By Any Means (2026) poster
Poster: TMDB
FilmR2026

By Any Means

HistoryCrimeDrama

Directed by Elegance Bratton

In 1960s Mississippi, a young Black FBI agent is forced to partner with a notorious mafia hitman to investigate a wave of brutal civil rights murders. From TMDB

71 reactions from 2 sources (Bluesky, Mastodon) · newest Oct 3, 2026 · last updated Oct 7, 2026 · How this works

Audience score

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What people are saying

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Critics, per Wikipedia

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 50% of 78 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.5/10. The website's consensus reads: "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." Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 50 out of 100, based on 20 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews. Audiences surveyed by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "B+" on an A+ to F scale.

From the “Reception” section of Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0. Critic context only — not part of the audience score.

Reactions

60 of 71 · most liked first
  • Franchesca Ramsey @chescaleigh.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 5, 2026

    3 reasons why by no means should you see the film “By Any Means.” continue watching on YouTube! www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjgN...

    neutral · AI labelView post →
  • DiscussingFilm @discussingfilm.netBluesky · Jun 1, 2026

    First look at ‘BY ANY MEANS’, starring Mark Wahlberg and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. The film follows a hitman and FBI agent who team up to investigate the murders of civil rights leaders in the 1960s. (Source: ew.com/by-any-means...)

    neutral · AI labelView post →
  • Franchesca Ramsey @chescaleigh.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 7, 2026

    The family of Vernon Dahmer Sr. is asking us to skip the film “By Any Means” & I agree with them. Continue watching on YouTube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tjgN...

    negative · AI labelView post →
  • Stereogum @stereogum.comBluesky · Aug 22, 2026

    Wilbur, the runaway Hollywood pig, will live at Diane Warren’s Mousebutt Rescue Ranch in Malibu. Free, the runaway cow she rescued in 2021, lives at Farm Sanctuary in Acton. “By Any Means,” the theme to Mark Wahlberg’s new movie, is eligible for Best Original Song at the 2027 Academy Awards.🤞

    neutral · AI labelView post →
  • USC_alifornia @uscalifornia.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 11, 2026

    #LetterboxdFriday #LastFourWatched By Any Means - Really good film, surprised I didn’t see a single trailer. Onslaught - great if you like guns & gore and want to watch something that doesnt require your full attention

    positive · AI labelView post →
  • PortiaMcGonagal @portiamcgonagal.bsky.socialBluesky · Aug 17, 2026

    And Mark Wahlberg has a new movie coming out (By Any Means) that is based on a true story about an FBI partnership with a mob hitman and a Black agent during the Civil Rights Movement, but the trailer feels like it's gonna be more "Green Book" white-saviorism. Doesn't absolve his racist crimes.

    negative · AI labelView post →
  • Big Show Ripping Darts @homunculusdick.bsky.socialBluesky · Aug 21, 2026

    Related: that "By Any Means" movie looks like Green Book for guys that never read a book before. The trailer is tone deaf, softening the image of a maniac with a violent past (Gregory Scarpa and Mark Wahlberg).

    negative · AI labelView post →
  • Dobes Crusher @dobescrusher.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 6, 2026

    Watched the film By Any Means last night, was surprised by how tense it was. I was almost expecting it to be a bit too "buddy cop" but the characters don't like each other and it appropriately doesn't resolve with them having anything but grudging necessity in working together.

    positive · AI labelView post →
  • putterpen.bsky.social @putterpen.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 12, 2026

    I just signed a @theactionnetwork.bsky.social petition: Boycott & Demand That Paramount Pictures Add A Disclaimer To 'By Any Means' Movie . Sign here: actionnetwork.org/petitions/bo...

    neutral · AI labelView post →
  • Sean Burns @splicedpersonality.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 7, 2026

    Over at the Spliced Personality Substack this week I reviewed BY ANY MEANS, Mark Wahlberg's latest historical fiction power fantasy. It's as crass and morally repugnant as any movie made this year, with the possible exception of MELANIA.

    negative · AI labelView post →
  • When To Stream @whentostream.bsky.socialBluesky · Oct 1, 2026

    BY ANY MEANS (2026) Streaming: October 20, 2026 PVOD (Apple, Amazon, Fandango, etc.) #ByAnyMeans whentostream.com/crime-thrill...

    neutral · AI labelView post →
  • still Leslie 💙 @still-leslie.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 7, 2026

    Just saw a GREAT MOVIE: “By Any Means”. Black FBI agent investigating the Ku-Klux-Klan killing and fire-bombing of shop owner in Mississippi. www.imdb.com/title/tt3437...

    positive · AI labelView post →
  • Blake Rogers Wilson @bodyindc.bsky.socialBluesky · Mar 1, 2026

    I been thinking a lot how l hate Shelton Jackson Lee. The amount of people who revere his X film but never read Malcolm X Speaks or By Any Means Necessary.

    neutral · AI labelView post →
  • Stefan Ellison @mrcoat.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 3, 2026

    My review of "By Any Means", which provides the needed historical context for this horrible murder and the need to find those responsible, but eventually becomes your standard buddy cop movie: www.youtube.com/watch?v=c84s...

    neutral · AI labelView post →
  • mja33.bsky.social @mja33.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 9, 2026

    My review of the new hybrid action thriller/period piece drama BY ANY MEANS (2026), which, in spite of being based on a "true story," didn't really work for me. marruda3.wordpress.com/2026/09/09/b...

    negative · AI labelView post →
  • Candice Frederick @candicefrederick.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 4, 2026

    By Any Means’ Review: Mark Wahlberg Teaches the Virtues of Violence in Elegance Bratton’s Bluntly Drawn Historical Thriller variety.com/2026/film/re...

    neutral · AI labelView post →
  • tnyfrontrow.bsky.social @tnyfrontrow.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 4, 2026

    The subject of Elegance Bratton's new film, By Any Means, holds attention and stirs passion; the script is too conventional, narrow, and action-driven to do the story or the characters justice: www.newyorker.com/culture/the-...

    neutral · AI labelView post →
  • Nina, Our Sister Killjoy @gotmyniinaa.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 3, 2026

    *the movie title is 'By Any Means' “His legacy deserves to be told truthfully about who he was,” he said, “and not intermeshed with fictional characters and a vigilante justice storyline that did not happen.” mississippitoday.org/2025/12/30/n...

    neutral · AI labelView post →
  • Matt Singer @mattsinger.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 3, 2026

    A double review day! Here is my take on By Any Means, in which I suggest we establish a simple test by which we can measure the quality of every film based on a true story.

    neutral · AI labelView post →
  • Stephen Silver @stephensilver.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 8, 2026

    I reviewed the terrible BY ANY MEANS stephensilver.substack.com/p/by-any-mea...

    negative · AI labelView post →
  • Ginnette Powell Bluesky is not a dating app @caffeinehusky.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 7, 2026

    youtube.com/shorts/EU3TY... do not see this movie By Any Means at the request of the family! Via @chescaleigh.bsky.social

    neutral · AI labelView post →
  • CaliSquirrelGirl @scar776.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 6, 2026

    Sunday Matinee with Aleasa! By Any Means (Mark Wahlberg) -- the movie Diane and Kelly tried to rent last month but ended up being some B rated movie from 2007. 😆 This movie with the same title just opened on Friday. #Sunday 🎬 🎥 🎟 🍿 🌭

    neutral · AI labelView post →
  • Toronto Film Critics Association @torontofilmcritics.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 4, 2026

    On MAYDAY 🫡 "an Olympus Has Fallen type of movie for the Reagan years" - @jacksonweaver.bsky.social On BY ANY MEANS 🤷 "ridiculous but also engaging" - @lizbraun.bsky.social On THE SUN NEVER SETS 🌤️ "thoughtful, heartfelt" - @chrisknightfilm.bsky.social torontofilmcritics.com/features/tfc...

    neutral · AI labelView post →
  • Cosmic Circus @thecosmiccircus.comBluesky · Sep 4, 2026

    ‘By Any Means’ (2026) Movie Review: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Shines in Uneven Drama - by @maxfromquebec.bsky.social #filmsky #moviesky thecosmiccircus.com/by-any-means...

    neutral · AI labelView post →
  • You Ain’t Shit (White) Devil @phllpwnslw.blacksky.appBluesky · Jun 4, 2026

    IDK about this By Any Means film...or Mark's prosthetic nose

    negative · AI labelView post →
  • polaw beaw @crustacean.bsky.socialBluesky · Jan 28, 2025

    GOATED MOVIE BTW CHECK THIS OUT BY ANY MEANS

    positive · AI labelView post →
  • The Afternoon Tune @theafternoontune.bsky.socialBluesky · Oct 3, 2026

    NICK REVIEWS BY ANY MEANS! Nick is taking a look at BY ANY MEANS, the historical crime thriller set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights Movement. Starring Mark Wahlberg and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II. www.youtube.com/watch?v=domI...

    neutral · AI labelView post →
  • CeeForever @ceerickforever.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 13, 2026

    Morning movie "By Any Means" #AMCTheatres #movielovers #movielover

    neutral · AI labelView post →
  • Larry Chillson @chillyboy.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 7, 2026

    Out to see Mark Wahlberg in a racially charged film in which he is an insensitive a-hole. Sounds far-fetched, I know. #NowWatching By Any Means #ByAnyMeans #FilmSky

    negative · AI labelView post →
  • Michael Collett @seraphcollett.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 7, 2026

    #markwahlberg new movie "By Any Means". Is a piece of shit. The family of Vernon Dahmer has asked people not to see this film. It's a highly fictionalized version of this piece of history. And turned a racist Mafia murderer into a "white savior". And Mark Wahlberg? He's an actual racist. Yes, he is.

    negative · AI labelView post →
  • 🔪 c h o p p a h 🔪 @choppah.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 6, 2026

    BY ANY MEANS is a peculiar film. Training Day meets Mississippi Burning meets 48 HRS meets Green Book. Yahya and Marky Mark aren’t bad together but it’s pretty by the numbers for a movie “based on true events”

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  • Macall DG @macalldg.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 5, 2026

    Heads up about the film "By Any Means"... The story of Vernon Dahmer, civil rights martyr (my husband's great uncle), should stand on its own as a deep, complex story of courageous people. Instead, it's a Hollywood action movie that centers a white character. Do your research before seeing this.

    unlabelledView post →
  • Aliya Langley @aliyalangley.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 4, 2026

    One Minute Movie Review: By Any Means 🎥🧐🚨 #ByAnyMeans #movie #film #fyp #moviereview Find me on @letterboxd: aliyalangley 
boxd.it/4mv7t No. 290

    unlabelledView post →
  • BYTESEU @byteseu.bsky.socialBluesky · Oct 3, 2026

    By Any Means Review: A Hostile Work Environment https://www.byteseu.com/2421259/ Every once in a while, I take a look through all of the upcoming film releases and see if anything catches my eye. Normally, I already have an inkling of what I want to watch, but sometimes I take a chance on a …

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  • Curt Johnson - Indie Genius @indiegeniusMastodon · Oct 3, 2026

    Movie TV Tech Geeks #MovieNews #ByAnyMeans #MarkWahlberg Mark Wahlberg’s New Crime Thriller Officially Loses Nearly 3,000 Theaters http://dlvr.it/TVlnBP

    unlabelledView post →
  • The Numbers @thenumbers.bsky.socialBluesky · Oct 2, 2026

    By Any Means closed out its four week theatrical run on Thursday with total domestic earnings of $15.76M. www.the-numbers.com/movie/By-Any... #BoxOffice #ByAnyMeans

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  • therealuncdave.bsky.social @therealuncdave.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 28, 2026

    Newest addition to "Films You Should See Before Black History Month (or Juneteenth)" is the brand-new film from Elegance Bratton (that's a name) "By Any Means" starring the lava-hot Yahya Abdul-Mateen II and Mark Wahlberg.

    unlabelledView post →
  • Benjamin Abaya @benjaminabaya.comBluesky · Sep 21, 2026

    I hate that movie is titled “By Any Means” and it’s copaganda about the FBI.

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  • Samuel Klinger @samueloneworld.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 18, 2026

    Practical Magic 2-another could have been worse film but loses the magic of the first film Above & Below-what was this film again?, i don't remember By Any Means-saved by the two leads Idiots-could have been way funnier but still solid comedy Finding Emily-predictable but charming :}

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  • Will Craig Lachowsky @w1ll14m1986.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 16, 2026

    In one scene in the movie By Any Means, Mark Wahlberg takes a car & speeds it through a crowd of Southern white guys who beat up their pregnant wife until she aborts. You get run over, you die, you never collect another welfare check again. So sad. I'm thinking about seeing it.

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  • Kevin Jones @kevinjones1.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 15, 2026

    #NowWatching in theaters #ByAnyMeans #FilmSky

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  • M. P. Seipolt @thataussiebun.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 15, 2026

    By Any Means A powerful film, though perhaps not as powerful as it should be. Strange that the lynching of Ms Rebecca was a... Surprise to the main character? Idk like yeah. You told the guy about the ONLY witness. She'd expressed that concern, and then the guy got away. What else was gonna happen?

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  • jacobalistjourney.bsky.social @jacobalistjourney.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 15, 2026

    Movie 81 By Any Means $12.99 The movie that teaches the way to stop racism is pure violence, including torture and murder. In fairness, we're talking about Jim Crow South here. Ultimately, it was an interesting, loosely based true story. I liked it.

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  • Dave the Fave @buckdave.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 14, 2026

    One Minute Movie: By Any Means Necessary 🍿 #oneminutemovie #byanymeansnecessary #movies #moviereview

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  • The Philadelphia Film Critics Circle @philafcc.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 11, 2026

    James reviews BY ANY MEANS for ReelViews www.reelviews.net/reelviews/by...

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  • Curt Johnson - Indie Genius @indiegeniusMastodon · Sep 10, 2026

    Movie TV Tech Geeks #MovieNews #MarkWahlberg #Crime #ByAnyMeans Mark Wahlberg’s New Crime Thriller Officially Continues His Box Office Losing Streak http://dlvr.it/TVQ5dc

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  • TVwithThinus @tvwiththinus.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 10, 2026

    𝗦𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗻 𝗔𝗳𝗿𝗶𝗰𝗮 𝗧𝗼𝗽𝟭𝟬 𝗕𝗼𝘅 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗰𝗲 (𝟰-𝟲 𝗦𝗲𝗽 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲) 1.Spider-Man: Brand New Day 2.The Odyssey 3.Fall 2: Deadpoint (new, Filmfinity) 4.Insidious: Out of the Further 5.Tad and the Magic Lamp 6.Mutiny 7.Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie 8.Landmyn (new, Filmfinity) 9.Moana 10. By Any Means (new, Sun Africa)

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  • Kenneth Stoddard @ks19green.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 10, 2026

    By Any Means is a forgettable bland film that it not to remember or discuss about. From the plot, writing, characters, tonal changes, thin execution and questionable morals that it bland at best despite some of the acting, production values, brutal moments, and some subvert expectations. 5/10.

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  • James Menghi @jim-menghi.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 9, 2026

    This voting season is starting to be about how energetic voters will be to vote. It reminds me of the movie I recently saw, "By Any Means." I believe voters are going to use any means available to vote this season. Then we will know how the citizens feel about the administration.

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  • The Tuesday Review @tuesdayreviewau.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 9, 2026

    New Episode! This week we discuss Introspective post-apocalyptic film "The Dog Stars", Existential horror road trip film "It Ends", as well as True story inspired historical crime-thriller "By Any Means"! Listen Here: open.spotify.com/episode/3GKt... #movies #cinema #horror #crime #scifi

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  • Ryan Bach @gemcitychico.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 8, 2026

    Off to see the new By Any Means movie

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  • BoxOfficeReport.com @boxofficereport.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 8, 2026

    Paramount's By Any Means grossed $1.698M on Labor Day Monday (from 2,903 locations). The film grossed $9.22M domestically over the 4-day weekend. #ByAnyMeansMovie #BoxOffice

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  • Desperado D. Mayor @desperado.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 8, 2026

    My ★★★½ review of By Any Means (2026) on @letterboxd.social: boxd.it/gfi6qX)

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  • lickerterp.bsky.social @lickerterp.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 8, 2026

    By Any Means has a great cast, but is just an OK movie.

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  • David Jaffe @filmaddictdavid.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 7, 2026

    Seeing the 11:00 am “By Any Means” at AMC Aventura 24 in auditorium 11 as movie 197 of 2026

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  • ArtyGoetia1993 @artygoetia1993.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 7, 2026

    Went to the movies by myself for the first time. Saw the crime movie By Any Means. A crime movie set in the 1960s American South. It was unusual at first, I usually go to the movies with my family. But I made it through and started to get more independent.

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  • abhedgebeast @abhedgebeast.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 6, 2026

    My review of the semi-fact-based historical civil rights actioner BY ANY MEANS www.assignmentx.com/2026/movie-r...

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  • Swoop Dick the Sons of Gods @swoopdick.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 6, 2026

    I just signed a @theactionnetwork.bsky.social petition: Boycott & Demand That Paramount Pictures Add A Disclaimer To 'By Any Means' Movie . Sign here: actionnetwork.org/petitions/bo...

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  • Media News @media-news.at.thenote.appBluesky · Sep 6, 2026

    ‘Spider-Man: Brand New Day’ Is Fastest Film to Cross $900 Million at Domestic Box Office Two action flicks, Paramount’s “By Any Means” and A24’s “Onslaught,” arrived in theaters on Friday. But neither could dethrone “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” which remains No. 1 in its… #a24 #paramount #spiderman

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  • hinesd24.bsky.social @hinesd24.bsky.socialBluesky · Sep 6, 2026

    2026 Film Reviews 624. Sleepaway Camp (1983) - 3.0 625. Shanghai Blues (1984) - 4.0 626. By Any Means (2026) - 3.5 #2026FilmsDH

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Official Trailer

Top Cast

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II actor profile photo
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Wayne Strider
Mark Wahlberg actor profile photo
Mark Wahlberg
Gregory Scarpa
Nicole Beharie actor profile photo
Nicole Beharie
Allison Strider
Josh Lucas actor profile photo
Josh Lucas
Special Agent Everett Rhodes
David Strathairn actor profile photo
David Strathairn
Special Agent Roy K. Moore
Giancarlo Esposito actor profile photo
Giancarlo Esposito
Vernon Dahmer
Ethan Embry actor profile photo
Ethan Embry
Sam Bowers
LisaGay Hamilton actor profile photo
LisaGay Hamilton
Ms. Rebecca Brewer

Cast from TMDB and Wikidata (CC0).

TMDBThis product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.