I Came By

The start of the film was slow and although George Mackay did his best, he's a good actor, his character lacks depth and so isn't hugely likeable. Hugh Bonneville makes an excellent villain as to be expected. When the film gets going the 'jumps' work well and suspenseful moments are just that. I for one enjoyed the ending, it doesn't need explanation, just a little imagination. The script was not the best. When the police woman asks Percelle Ascott's character when he last saw Toby he says 'months ago' - what does that mean? 2months? 11?? The police never ask him to be more specific..really bugged me! Some of the direction is lazy or the director thinks we are stupid (there was no need to fixate on the road name sign when we already know what the house looks like and where we are). Weirdly though time moves very quickly in this film, yet there are no landmarks, ie a Christmas or maybe Toby's birthday. When you assume it's the next day it's actually 2 months later, which is weird. Overall once it gets going it's an enjoyable watch.

I only watched this because of George MacKay's picture being what Netflix was using for advertisement, but I can now only wonder why he signed on for such a small role. For a while during the earlier parts, I considered turning this off as it appeared that it was going to be some torture porn thing and I've had my fill of those, but it turns into something else and it's pretty good when all is said and done. The real star of this film is not MacKay by any means, but by veteran actor, Hugh Bonneville, who is is excellently awful in a wicked role. It ruins the film to describe too much, so let's just stick to the IMDB description, "Follows a young graffiti artist who discovers a shocking secret that would put him and the ones closest to him in danger" and you can learn that secret and those dangers by viewing this nasty little film. Also very good is Kelly Macdonald as MacKay's mother whose role here is more pivotal than that. This is not a pleasant film, but for those who like suspense films, you might want to take a look at this. Just don't watch it expecting to see a lot of MacKay.

Netflix has produced a better sort of film with I Came By. The strength of this film lies in its performances. Hugh Bonneville is terrifying and dangerous in this film. He easily transforms from the prim and proper characters he has played so well to a scary figure. The direction is not too bad. The scary music in key scenes and close ups and various camera angles sets a terrifying setting. We get this impression from the start of the film. I liked how the film was somewhat realistic as well. It would have been unrealistic and fan service to show all the main characters were alive in the end. If a person was in a situation with such a careful, paranoid and dangerous person, do you think they would be kept around? The film does not make that mistake and we see the main characters disappear because they were not prepared enough. I feel the storyline could have been stronger. Maybe there could have been a deeper motive for the retired Judge's behaviour? Why did they not explain his sociopathic tendencies for trapping and/or killing people? I feel they could have explained who the man he trapped was and why he was kept alive? These are just the gaps they could fleshed out to make a stronger thriller. Overall a captivating watch, I found it hard to put down and wanted to see how it ended. There was some form of justice but the realistic kind you could imagine in real life.

This is an honest-to-goodness thriller that keeps you on tenterhooks.

The script is tight, and while it careens to a somewhat expected ending , the way the story is woven engages the viewer. I thought, for a while, that Hector could go on doing his ghastly acts with impunity because he seems so cool and smart that authorities cannot lay a finger on him. That's how effective the plot is to me.

It's a remarkable cast of relatively newbees headlined by Hugh Bonneville and Kelly MacDonald. I like, in particular, how Hugh Bonneville is able to conceal his fiendishness behind a cloak of aristocratic air and respectability; Kelly MacDonald's Lizzy awakens the maternal instinct in the female viewer. She portrays her effectively as the harried, worried and ordinary mom who just wants her stubborn son to succeed; George MacKay as Toby, the son who's clueless as to what he really wants in life but has a natural affinity with those who are maltreated or abused; and finally Percelle Ascott as Jay, Toby's best buddy, a young father who's torn between his love for his young family and close ties with Lizzy and Toby.

All these characters come together to produce a coherent, socially relevant and no-nonsense film.

Watch to enjoy it.

An unexpected surprise.

I have seen countless trailers for this, and if I'm honest, I was expecting something of a horror thriller, maybe something a little trashy, possibly a bit gory, the reality was something very different, a very meaningful, deep, character driven thriller.

I really did enjoy this, the relatively low score makes no sense to me, it's slick, well made, and quite an engrossing thriller. There are a few thrills and spills, perhaps not many as I'd hoped for, but there were enough to keep me entertained.

The acting was excellent all round, but two performances in particular really did stand out, unsurprisingly I'd highlight Kelly Macdonald and Hugh Bonneville, the pair were terrific.

Very nicely produced, it looked very nice, great use of lighting, and music that wasn't obtrusive at any point.

The ending was maybe a little too ambiguous, but it felt in keeping with the tone of the film. I'd have liked a few more jumps and scares.

Overall, I did enjoy that, 7/10.