By Any Means

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1:35

By Any Means

R

Sep 2026

1h 47m

Crime

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

History

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

50%

Tomatometer

78 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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Marie Asner

Phantom Tollbooth

4 hrs ago

3/5

Mark Wahlberg does it well.

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Andrea Chase

Killer Movie Reviews

4 days ago

4/5

As vicious as the people and events it portrays, and any depiction of that time needs to be if it wants to be honest. Beyond the history lesson, it poses tough questions as it contemplates the meaning of justice and the price of humanity.

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Cole Groth

FandomWire

6 days ago

6/10

By Any Means is a decent, occasionally cathartic historical thriller, but its disjointed tone keeps it from making a lasting mark.

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Latonya

1 hr ago

I love wahlberg acting!!!

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Chris

4 days ago

I didn't know the true story going in, so it seemed a bit rushed. However, zI enjoyed it. good acting. Thought provoking. 🤔

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L Turner

5 days ago

I love that it wasnt extremely over dramatic. The acting was superb from both lead actors. I was impressed with the 60s setting, and the color made it feel like real time. Definitely appreciate that this tragic event surrounding Vernon Dahmer, made it to the big screen.

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Dede Arroyo

Sep 26, 2026

Not the ending I was expecting 😒

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The Movie Guy

Sep 25, 2026

Amazing movie. Great character dynamics and retelling of a story that was lost to time.

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ME

Sep 23, 2026

I liked learning the history of the events and details that were not publicly known.

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Elegance Bratton

Director

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

Actor

Mark Wahlberg

Actor

Nicole Beharie

Actor

Josh Lucas

Actor

LisaGay Hamilton

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By Any Means: Featurette - Real Life Hero

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By Any Means: Featurette - The Mobster

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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): $15.7M
Runtime: 1h 47m

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