By Any Means (2026)

By Any Means has a true story that deserves a steady hand and a co-star who keeps hogging the spotlight. In 1966, Vernon Dahmer, a Hattiesburg man who helped his Black neighbors register to vote, got his family out when the Klan attacked his home at night, and he did not survive. Giancarlo Esposito gives him quiet dignity. The film then follows Wayne Strider, a young Black FBI agent sent south to solve the case, paired with Brooklyn mob enforcer Greg Scarpa because frightened witnesses won’t talk to the feds. Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is excellent as a man who believes in courtrooms and has to watch the rules bend around him. Mark Wahlberg plays Scarpa as a swaggering showman, quoting Malcolm X between threats, and the movie seems to enjoy his rough methods more than it questions them. That pull between pulpy thriller and serious history never settles. A 5.0 because the history matters and the tone wobbles. $11.74 says you tell someone about Vernon Dahmer tomorrow who had never heard his name before.

What works: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II gives a careful, layered performance, and the film makes sure Vernon Dahmer’s courage is remembered.

What doesn’t: Mark Wahlberg’s broad, hammy Scarpa keeps pulling focus, and the film can’t decide whether it’s a gritty thriller or a serious history.

Who it’s for: Viewers drawn to civil rights history and true crime dramas who don’t mind a heavy dose of Hollywood swagger.