By Any Means is a 2026 American historical crime thriller directed by Elegance Bratton and written by Sascha Penn. Starring Mark Wahlberg and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, the movie takes place in Mississippi during the turbulent civil-rights era of the 1960s.By Any Means 2026 movie

The film is inspired by the real-life murder of civil-rights leader Vernon Dahmer Sr. and the controversial involvement of Mafia hitman and FBI informant Gregory Scarpa Sr. in the investigation.

Rather than presenting the story as a straightforward police investigation, By Any Means explores what happens when people lose faith in the legal system and begin wondering whether justice can sometimes require methods that are themselves morally disturbing.

Paramount describes the film as the story of a young Black FBI agent sent to 1960s Mississippi to investigate killings targeting civil-rights leaders, where he is forced to work with notorious Mafia hitman Greg Scarpa. (Paramount Pictures)

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By Any Means Movie Details

The movie was released theatrically in the United States on September 4, 2026. (Paramount Pictures)

What Is By Any Means About?

The story is set in Mississippi in 1966, during one of the most dangerous periods of the American Civil Rights Movement. By Any Means 2026 movie

Civil-rights activists and Black communities face intimidation, violence and attacks from white supremacist groups, including the Ku Klux Klan.

At the center of the story is Wayne Strider, a young Black FBI agent played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.

Strider is sent to Mississippi to investigate a series of violent attacks against civil-rights figures.

But he quickly discovers that investigating these crimes through conventional law enforcement methods is extremely difficult.

The local environment is deeply hostile, and the institutions that are supposed to enforce the law are themselves affected by racism and political pressure.

Then the FBI turns to an unlikely resource:

Gregory Scarpa, a feared Mafia hitman and confidential FBI informant, played by Mark Wahlberg.

The FBI needs information. By Any Means 2026 movie

Scarpa knows how to get information.

But his methods are very different from those of a federal agent.

And that creates the central conflict of the movie.

The Unlikely Partnership Between an FBI Agent and a Mafia Hitman

One of the movie’s most interesting ideas is the relationship between Strider and Scarpa.

They couldn’t be more different.

Wayne Strider believes in the law.

He is an FBI agent who wants to investigate crimes properly and bring criminals to justice.

Gregory Scarpa, on the other hand, is himself a violent criminal.

He is a Mafia figure who has killed people and operated outside the law.

Yet the FBI believes that Scarpa can accomplish things its own agents cannot.

That creates an uncomfortable question:

What happens when the people enforcing the law need help from someone who routinely breaks it?

Scarpa’s methods are brutal.

Strider initially struggles with the idea that violence could be used as a shortcut to justice.

But as the investigation continues, the distinction between justice and revenge becomes increasingly difficult to maintain.

That moral conflict is one of the central ideas behind the film. By Any Means 2026 movie

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Wayne Strider

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays Wayne Strider, the young FBI agent at the center of the story.

Strider is presented as a fictional composite character rather than a specific historical FBI agent. The filmmakers use him to explore the experiences and moral conflicts of Black federal agents working in the deeply segregated South. (EW.com)

His character begins with faith in the system.

He believes that evidence, investigation and the law can eventually produce justice.

But Mississippi forces him to confront an uncomfortable reality.

Sometimes the system itself is part of the problem.

As the investigation progresses, Strider’s attitude toward Scarpa’s methods changes.

That transformation is important because the movie isn’t simply asking whether Scarpa is good or evil.

Instead, it asks whether a good goal can justify morally questionable methods.

Mark Wahlberg as Gregory Scarpa

Mark Wahlberg plays Gregory Scarpa Sr., the Mafia hitman who became an FBI informant.

Scarpa was a real historical figure. By Any Means 2026 movie

He was a caporegime in New York’s Colombo crime family and maintained a long relationship with the FBI as a confidential informant. He became notorious for his violent reputation and was nicknamed “The Grim Reaper.” (Wikipedia)

The movie takes this extraordinary real-life relationship and turns it into the engine of its thriller plot.

Scarpa is not portrayed as a conventional hero.

He is violent, intimidating and completely comfortable operating outside the boundaries of the law.

But that is exactly why the FBI believes he can help.

Who Was Vernon Dahmer?

Vernon Dahmer Sr. was a real Mississippi civil-rights activist and NAACP leader.

He was also a businessman, farmer and voting-rights advocate. By Any Means 2026 movie

Dahmer and his family supported voter registration efforts and helped Black residents overcome barriers to voting.

His activism made him a target.

In the early hours of January 27, 1966, Klansmen attacked and firebombed the Dahmer family home in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Dahmer was severely injured and later died from his injuries.

The FBI itself records the 1966 firebombing of Dahmer’s home as an important civil-rights-era case. (FBI)

Giancarlo Esposito portrays Vernon Dahmer in the film. (Rotten Tomatoes)

The True Story Behind By Any Means

Yes, the movie is based on real historical events, but it is important to understand that By Any Means is a dramatization rather than a documentary.

The real Gregory Scarpa did work as an FBI informant.

Historical accounts also connect him with FBI investigations in Mississippi during the Civil Rights era.

In 1966, Scarpa was reportedly brought back to Mississippi in connection with the investigation into the murder of Vernon Dahmer. (The Mob Museum)

However, the film changes and combines certain characters and events for dramatic purposes.

The most important example is Wayne Strider. By Any Means 2026 movie

Strider is not a real FBI agent who worked alongside Scarpa in the exact way depicted in the film. He is a fictional composite created by the filmmakers. (EW.com)

So the best way to describe By Any Means is:

Inspired by true events, but dramatically fictionalized.

How Accurate Is By Any Means?

This is one of the most interesting questions surrounding the movie.

The basic historical foundation is real:

• Vernon Dahmer was a real civil-rights leader.
• His home was attacked by the Ku Klux Klan.
• Gregory Scarpa was a real Mafia figure.
• Scarpa was a longtime FBI informant.
• Scarpa was involved in FBI investigations in Mississippi.
• The FBI investigated the Dahmer murder.
• The film’s larger setting reflects the racial violence of the 1960s South.

But the movie reshapes these events into a crime thriller.

The fictional FBI character Wayne Strider allows the filmmakers to place the audience directly inside the moral conflict.

The film’s director, Elegance Bratton, has also emphasized emotional and historical truth rather than attempting to reproduce every event exactly as it happened. (EW.com)

The Meaning of the Title: “By Any Means”

The title is directly connected to the movie’s central philosophical question. By Any Means 2026 movie

How far should someone go to achieve justice?

The phrase “by any means” suggests that there may be situations where ordinary methods are not enough.

That’s exactly what happens to Strider.

He begins believing that the law should be followed.

Scarpa represents the opposite philosophy.

Scarpa believes that if someone needs to be stopped, you stop them.

It doesn’t matter whether the method is legal.

The two characters therefore represent two competing approaches:

Strider

Justice through the law.

Scarpa

Justice through whatever works.

The movie gradually blurs those boundaries.

Justice vs. Revenge

This is arguably the most important theme in By Any Means. By Any Means 2026 movie

When innocent people are murdered and the killers appear protected by the system, revenge can begin to look like justice.

But there is an important difference.

Justice requires accountability.

Revenge requires punishment.

Scarpa’s approach often favors punishment.

Strider initially wants justice.

As the story develops, those two ideas begin to overlap.

The film uses this conflict to ask whether violence can ever be justified when the existing system refuses to protect people.

The Role of Racism in the Movie

The racial violence isn’t simply background material.

It drives the entire story.

The film depicts Mississippi as a place where Black citizens face discrimination, intimidation and violence while white supremacist organizations wield enormous influence.

The Guardian described the movie as an unflinching examination of the brutality and racism surrounding the 1960s Mississippi setting. (The Guardian)

The movie, therefore, isn’t just a Mafia thriller.
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It is also a story about:

• Civil rights
• Voting rights
• Institutional racism
• White supremacy
• Law enforcement
• Political corruption
• Justice
• Revenge

Why Does the FBI Need Scarpa?

This is perhaps the strangest part of the real story.

Why would the FBI rely on a Mafia killer?

Because Scarpa had access to criminal networks and was willing to use methods that FBI agents could not officially use.

Historical accounts say Scarpa was used in Mississippi during investigations involving Klan violence. His alleged involvement in locating the bodies of the three murdered Freedom Summer workers in 1964 has also been reported, although the FBI has never officially confirmed the Scarpa version of that story. (Wikipedia)

The Dahmer case came later.

That history gives the movie an extraordinary foundation:

The government fighting violent extremists with the assistance of another violent criminal.

The Investigation

The investigation becomes increasingly dangerous as Strider and Scarpa attempt to identify the people responsible for the attacks.

The local environment makes everything more complicated.

Witnesses are frightened.

Suspects have connections.

The Klan has influence.

And the people investigating the crimes cannot always trust the institutions around them.

Scarpa therefore becomes increasingly important.

He doesn’t investigate the way a normal FBI agent would. Intimidates people. Threatens people. uses violence.

And Strider must decide how much of that he is willing to tolerate.

What Makes Scarpa So Dangerous?

Scarpa’s greatest weapon isn’t simply his gun.

It’s his reputation.

People know what he is capable of.

That means he doesn’t always need to use violence.

Sometimes the threat is enough.

But the movie also makes Scarpa deliberately unpredictable.

This creates an unusual partnership.

Strider has authority.

Scarpa has fear.

Together, they can obtain information that neither could easily obtain alone.

The Relationship Between Strider and Scarpa

Their relationship gradually becomes the emotional center of the movie.

At first, Strider doesn’t trust Scarpa.

And he has good reasons.

Scarpa is a criminal.

But Scarpa also understands something Strider is beginning to understand:

The system isn’t always designed to protect everyone equally.

That realization changes Strider.

The longer the investigation continues, the more he begins to question the limits of his own principles.

The partnership becomes less about friendship and more about necessity.

They need each other.

Is By Any Means a Good Movie?

The answer depends heavily on what you expect from it.

If you’re looking for a fast-paced historical crime thriller, there is plenty to appreciate.

The film has:

• Strong performances
• Period atmosphere
• Violent action
• A compelling historical foundation
• Moral conflict
• A striking central partnership

The Associated Press praised the movie as a propulsive action thriller and highlighted Abdul-Mateen II’s performance, Wahlberg’s intense portrayal of Scarpa and the film’s historical resonance. (AP News)

However, not every critic has been convinced by the execution.

Some reviews have criticized the film for relying too heavily on genre conventions and for turning complicated historical issues into a revenge-driven action story. (The Guardian)

Mark Wahlberg’s Performance

Wahlberg’s performance is deliberately larger than life.

Scarpa is supposed to feel dangerous.

He isn’t a polished government operative.

He is a Mafia killer who has been dropped into Mississippi to do a job.

That gives the character an unusual energy.

At the same time, the performance has generated criticism, particularly regarding the physical transformation used to portray Scarpa. (The Daily Beast)

Whether viewers enjoy the performance will likely depend on how they respond to the movie’s stylized approach.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s Performance

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II provides the movie’s emotional anchor.

While Scarpa is unpredictable, Strider gives the story a moral center.

His character has to watch the boundaries he believes in gradually disappear.

That makes his performance particularly important.

The movie isn’t simply about Scarpa killing criminals.

It’s about what happens to Strider when he starts believing that Scarpa’s methods might actually work.

Is By Any Means Worth Watching?

Watch it if you enjoy:

• Historical crime thrillers
• True-story-inspired movies
• Mafia stories
• Civil-rights dramas
• Action thrillers
• Moral-conflict stories
• Mark Wahlberg movies
• Yahya Abdul-Mateen II performances

You may not enjoy it if you prefer:

• Strictly factual historical movies
• Slow, character-driven dramas
• Documentary-style storytelling
• Movies without graphic violence

The film is rated R for pervasive language, violence and bloody images. (Rotten Tomatoes)

By Any Means Review

Story: ★★★★☆
Performances: ★★★★☆
Action: ★★★★☆
Historical atmosphere: ★★★★☆
Character development: ★★★☆☆
Historical accuracy: ★★★☆☆
Overall: 7/10

By Any Means works best when it focuses on its central contradiction: a federal government that wants justice but finds itself relying on a Mafia killer to get it.

The movie’s greatest strength is the unusual partnership between Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s fictional FBI agent and Mark Wahlberg’s real-life Gregory Scarpa.

Its biggest weakness is that the complexity of the historical subject sometimes gets squeezed into the conventions of a violent action thriller.

Still, the historical foundation makes the film considerably more interesting than an ordinary crime movie.

Final Thoughts

By Any Means is not simply a story about an FBI agent and a Mafia hitman.

At its heart, it is a story about what people do when the system fails them.

Wayne Strider believes in the law.

Gregory Scarpa believes in results.

Vernon Dahmer represents the people who were fighting for basic rights in a society that frequently refused to give them equal protection.

Bringing these figures together allows the film to explore an uncomfortable question:

If the law cannot deliver justice, how far should you go to get it?

That’s what gives By Any Means its title and its central conflict.

The film is based on real events, but viewers should remember that it is a dramatized interpretation rather than a literal historical record. The real Vernon Dahmer, the real Gregory Scarpa and the real civil-rights struggle existed independently of the fictionalized elements created for the movie. (EW.com)

For fans of historical crime thrillers, Mafia stories and Civil Rights-era dramas, By Any Means is worth adding to the watchlist.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is By Any Means based on a true story?

Yes. The film is inspired by the real-life murder of civil-rights leader Vernon Dahmer and the reported involvement of Mafia figure and FBI informant Gregory Scarpa in the investigation. (Paramount Pictures)

Who plays Gregory Scarpa in By Any Means?

Mark Wahlberg plays Gregory Scarpa Sr.

Who plays Wayne Strider?

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II plays Wayne Strider. The character is a fictional composite rather than a direct portrayal of one historical FBI agent. (EW.com)

Who was Vernon Dahmer?

Vernon Dahmer was a Mississippi civil-rights activist and NAACP leader who was killed after his home was firebombed by Klansmen in 1966. (FBI)

Is Gregory Scarpa a real person?

Yes. Scarpa was a Colombo crime-family capo and longtime FBI informant. (Wikipedia)

When was By Any Means released?

The film was released theatrically in the United States on September 4, 2026. (Paramount Pictures)

How long is By Any Means?

The runtime is approximately 1 hour and 47 minutes. (Rotten Tomatoes)

Is By Any Means available on Netflix?

As of September 6, 2026, it is primarily in its theatrical release window; reports say it is not currently available on Netflix or Amazon Prime Video. An official digital/streaming date had not been announced. (Decider)

Is By Any Means connected to Mississippi Burning?

Both films deal with racial violence and FBI investigations in Mississippi during the Civil Rights era, but they are not the same story. By Any Means focuses on the Vernon Dahmer case and Gregory Scarpa’s reported involvement.

For the 2026 movie/release section

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For the historical/crime thriller discussion

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For another 2026 movie

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