In the period crime thriller “By Any Means”, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II emotionally grounds a powerful civil rights era story while Mark Wahlberg injects it with muscle and ruthless aggression. Together the duo drives what is a historically compelling and thematically potent feature that also comes packed with certain genre mechanics which opens the door for some thrilling action and some unexpected humor.

“By Any Means” is the sophomore feature from director Elegance Bratton. Here he works from a script by Sascha Penn that is inspired by true events, namely the FBI’s investigation into the 1966 murder of Mississippi civil rights leader Vernon Dahmer by the Ku Klux Klan. With the Klan operating under the protection of powerful politicians and local police, the FBI took an off-the-record approach. They secretly hired mafia hitman and FBI informant Gregory Scarpa to travel to Mississippi and use his violent methods to pressure locals and get confessions.

While the FBI has never officially acknowledged using Greg Scarpa, courtroom testimonies, declassified communications, and several biographies have confirmed their “partnership”. It’s a fascinating revelation that provides Bratton and Penn with subject material ripe for a big screen feature adaptation. To ground their story they lean into the historical setting and pluck details from numerous real-life accounts. They also use fictionalized elements that meaningfully enhance certain perspectives. But it’s also a high-stakes action thriller that never loses sight of its genre ambitions.

Set in 1966, Abdul-Mateen II plays Wayne Strider, one of only a handful of black agents in the FBI. Stationed in Chicago, Wayne enthusiastically jumps at the chance to join the bureau’s office near his hometown of Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Once there, he naively believes his idealistic trust in the system and his by-the-book methods will help bring the Klan to justice. But reality slowly begins to creep in after the murder of his friend and mentor, Vernon Dahmer (Giancarlo Esposito).

As his investigation is constantly thwarted by local authorities, a frustrated Wayne gets help from an unlikely source. His superior calls in Greg Scarpa (Wahlberg), a mob enforcer for New York’s Colombo crime family. Wayne’s job is to drive Scarpa wherever he needs to go and to stay out of his way while he does his special brand of investigating. Scarpa’s violent methods quickly clash with Wayne’s earnest ideals. But Wayne’s perspective changes after their presence puts him and his supportive wife Allison (Nicole Beharie) in the Klan’s crosshairs.

Abdul-Mateen II and Wahlberg have a sharp chemistry that is effective in every facet of their characters’ complicated relationship. Wahlberg is inevitably a scene-stealer in a role he seems custom-made to play (prosthetic nose aside). But the story doesn’t click without the humanity Abdul-Mateen II brings. They both navigate their complexities in some compelling ways while also energizing the action with gritty, authentic aggression. You’ll find yourself caught in between rooting on their efforts and squirming at the lengths they go.

While the key characters are given plenty of room to develop, the antagonists are somewhat generically portrayed. The setting itself provides a baked-in tension. But the movie’s villains consist of mostly nondescript locals and corrupt deputies. All are either Klansman or sympathetic to them, and in that regard, they certainly serve their nefarious purposes. But don’t expect any of them to stand out or take much of a lead in defining the bad guys beyond what history has already informed us.

There is a lingering feeling that “By Any Means” could have dug deeper into its subject matter. That might be true. But to Bratton’s credit, he gets his point across while still delivering solid genre entertainment. He sticks close enough to history and his statements on it are crystal clear. But he also delivers the kind of buddy-cop camaraderie and action-fueled thrills that genre fans will delight in. That’s a tough balance to find by Bratton pulls it off. “By Any Means” is out now exclusively in theaters.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS