What’s good, everybody?! It’s Kevin27wrld back with another episode. Today, we are breaking down Paramount’s heavy-hitting 2026 crime thriller, By Any Means, directed by Elegance Bratton.
Set in the racial pressure cooker of 1966 Mississippi, this movie pulls back the curtain on one of the wildest, unholy alliances in American history. We follow young Black FBI agent Wayne Strider (played brilliantly by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II) as he’s forced to team up with notorious NYC mob hitman turned FBI informant Greg Scarpa (Mark Wahlberg). Their mission? Take down the Ku Klux Klan members responsible for the brutal murder of civil rights leader Vernon Dahmer (Giancarlo Esposito).
In this episode, I’m getting into all of it:
The Strider & Scarpa Dynamic: Yahya’s incredible performance holding down the moral core of the movie versus Wahlberg playing a ruthless mob enforcer operating completely outside the law.
The Historical Weight: How the film handles the tragic legacy of Vernon Dahmer and the dark reality of the FBI relying on mob tactics to get results when the system failed.
Tension & Pacing: Breaking down Bratton’s direction, the cinematic style, and the standout suspense sequences that kept me locked in.
The Verdict: Does the script give these huge characters enough room to breathe, or does it leave too much depth on the table? My final score and where this lands in 2026 cinema.
If you’re digging the content, make sure to hit that follow button, drop a rating on Spotify, and lock in for the next one!
Follow the journey:
Socials: @kevin27wrld
Did Yahya or Mark steal the show for you in this one?