The reviews cover “By Any Means,” a historical crime thriller directed by Elegance Bratton. The film stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as a Black FBI agent investigating the 1966 murder of a civil rights leader in Mississippi. According to outlets, the investigation requires the agent to work with a mob hitman, and the plot emphasizes methods used to pursue justice.
Both sources describe the story as being inspired by true events, with the central premise focused on collaboration across criminal and law-enforcement lines. The New York Times frames the film’s approach as using questionable tactics—“bending the law”—to achieve enforcement outcomes, while also questioning whether the movie’s aims lean more toward earnest civil-rights engagement or exploitation. Hollywood Reporter characterizes the film more broadly as shallow, yet occasionally gripping, focusing on the period crime-thriller structure and the performances.
Across the two reviews, the shared emphasis is on a civil-rights-era murder case, a partnership between the FBI and a mob figure, and the tension between the film’s seriousness and its dramatic execution.
