By Any Means beats on Klansmen but can't beat its own tired thriller script
A terrible Mark Wahlberg steals Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s spotlight in the uneven buddy-cop period piece By Any Means.
By Any Means, a Civil Rights-era thriller directed by Elegance Bratton, explores the FBI's handling of white supremacist violence during the 1960s. The film, based on a true story, follows investigating agent Wayne Strider (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II), who is paired with surly Brooklynite Gregory Scarpa (Mark Wahlberg). As they work together, Strider reluctantly allows Gregory to use any means necessary to achieve their goals, including brutal displays of violence.
Although the movie initially grapples with the moral complexities of its premise, it ultimately shifts towards spectacle, losing interest in its own themes and focusing on car chases and brutal acts. Wahlberg, despite his history of violent behavior, struggles to convincingly portray a Brooklynite with a distinct accent, while Abdul-Mateen delivers a nuanced performance as Wayne's conflicted moral compass.
The film, however, is overshadowed by Wahlberg's dominant presence, failing to fully capitalize on its potential to address the realities of fighting violence with violence.
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