‘By Any Means’ Has Critics Divided on Rotten Tomatoes, But Audiences Are Clearly Loving It
By Any Means has become one of those movies where the Rotten Tomatoes scores tell two very different stories. The historical crime thriller arrived in theaters with a difficult subject, a serious story, and two major stars at the center of it. Yet critics and regular moviegoers have responded to the film in noticeably different ways. While critics have given the movie a mixed reception, audiences have been much more enthusiastic, creating a major gap between the two groups and making By Any Means one of the more interesting recent examples of how differently critics and movie fans can judge the same film.
The film’s Rotten Tomatoes reception and the growing difference between its critics and audience scores are clearly visible. Directed by Elegance Bratton and written by Sascha Penn, By Any Means takes audiences back to Mississippi in 1966, a period marked by extreme racial violence and the fight for civil rights. The movie follows Wayne Strider, a young Black FBI agent played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who is sent to investigate a series of murders targeting civil rights leaders. His investigation becomes much more complicated when he is forced to work with Gregory Scarpa, a real-life Mafia hitman who became an FBI informant and is played by Mark Wahlberg.
The unusual partnership between these two characters is at the heart of the movie. Strider is presented as a serious investigator who is trying to do his job while dealing with the brutal reality surrounding him. Scarpa, on the other hand, comes from a completely different world. He is a violent criminal who has his own methods and is not afraid to cross lines that Strider would never consider crossing. The two men have completely different personalities and moral codes, but they are pushed into the same investigation because they need to find the people responsible for the killings.
That relationship has received plenty of attention from critics, although not always in a positive way. Reviews have generally landed somewhere in the mid-to-high 60s on Rotten Tomatoes, with several critics praising Abdul-Mateen II’s performance while questioning whether Wahlberg’s approach fits the tone of the movie. Abdul-Mateen II has been described as “reliably magnetic,” with his performance giving the film a grounded center. Wahlberg’s Scarpa is much louder and more theatrical, creating a sharp contrast between the two leads. For some reviewers, that difference makes the movie feel uneven instead of adding to the tension between the characters.
Another criticism has focused on Wahlberg’s appearance. His use of prosthetic makeup to transform into Scarpa has been distracting for some viewers and critics. Instead of disappearing completely into the role, the makeup has drawn attention to itself, making it harder for some people to take the character seriously. Critics have also questioned the way the film handles its historical material. Because the story deals with real violence against civil rights leaders, some reviewers expected the movie to spend more time exploring the historical weight of those events instead of relying so heavily on the familiar style of a revenge-driven crime thriller.
Audiences clearly do not seem nearly as bothered by those issues. By Any Means currently has an audience score of 88 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, putting it far ahead of its critics score. That difference is significant because it suggests that people watching the movie primarily for entertainment are getting much more out of it than some professional reviewers. Instead of focusing heavily on questions about tone, historical accuracy, or performance choices, audiences appear to be responding to the movie’s action, crime story, characters, and central partnership.
The strong audience response is also an important moment for both of the movie’s biggest stars. For Abdul-Mateen II, the audience score reportedly puts By Any Means alongside Ambulance as one of the best-rated films of his career by moviegoers. For Wahlberg, the movie represents a particularly welcome turnaround. Several of his recent projects, including Balls Up, The Family Plan 2, and Play Dirty, have struggled to connect with audiences. By Any Means has now reportedly moved into the top 10 of his highest-rated films based on audience scores, giving the actor a much-needed success with moviegoers.
The supporting cast adds even more weight to the historical story. Nicole Beharie, Josh Lucas, David Strathairn, and Giancarlo Esposito are also part of the movie, with Esposito playing civil rights leader Vernon Dahmer. Dahmer’s real-life murder becomes an important part of the story, giving the fictional investigation a direct connection to the real violence that took place during the civil rights era. The film uses genuine historical events as its foundation while also creating fictionalized elements to build its crime thriller plot.
By Any Means is currently playing exclusively in theaters through Paramount Pictures, and there is no confirmed streaming release date yet. That means the movie’s theatrical performance will be important in determining whether its strong audience response translates into lasting success. The disagreement between critics and audiences may actually help keep the movie in the conversation, especially as more people become curious about why the two groups have reacted so differently.
For now, the message from Rotten Tomatoes is impossible to miss. Critics see a film with interesting ideas but noticeable problems, while audiences appear to have found an intense crime thriller that delivers what they came to see. By Any Means may not have convinced everyone in the same way, but its 88 percent audience score proves that plenty of moviegoers are having a much better time with it than the critical reaction suggests. In this case, the biggest debate surrounding the movie may not be about its story at all. It may simply be about whether critics or audiences have the better read on what makes By Any Means work.
Who Got It Right About By Any Means?
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