9. A trashy movie: I Came By (2022)

List Progress: 1/12

Thrillers for streaming services are easy to throw together and even easier to bungle. Many filmmakers seem to think that just tossing some violence and tension at the screen will make for an engaging film, but so many fall short. That is why the 2022 British Netflix film I Came By stands out; while far from a perfect film, it makes enough smart, considered choices that have the audience leaning forward in their seats and hanging on until the end.

I Came By follows Toby, a graffiti artist with grand visions of fighting against The System, but a basic lack of respect for those around him, including his childhood best friend Jay and mother Lizzie. Toby and Jay have built a reputation as an infamous tagging crew, breaking into the homes of the rich and tagging the words “I Came By” on their interior walls as a means of showing those in power that they are still vulnerable to attack. But when Jay’s girlfriend gets pregnant, he knows he needs to step away from the high-risk life, and that the black Jay is far more vulnerable than the white Toby if they get caught. Toby is determined to take on One Last Job and breaks into the home of respected judge Sir Hector Blake, and stumbles upon something horrifying in this pillar of the community’s house. Toby, Jay and Lizzie need to find a way to bring down this man who is so insulated from consequences, without falling prey to him themselves.

The movie is great about having characters make very human, believable decisions. They are not always wise or smart decisions, but absolutely the choices you could see yourself making in such extreme circumstances. And everyone feels like they have a developed inner life, even more tertiary characters like Jay’s girlfriend Naz, who could have easily been written as a stock girlfriend figure on the sidelines. The actors are all giving it their all, and Hugh Bonneville in particular is great as Hector Blake, alternating between genial warmth and icy menace with very natural transitions.

While the characters and actors raise the quality of I Came By, the editing and cinematography unfortunately lower it. Shot composition can be so muddled that it is difficult to track the geography of a scene, which is a big issue when dealing with tense moments of suspense that depend on knowing where everyone in a scene could be hiding or lurking. But the movie’s biggest flaw is its time skips; almost all of them are jarring and it can be very unclear if twelve hours have passed in between scenes, or twelve weeks. Naz’s pregnancy is practically the only consistent clock the audience gets, and a baby bump should not have to do the work that an editor should be doing.

I Came By is a pulpy thriller, and makes no bones about it, but it makes enough smart decisions and careful statements that it stands above many of its peers. The pieces don’t always come together neatly, but the whole is still something to experience.

Would I Recommend It: Yes.