Confession: If Mark Wahlberg is in it, I’m probably going to watch it. So no, I’m not exactly unbiased here.
That said, By Any Means gave me pretty much what I wanted from it. Wahlberg is right in his comfort zone, but he also has a strong partner in Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, and the movie is better because of the contrast between the two.
Wahlberg brings that familiar tough-guy energy, while Abdul-Mateen gives the story a different kind of weight. Their dynamic helps keep the movie from feeling like just another straightforward crime thriller.
The movie has a strong setup based on true events, a good sense of tension and enough going on to keep it from feeling flat. The story moves, the performances work and I was never sitting there wondering when it was going to get interesting.
Wahlberg is still a big part of why it worked for me. He has a very specific screen presence, and By Any Means leans into it instead of fighting it. There’s a familiarity to watching him in this kind of role, but for me, that’s part of the appeal.
At the same time, Abdul-Mateen keeps the movie from becoming too Wahlberg-y. The two of them give the story enough personality to carry the heavier material without making the whole thing feel overly serious.
It’s solid, entertaining and very easy to watch. Maybe I was always going to be an easy sell with Wahlberg involved, but By Any Means still gets the job done.
Mark Wahlberg, Mississippi, and a Very Complicated Assignment
Inspired by true events, *By Any Means* pairs Mark Wahlberg and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in an unlikely alliance shaped by racism, violence and a turbulent moment in 1960s Mississippi.
