The film "By Any Means," directed by Elegance Bratton and based on a Black List script by Sascha Penn, centers on the unlikely collaboration between real-life Brooklyn hitman Gregory Scarpa (Mark Wahlberg) and fictional Black FBI agent Wayne Strider (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II). Set in January 1966, the plot is triggered by the firebombing of NAACP leader Vernon Dahmer's home by the Ku Klux Klan. President Lyndon B. Johnson, incensed by this blatant disregard for the recently signed Voting Rights Act, demands action, leading to Scarpa being assigned to the case with Strider as his handler.
Strider, an idealist who joined the FBI to ensure Black community participation in justice, finds himself increasingly frustrated by the agency's inaction regarding racial violence. His partnership with Scarpa, an off-the-books associate known for his "dirty work," is initially contentious. Strider is cautious and adheres to protocol, while Scarpa is casually violent and confident. The film explores the moral complexities arising from Strider's increasing tolerance for Scarpa's brutal methods, as he witnesses Scarpa's savagery yielding results where "polite questioning" fails.
The movie is described as a "high-concept buddy cop thriller" that effectively blends entertainment with a "horrific historical backdrop." While it has been compared to "Lethal Weapon," it maintains a focus on the real substance of America's past sins. Performances by Abdul-Mateen II, Wahlberg, and a supporting cast including Giancarlo Esposito and Nicole Beharie are highlighted as strong, particularly Abdul-Mateen's portrayal of Strider's internal conflict and moral transformation.
Critics note that the film presents a "seductive but queasy fantasy" where violence appears to be the only effective solution, allowing Strider and the audience to be absolved of its moral implications. The narrative frames Strider as initially naive and Scarpa's brutality as empirically correct, leading Strider to engage in bloodshed to achieve respect and results. Although the film's depth is sometimes questioned, it is lauded for its gripping portrayal of this morally complex quest for justice and its effective execution of action sequences, backed by Terence Blanchard's jazz score.
The film touches upon the historical context of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and the subsequent implementation of poll taxes in southern states, targeting poor Black communities. Vernon Dahmer's real-life commitment to covering these fees for struggling voters serves as the catalyst for the events in the story, establishing the immediate and profound racial injustices that the characters confront.
