REVIEW: ‘Come With Me’ Is A Declaration of Warning

Come With Me is a bold film to make in 2026. In times as bleak as these in the United States of America, a large swath of media has resorted to pure escapism, fantasies to keep the populace calm and avoid thinking about the major societal issues that seep into every aspect of our lives. Filmmaker Aaron Harvey‘s latest takes the opposite tack, forcing the audience to stare down the barrel of one of the most uncomfortable issues facing Americans. Come With Me takes a harsh, frequently riveting look at how fear-mongering grifters send the afraid down a pipeline that may not be able to crawl out of, exemplified through a haunting performance by Theo Rossi. 

Simon Ward (Theo Rossi) is a regular working stiff. Despite a years-long relationship and steady work, he feels increasingly worried about the state of the world. When tragedy after tragedy plagues his personal life, he finds solace in a radio show hosted by conservative host Dalton Kirby (Ron Perlman). The more Simon listens to Dalton’s words, the more he buys into the idea that the world is against him, becoming increasingly isolated as his life begins to decay. 

Aaron Harvey and Jonathan Croom‘s screenplay obviously owes a lot to Taxi Driver, what with it being about a mentally disturbed loner. Unlike other films in the Taxi Driver vein that more or less paint a new coat over the original’s bones, à la Joker, Come With Me uses the framework to explore a specific societal issue in great detail. By that trade, it’s a truly clear-eyed look at how conservative grifters prey on the vulnerable. Crucially, Simon doesn’t start off the movie as some sort of deranged nutcase. He’s a fairly mild-mannered guy for whom the grind of daily life is starting to get soul-crushing. 

Come With Me gives a clear look into how grifters like Perlman’s Dalton prey on the vulnerable.

His interest in Dalton’s show starts as a flirtation, and he finds himself drawn in by Dalton’s wild assertions that paint the world as against him. Ron Perlman is sensational in a mostly voice-only role. His voice vibrates with great authority, almost distracting the audience (just as Simon is) from the fact that he’s saying nothing of actual value; his statements are often contradictory and always paint the world as conspiring to make life worse for his listeners, the “true patriots“, urging them to fight back without giving them any valuable tools to do so.

Yet, for listeners like Simon, that acknowledgment of the fact that they are having issues – even if it’s not “the world being against them” – is enough to make them loyal listeners. As Simon goes through intense personal turmoil, he sees Dalton as an anchor. The problem with that is, when the person you’re looking up to for help isn’t giving you any real wisdom, just things to get upset about, you’re left with nothing but a mental spiral.

This is all to say that Come With Me does an excellent job of showing how hate-mongers wanting to make a buck get their hooks into the mentally downtrodden and exacerbate those issues. As for the film surrounding this thesis, Aaron Harvey is adept at creating the right mood. Although perhaps too much of a slow burn, it’s pretty clear early on what path Simon is heading down; that approach has its benefits in creating a lived-in world full of people who feel like real human beings.

Come with Me rides high on the strength of Theo Rossi’s performance.

Simon’s friendship with Gary (Ronnie Gene Blevins) feels like an island in the middle of the storm, a genuine dynamic that provides the most light, and ultimately darkness, of the narrative. Meanwhile, characters who would normally be portrayed as comically cruel are treated with more tact than a film like this usually would. The “boss who doesn’t get it” is instead a highly empathetic man (Chris Mullinax).

The “a-hole coworker” (Michael Sirow) actually has more than a few reasons to dislike Simon. It’s not hard to feel, however, that Come With Me lets down the character of Simon’s girlfriend Rebecca (Kate French), although that could be a creative choice given Simon’s growing propensity to shut her out. 

Come With Me falls apart without Theo Rossi, however. He is tasked with a damn near impossible job as an actor. He must show the signs of someone who is mentally unwell while also making the audience empathize with him, while also making it clear that Dalton pushed him to where he is. Rossi walks the delicate tightrope of a man who shows instability in his nature and was also nurtured by bad actors into his own dissolution.

It’s not an easy watch, but it is all the better for it.

Every micro-expression of Rossi’s is utterly captivating, making him one of the most hard-to-stomach characters in recent film history impossible to turn away from. No question about it, Theo Rossi is slowly becoming one of the most engaging performers to watch, completely unafraid to build out the dimensions of a character most actors would outright run away from.

Seeing Theo Rossi and director Aaron Harvey carry Come with Me to its bleak finale is a stomach-churning experience that successfully puts a very clear underline on its message. Using the familiar framework of a “man slowly starts to unravel” movie, Come With Me presents a pronounced warning about the vultures who prey on those simply looking for some meaning in life. Come with Me isn’t an easy film to watch, nor is it perfectly calibrated, but it is one of the more necessary watches of 2026. 

Come with Me is out now in select theaters.