By Any Means

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By Any Means

R

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1h 47m

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

History

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Popcornmeter

47%

Tomatometer

74 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

1,000+ Verified Ratings

Based on a true story, a young Black FBI agent (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is sent into 1960s Mississippi to investigate a wave of brutal killings targeting civil rights leaders. Forced to work alongside notorious mafia hitman Greg Scarpa (Mark Wahlberg), he finds himself pulled into a deadly hunt where justice and vengeance begin to blur. When the system is broken, two men divided by everything agree on one thing: the law has limits. They don't.

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Critics Consensus

By Any Means turns a compelling true story of racial injustice into an uneasy mix of exploitation thrills and prestige drama, with Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's nuanced performance too often overwhelmed by Mark Wahlberg's hammy antics.

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Audience Says

Striking a balance between humor and suspense, By Any Means features a game Mark Wahlberg as mob killer Gregory Scarpa in this gritty, based-on-true-events thriller rooted in a dark chapter of American history.

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Monica Castillo

AV Club

Sep 8, 2026

C-

Bratton uses the film to prove he has the big-budget chops to handle movie stars, and Abdul-Mateen plays out each of his character’s conflicted feelings with nuance, but they’re both overshadowed by the antics of Wahlberg’s dead-eyed antihero.

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Alison Willmore

New York Magazine/Vulture

Sep 7, 2026

It’s a mess of a thing, burdened by Wahlberg’s hammy impersonation and co-star Yahya Abdul-Mateen II floundering to find a center for his character, special agent Wayne Strider.

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Kristy Puchko

Mashable

Sep 5, 2026

By Any Means misses the mark as a movie with a mission.

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David Griffiths

Subculture Entertainment

1 day ago

2.5/5

Begins with promise but this certainly ain't Mississippi Burning. The second half falls away and is so rushed that character motivation goes right out the window. What should be a an important film becomes torture porn.

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Neely Swanson

Beverly Hills Courier

3 days ago

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is a true star. His transformation from naive idealist believing in “truth, justice and the American way,” to cynical vessel of retribution is fast and yet totally believable.

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Stephen Silver

The SS Ben Hecht

6 days ago

It’s a very odd movie, telling a story that should be interesting but is presented in a ham-fisted, cynical way. And I doubt much of it is true.

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Mr Hollywood

11 hrs ago

Nothing new here. Worth a watch though. Don’t expect much but there is that buddy cop feel to it

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Frederick T

20 hrs ago

Great film with historical context. Lead actors performances were fantastic.

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Rocky

20 hrs ago

It was OK I wish I would’ve waited for at home . Acting from these two guys were amazing. I just wanted more. I don’t know what it was. It was just missing something.

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Don

1 day ago

I liked the humor inserted into tense situations. While justice wasnt available, a penalty was exacted.

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Tafari

1 day ago

You learn something new every day! This movie is very intense and has great acting. We need more movies like this!

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Charles A

1 day ago

Here for Yahya he is great in everything I have seen him ib.

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Elegance Bratton

Director

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

Actor

Mark Wahlberg

Actor

Nicole Beharie

Actor

Josh Lucas

Actor

LisaGay Hamilton

Actor

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By Any Means: Featurette - Real Life Hero

1:24

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By Any Means: Featurette - The Mobster

1:31

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By Any Means: Final Trailer

1:35

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By Any Means: Exclusive Featurette - True Story

1:39

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By Any Means: Trailer 1

2:43

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Synopsis

Based on a true story, a young Black FBI agent (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is sent into 1960s Mississippi to investigate a wave of brutal killings targeting civil rights leaders. Forced to work alongside notorious mafia hitman Greg Scarpa (Mark Wahlberg), he finds himself pulled into a deadly hunt where justice and vengeance begin to blur. When the system is broken, two men divided by everything agree on one thing: the law has limits. They don't.

Director: Elegance Bratton
Producer: Alex Lebovici, Chester Algernal Gordon, Elegance Bratton, Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, Mark Wahlberg, Stephen Levinson
Screenwriter: Sascha Penn
Distributor: Paramount Pictures
Production Co: Hammerstone Studios
Rating: R (Pervasive Language|Violence/Bloody Images)
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery & Thriller, History
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Sep 4, 2026, Wide
Box Office (Gross USA): $13.5M
Runtime: 1h 47m

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