I Came By (2022)

I Came By is the kind of thriller that grabs you with a simple act of rebellion and then tightens the screws with unnerving confidence, revealing how easily power can hide in plain sight. Babak Anvari directs with a cool, prowling sense of dread, turning affluent London calm into something watchful and predatory, while the screenplay keeps finding sharp new angles without resorting to cheap twists. George MacKay brings raw, impulsive energy, Kelly Macdonald grounds the film with bruised humanity, and Hugh Bonneville is chillingly effective against type—polite, composed, and terrifying precisely because he seems so plausible. It’s not for viewers who want their crime stories cozy or light, but if you like tense, smartly constructed thrillers that simmer with anger at institutional failure, this one leaves a mark.

I Came By wants to be a slick, angry thriller about class privilege and institutional failure, using a graffiti artist’s crusade as the spark for something darker. It does have a nasty premise and a couple of strong performances, but the writing tries to juggle so many themes that the story starts to feel scattered, with pacing that sags just when it should be tightening the screws. The tension often gives way to predictability, and the tonal shifts can make it feel less like a razor-wire thriller and more like a film searching for its focus. If you’re after a lean, relentlessly suspenseful cat-and-mouse movie, this may frustrate you; if you can tolerate a messier, message-forward thriller with grim subject matter, there’s enough bite to keep you watching.