I Came By

The "Eat the Rich" subgenre has been working overtime lately. Between the sun-drenched satire of The White Lotus and the eat-your-heart-out madness of The Menu, we’ve spent a lot of time watching the 1% get their comeuppance. But back in 2022, Netflix quietly dropped a grittier, London-based thriller called I Came By that decided to skip the satire and go straight for the jugular. I watched this on a Tuesday night while wearing one mismatched wool sock because I’d lost the other under the sofa, and honestly, that slight sense of discomfort suited the movie perfectly.

A Different Kind of Rebellion

We start with Toby, played by George MacKay (whom you’ll recognize from the frantic, one-shot intensity of 1917). Toby is a twenty-something graffiti artist with a specific brand of activism: he breaks into the high-tech homes of the London elite and spray-paints "I CAME BY" in giant letters on their living room walls. It’s a middle finger to the establishment, but George MacKay plays him with a restless, almost annoying arrogance that makes you wonder if he’s a hero or just a kid with a boundary issue.

When Toby breaks into the home of a prestigious former judge, he finds something hidden behind a secret basement door that isn't a vintage wine collection. This is where director Babak Anvari—who gave us the chilling Under the Shadow (2016)—pulls the rug out from under us. I expected a standard cat-and-mouse game, but the script (co-written by Namsi Khan) makes a bold, almost Hitchcockian pivot midway through that is the cinematic equivalent of a cold shower. It shifts the focus away from the "cool" rebel and onto the people left in his wake, specifically his mother, Lizzie.

The Power of the Pivot

Kelly Macdonald is the emotional anchor here as Lizzie. Most of us know her from Trainspotting or Line of Duty, and she brings a weary, heartbreaking realism to the role of a mother trying to find her missing son while dealing with a system that doesn't particularly care about him. Her chemistry with Percelle Ascott, who plays Toby’s partner-in-crime Jay, feels incredibly grounded. Jay has a pregnant girlfriend and real-world stakes, providing a sharp contrast to Toby’s reckless idealism.

The film excels when it leans into the idea that the "wealthy elite" aren't just rich; they are protected by a layer of institutional armor. Anthony Calf appears as Superintendent William Roy, representing a police force that seems more interested in protecting the reputation of the powerful than investigating the disappearances of the marginalized. It’s a very "now" conversation about who the law actually serves, and it treats the London fog like a co-conspirator in the judge's crimes.

Why Did This One Slip Away?

Released during the tail end of the pandemic's streaming boom, I Came By suffered from what I call "The Netflix Blur." It arrived on a Friday, stayed in the Top 10 for a week, and then got buried under three true-crime documentaries and a reality show about selling real estate. It’s a shame, because Babak Anvari’s direction is far more precise than your average streaming thriller. The way Kit Fraser’s cinematography uses shadows in the judge's house makes the architecture feel predatory.

The film does occasionally stumble into "why would you go back into the house?!" territory, which had me shouting at my TV. There’s a fine line between a character being brave and a character being a total glutton for punishment, and Toby occasionally sprints over that line. However, the score by Isobel Waller-Bridge (yes, Phoebe’s sister, who also did the haunting music for Emma.) keeps the tension high enough that you forgive the logic gaps.

The Contemporary Chill

In our current era of social media activism and deep-seated political polarization, I Came By feels like a cautionary tale about the limits of performance. Toby thinks a can of spray paint is a weapon; he quickly learns that his target has actual weapons—legal, social, and literal. It’s a cynical movie, perhaps more cynical than I was expecting, but it feels honest about the difficulty of taking down the "big bads" of the world.

If you’re looking for a thriller that doesn’t follow the predictable path of a Hollywood blockbuster, this is a solid pick. It’s not a masterpiece, but it’s a thoughtfully made, well-acted piece of genre cinema that deserved more than a few days in the spotlight. It’s a reminder that sometimes the most dangerous thing you can do is look too closely at the people who think they’re untouchable.

While it doesn't quite reach the heights of Anvari’s previous work, I Came By is a tense, socially conscious thriller with a standout performance from Kelly Macdonald. It’s the kind of mid-budget adult drama that used to fill theaters but now finds its home in the depths of a streaming library. If you have two hours and want a movie that will make you double-check the locks on your front door, give this one a chance. Just don't expect a happy ending tied up with a neat little bow.