to the fact it is adapted from Anthony Quinn's 2015 novel Curtain Call.

It comes as little surprise, then, that viewers have been falling over themselves to heap praise on the period drama.

"This movie hits harder than it had any right to! How can these little gems sneak under the radar?", one viewer remarked.

A second posted on IMDb: "A most colourful, but also dark and foggy production about success, secrets and death, it delivers far more than I'd expected."

Another described it as a "breathtaking piece of filmmaking", while a fellow viewer wrote that it has "superb casting and a devilish plot".

A fellow fan commented: "It is a beautifully crafted film, full of nuances and subtleties that combine with a good script and technical finesse to offer a quietly compelling film.

"Suspend your expectations of what a film should be, sit back and relish one of the finest films of recent years. It is joy. Be entertained."

Taking on the role of the critic himself, Jimmy Erskine, opposite Artherton is legendary actor Ian McKellen, renowned for his performances in X-Men, Lord of the Rings, Richard III and The Da Vinci Code, amongst others.

The cast also features Harry Potter and Netflix's Run Away star Alfred Enoch, Shadow and Bone's Ben Barnes and The Crown actress Lesley Manville.

The Critic is available to watch on Netflix.