The True Story Behind Mark Wahlberg’s Upcoming Crime Movie ‘By Any Means’

One of the most complex partnerships in American law enforcement history is set to hit the big screen.

Paramount Pictures’ forthcoming crime thriller ‘By Any Means‘ arrives at a time when audiences are eager for narratives that delve into racial injustice and institutional corruption, and this film promises to deliver both. Directed by Elegance Bratton and featuring Mark Wahlberg alongside Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, the film is already stirring up significant awards season buzz ahead of its theatrical debut.

The story follows a young Black FBI agent sent to 1960s Mississippi to probe a series of brutal killings targeting civil rights leaders. He finds himself working with notorious mafia hitman Greg Scarpa, leading them into a perilous pursuit where justice and vengeance become increasingly intertwined. While the premise may seem like a work of fiction, it is, in fact, based on true events.

Indeed, ‘By Any Means’ is deeply rooted in reality. Gregory Scarpa was a real mob hitman who collaborated with the FBI during the 1960s, and in 1966, the year the film is set, he assisted the FBI in the investigation of Vernon Dahmer, a civil rights activist murdered by the Ku Klux Klan in Mississippi.

Dahmer was not just a minor figure; he was a farmer, grocery store owner, and two-time president of the Forrest County chapter of the NAACP, who, alongside Medgar Evers, established a youth NAACP chapter in Hattiesburg. For years, he was a leading advocate for voting rights in a county where Black voter registration faced severe suppression.

Scarpa, known as “The Grim Reaper” due to his violent history with the Colombo crime family, evaded a bank robbery charge by becoming an FBI informant. His methods in Mississippi were anything but conventional. In January 1966, Scarpa and an FBI agent confronted store owner Lawrence Byrd, a suspect in Dahmer’s murder.

Under the guise of helping him load a television set, they lured Byrd outside, forced him into a car, and took him to a secluded area where Scarpa assaulted him. Following this brutal encounter, Byrd provided the FBI with a detailed confession that identified key Klansmen involved in the attack. It was a harsh and extralegal approach, but it proved effective.

The screenplay, penned by Sascha Penn, who previously contributed to ‘Power Book III: Raising Kanan’, aims to blend crime thriller elements with historical context, particularly focusing on the violence surrounding civil rights activism in the 1960s. Penn’s experience in crafting prestige street-level dramas makes him an apt choice for a narrative that defies simple moral categorization.

While the film is anchored in historical events, it does introduce fictional elements. Although the Wahlberg-led action movie will include several fictitious aspects, it aims to remain faithful to the era while also shedding light on the real-life murder of a significant civil rights leader. Abdul-Mateen II portrays Wayne Strider, an FBI agent who appears to be a composite character rather than a direct historical figure, allowing the screenplay to examine institutional racism from an insider’s viewpoint.

The cast also features Giancarlo Esposito as civil rights leader Vernon Dahmer, whose efforts in voter registration made him a target for the KKK. Dahmer was killed in 1966 after Klansmen firebombed his home, and director Bratton shared with Entertainment Weekly that Dahmer’s daughter, Bettie Dahmer, was present during the filming of that scene. This level of family involvement underscores the filmmakers’ commitment to honoring the real human cost behind the narrative.

Bratton described the film as a portrayal of “justice moving through corrupted systems,” while also characterizing it as “muscular, entertaining, and haunted.” This perspective encapsulates why the true story is both compelling and troubling. The only way the FBI could investigate a racially motivated murder in the Deep South was by enlisting a violent mobster, as the official system was too compromised to act independently.

Based on the 2018 Black List script CI-34, written by Sascha Penn and Theodore Witcher, the film is slated for release in the United States by Paramount Pictures on September 4, 2026. With its blend of high-quality filmmaking and impactful subject matter, ‘By Any Means’ is set to be one of the most discussed releases of the year.

We invite you to share your thoughts in the comments on whether you believe Hollywood can do justice to such a complex and morally charged story.