It’s been a while since we’ve seen something of substance that’s not an adaptation, franchise or sequel. That is until this new crime thriller, where Mark Wahlberg and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II play a hitman and a young FBI agent teamed up to solve a murder.
“By Any Means” was released on Sept. 4, 2026, and was directed by Elegance Bratton, best known for the film “The Inspection” from 2022.
This film is a retelling of the 1966 murder investigation of Vernon Dahmer, the leader of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).
This movie takes place when President Johnson was in office, and the Ku Klux Klan was still active. The FBI struggled to get any information because no one would talk, afraid of retribution. This is where Wahlberg’s character, the mobster, comes in.
A fictional FBI agent named Wayne Strider (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) is forced to team up with real-life mafia hitman and FBI informant Greg Scarpa (Mark Wahlberg) to find out who is responsible for Dahmer’s murder.
The story is set in Mississippi, where our other main character, Strider, is from. He is a stickler for the rules and is challenged in his position as Scarpa’s handler, someone who is violent and unprofessional.
The power dynamic creates an interesting duo, with the push-and-pull of violence versus professionalism putting them both in their place as they learn they need each other more than they’d like to admit.
From the lighting to the imagery, everything in this movie felt purposeful. The murder’s intrigue, along with the character development, kept the movie’s pace flowing nicely.
As someone who loves historical fiction and was absolutely tired of the lack of originality in new films, “By Any Means” gives me hope for the future of the movie industry.
Rating: 3.5/5