'By Any Means' Review: A Rock-Solid Crime Drama with Strong Chemistry
By Jack Ransom- September 20, 2026
By Any Means recounts the true story of a notorious mafia hitman (Mark Wahlberg) and a young Black FBI agent (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) as they team up to investigate the murders of civil rights leaders in 1966 Mississippi.
When the trailer for By Any Means appeared on my timeline, the thought of “Damn, this looks good!” crossed my mind, before it unfortunately went quiet and suddenly popped up in US cinemas without a UK date in site. When the screener was offered it was essentially a full confirmation that this is destined to have ‘Paramount+ Original’ on its poster at some point in the near future.
If you are a fan of a particular era in the 2010’s where one-and-done crime dramas were popping up (examples being the likes of Black Mass, Legend & Live by Night) then this will be very much your bag. It’s a no-nonsense, lean, ‘meat and potatoes’ outing with bursts of mean-spirited nastiness and two strong central performances that carry an admittedly somewhat surface level screenplay that deserves more detail and focus on specific elements.
I particularly wanted to get more of an insight into Greg’s (Mark Wahlberg) involvement in co-working with the FBI and how he got to that position in the first place, as it begs for questions to be answered. The film does tap into Wayne’s (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) anxieties and constant battle to prove himself to his peers, as well as his consistently challenged authority and complete lack of respect from the town’s inhabitants when he shows the badge.
The prickly, antagonistic, unpredictable and violent nature of the racist bigotry at the centre of this Mississippi town is very much akin to the hostility seen in 2024’s fierce The Order. As the film progresses and the violence becomes even more targeted towards Wayne and his loved ones, the tone tips from procedural into bloodied, brutal ‘violence-is-the-answer’ territory as the pair dish out pain in exchange for information.
It can feel a tad slow at times, however the action ramps up in the second act, with a particularly car into foot chase sequence being a real tense showcase of director Elegance Bratton’s camerawork and the flow of those involved in choreographing the sequence. Stylistically the film has a very moody, ominous and gritty visual tone that matches the setting effectively. Cinematographer Ante Cheng crafts some memorable shots here, particularly with the glow of fire or reflective surfaces being utilised.
The dynamic between the lead duo is easily the film’s strongest aspect. Abdul-Mateen II’s stoic, by-the-book, proud initial position becomes frequently challenged and he does an excellent job of slipping into the questionable and vicious methods of interrogation that Greg relishes. I’ve avoided Marky Mark’s recent streaming output (Balls Up, The Family Plan films, The Union, Me Time…) as it just looks like he’s playing the same character in all of them. Here though, he delivers a gleefully unhinged, unpredictable and morally skewed performance, that (unlike in Flight Risk) doesn’t feel like a parody or hamming it up. The solid support cast also includes David Strathairn, Giancarlo Esposito, Nicole Beharie and Josh Lucas.
By Any Means is a rock solid crime drama, spearheaded to by strong performances and excellent chemistry between its two leads. It may tread a lot of familiar ground and could have had more depth to it, but its paced well and features jolts of intensity and action that keep it engaging.
'By Any Means' released in US cinemas on September 4, 2026.
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Jack Ransom
Senior Writer
Jack loves to talk films: whether it is reviewing them, ranking them, reacting to them or collecting physical media!
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