The drama By Any Means certainly has what sounds like a sturdy premise: Amid the darkest days of the Civil Rights movement, a no-nonsense cop (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) and a shaggy mafia enforcer (Mark Wahlberg) team up to fight for justice in the Deep South. It also has a rising-star director in Elegance Bratton, whose debut feature, The Inspection, was acclaimed (if underseen) when A24 released it in 2022.
Ham-Fisted Justice Is Handed Out in the New Movie, By Any Means
It’s based on — or, perhaps, suggested by — a true story. Mafia hitman Gregory Scarpa Sr., a notorious enforcer for the Colombo crime family, made money moonlighting as an FBI informant, allegedly stepping in when the Feds required extralegal assistance. In By Any Means, Scarpa is played as a grinning, if violent, wise guy, more GoodFellas than America’s Most Wanted.
Wayne Strider (Abdul-Mateen), a young FBI agent stationed in his hometown of Hattiesburg, Mississippi, is tasked with handling Scarpa as they investigate a hate crime. (There isn’t a neat historical parallel for Strider; a muddled on-screen post-script implies that the character is based on vague assertions about an unnamed agent who worked with Scarpa.)
In theory, By Any Means is a muddy, nihilistic echo of Green Book; Scarpa sees the reality of Strider’s life and challenges, both men learn harsh lessons from one another. In practice, though, the film is little more than a celebration of violence — and, at its darkest moments, a justification of torture.
History Is Told, Badly, By the Screenwriters
While the script (by Sascha Penn) is indeed based on a real crime, it spends most of its time inventing incidents to trap Strider. Early on, Scarpa kills a racist cop, threatening to pin the murder on Strider unless the young lawman stays quiet. Strider is given warm, personal connections to multiple victims. The Klan eventually fires into his home, narrowly missing his wife.
This kind of scene setting is Cheap Action Movie 101: Have so much bad stuff happen to your protagonist that any violent revenge seems narratively justified. But applying that framework to a real, complicated moment in history cheapens and undercuts the actual message of the moment. It’s true, of course, that the struggle for Civil Rights included many dark chapters. Making a movie about torturing and murdering criminals to secure empty convictions is not a reflection of that history.
The very gifted Abdul-Mateen gives a powerful performance, but it’s in service of a deranged project. There are moments of intense violence in By Any Means that do not feel cathartic, instructive or even chilling; they’re mostly just ugly. There’s no good reason for any of this.
Also on Screens: Ryan Reynolds Is Lost in the Snow, While Adria Arjona Is Trapped in a Trailer Park
This week’s better action film can be found on the small screen. Apple TV’s Mayday, a comedic actioner starring Ryan Reynolds and Kenneth Branagh, strands a plucky Navy pilot deep behind Soviet lines in the midst of the Cold War. Fortunately, he winds up in the backyard of an Americanophile ex-KGB agent, and the often funny and surprisingly gripping chase is on. Reynolds is basically playing a more grounded Deadpool, but the smart script and energetic direction (from the filmmaking team of Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley) mesh well with Reynolds’ style. On a long weekend, it’s a fun way to spend a couple of hours. Watch for an unexpectedly heartfelt turn from Oscar nominee Maria Bakalova.
Meanwhile, in theaters, Adria Arjona stars in Onslaught, an action-horror hybrid that’s received positive notices. Arjona plays an Army sniper defending her home against an invading group of genetically modified super-soldiers — a potentially hokey premise, sure, but prestige distributor A24 doesn’t usually waste their time on trifles, so there’s probably something to see here. Director Adam Wingard returns to his low-budget roots with this one after making the last two Godzilla pictures.
Nostalgia Throwbacks on the Big Screen
The foundational anime feature Akira is back in theaters this weekend, remastered for the first time in 4K. And, somehow, Pixar’s Cars has reached its 20th anniversary. Let the eternally youthful Lightning McQueen console you about the passage of time, as the hit returns to theaters for a limited engagement.
A Recap of What’s Come Out This Year
Can anything topple Spider-Man? No other film released this year has won more than three consecutive weekends at the box office; Spider-Man: Brand New Day has already won five, and it’s all but certain to take a sixth over the next few days. Here’s our review, if you’re one of the last few people still on the fence. Last weekend, we talked about Coyote vs. Acme, the Looney Tunes picture that’s drawing rave reviews; everyone who sees this one loves it, so do yourself a favor and buy a ticket. And — probably for some time yet — The Odyssey is still in theaters. It just won’t look the same at home, so go now.
Keep exploring this summer’s releases with Sean’s line-up of the summer blockbuster season.
About the Author
Sean Collier is the editor-in-chief of Shady Ave and the arts and culture editor of TABLE Magazine. Before joining the TABLE Media team, he spent nearly 15 years as a writer, editor and columnist at Pittsburgh Magazine. As the in-house film critic for the top-rated WDVE Morning Show since 2009, he’s been Pittsburgh’s most widely heard voice on movies for nearly two decades. A Pittsburgh native, Sean has since 2020 appeared weekly on KDKA-TV’s popular Pittsburgh Today Live talk show. He’s the co-founder of Vigilance Theater Group and an active stand-up comedian and event host. He can be found on Instagram and Twitter at @seancollierpgh.
Photos Courtesy of Paramount Pictures
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