By Any Means
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- Trailer 1 (02:50)
Movie Info & Cast
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.
Cast
- Mark Wahlberg
- Giancarlo Esposito
- Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
- David Strathairn
- Josh Lucas
- Ethan Embry
- Nicole Beharie
- LisaGay Hamilton
- Alanna Masterson
- LaChanze
Moviegoers are saying
This civil rights thriller about an unlikely FBI-Mafia partnership divides audiences between those who appreciate its historical significance and stellar performances from Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Mark Wahlberg, versus critics who find the tonal mismatch jarring and the buddy-cop formula too familiar. Despite a disappointing box office performance ($9.2M against a $29M budget), viewers consistently praise the intense action and the courage to tackle difficult historical material.
Top Mentions
Summary generated from the text of Atom User reviews
Letterboxd User Reviews
3.2
30.2K
9.2K
7.3K
- Sep 3, 2026
Did u know mark Wahlberg hates crime? For more info search up ‘mark Wahlberg hate crime’
JasperAug 26, 2026Mark Wahlberg beating people up and calling them derogatory slurs, while having so much fun? My guy has prepared for this role since the age of 16.
mikkel abelSep 3, 20262 Green 2 Book
🎃spooky allain♡🎃 - Sep 3, 2026
give your homie head or snitch
COCOSep 2, 2026Wahlbergs nose in this film might be the most shocking thing I’ve seen this year
BenzwooshSep 3, 2026Rotten Tomatoes: 61% (Critics) Metacritic Metascore: 50 IMDB: 6.8 64/100 2026 Ranked "The FBI couldn't crack it, so they called in the Mob." - Tagline Pairing a mafia hitman with a young Black FBI agent to solve the true 1966 murders of civil rights leaders in…
NavyVet07🔥🔥🔥 - Sep 3, 2026
How are you an FBI agent and missing every shot from that range
WahyuSep 4, 2026hard to dislike movies where klan members are getting tortured
𝗨𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗹𝗼Sep 5, 2026It’s established history that in 1966 the FBI hired brutal Mafia enforcer Gregory Scarpa Sr. to support the investigation into the murder of Mississippi civil rights leader Vernon Dahmer, to “persuade” uncooperative witnesses/accomplices in ways that genuine FBI agents…
Adam Forrest
Queue Community Reviews
86%
Community 1,224
Top Reviews
- Vivienne is "meh" onBy Any Means
A film about racial issues starring Mark Wahlberg who is famously against such issues
Cinematic Joshua likedBy Any MeansAn Action Thriller that takes questionable liberties with its historical violence behind the badge.
Professor Lock is "meh" onBy Any MeansThe acting just seemed off
- DJ likedBy Any Means
Better than I expected
JWolf likedBy Any Means7.7/10 Didn’t expect to enjoy this movie this much. Was expecting an action movie but the detective work and relationship between the protagonist was awesome. I’m also a sucker for characters losing the moral battle and this is a perfect example of that. The commentary this movie makes on 1960’s…
Nico likedBy Any Means7/10 An exciting and interesting historical investigative film that shines some light on the history of the South. Mark was great even with the ridiculous prosthetic. Yahya and Esposito were both really good too. Loved the internal fight against morals but wish they showed more of it. The middle…
- Spencer likedBy Any Means
A mafia/FBI team-up to take down some Klan members? Sign me up 🗣️🔥 This actually ended up being better than I expected! I love both Wahlberg and Abdul-Mateen in pretty much any show/movie, so seeing them working together in this was pretty cool. Solid action, fun story, and some sick…
ant lovedBy Any Meanstop 3 of 2026 so far. full of surprises. I only saw it had yahya who I loved in wonder man and wanted to watch immediately. very glad I went in completely blind. I was thinking it kinda drags in the middle somewhere and then the movie just explodes. it was an easy 10/10 at that point
Jose Plascencia is "meh" onBy Any MeansPretty good, just thought the music choice was a bit off for some of it and the audio was super loud during some of the dialogue, could’ve just been at my movie theater though. The car chase scene was really good. I usually don’t like car chase scenes but this one was really good
Atom Users Reviews
POPULAR TAGS
Reviews
- DCDeandre Cole
Could have been longer
AEAndrew EdigerFor being a true story type movie it wasn’t bad pretty good
JFJudith K FortierMark Wahlberg is really what made the movie great
- AWanthony watkins
I thought it was great a piece of history
JGJay GarThe movie is more like a small introduction to how cops and racism came to be in the 1950-1970s.
SPSherrie PierceImportant movie. Great cast.
- RERobert E
Ugly
NTNghia TrinhBest movie !!! Best movie!!
NNNicey NesbitIt was great
Metacritic
USER SCORE (0)
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Sep 4, 2026
The film gestures toward interrogating state-sanctioned violence, but dubiously so, as it’s mostly content to celebrate revenge as justice.
Derek Smith
Slant Magazine
Sep 4, 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.
Alison Willmore
New York Magazine (Vulture)
Sep 3, 2026
Civil-rights dramas tend to be preachy and self-congratulatory, painting halos on the white saviors and the black victims, but the rousing By Any Means takes a literally punchy approach.
Kyle Smith
Wall Street Journal
Frequently Asked Questions
Is By Any Means (2026) family-friendly?
The movie has been rated as R, meaning that Under 17 requires an adult accompaniment.
What's By Any Means (2026) about?
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.
Who's the cast of By Any Means (2026)?
- Mark Wahlberg as Greg Scarpa
- Giancarlo Esposito
- Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
- David Strathairn
- Josh Lucas
- Ethan Embry
- Nicole Beharie
- LisaGay Hamilton
- Alanna Masterson as Connie Scarpa
- LaChanze
Who's the director behind By Any Means (2026)?
Elegance Bratton directed By Any Means (2026).
Who produced By Any Means (2026)?
Chester Algernal Gordon, Elegance Bratton and Basil Iwanyk produced By Any Means (2026).
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