I Came By is a recent psychological suspense movie which takes a situation that has become overly familiar in the crime genre and tries to do something relatively fresh with it. The result is a well-made film that shifts viewpoints interestingly and kept me fully engaged despite some flaws. This is partly because the lead actors - Hugh Bonneville, Kelly Macdonald, George Mackay and Percelle Ascott - do a very good job, partly because the script is a cut above the average.
We begin with two young graffiti artists breaking into the homes of rich people and leaving the message 'I Came By'. Their thinking is vaguely and crudely political, and throughout the film, points are made (sometimes very effectively, sometimes feebly) about the misuse of wealth and influence. On the whole, though, the didactic elements don't overwhelm the story, even if sometimes they weaken it.
When one of the lads discovers that a wealthy retired judge (Bonneville, in a very nasty role) is keeping a dark secret in his basement, he is appalled and tries to do something about it. But Bonneville is a mate of Tony Blair, whose photo he keeps in the house, and is known for his 'liberal' views. He's also chummy with the senior local cop. He brushes off accusations in a way that is just about credible, though it might have been presented with greater finesse.
Two more characters in turn try to penetrate the secrets of the cellar, with mixed results. One strong point of the story was that the motivations of the characters is presented with clarity, so that even the ex-judge's weirdness is understandable, if not excusable. This is not by any means a perfect thriller, but it's got enough verve to merit watching.
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