BY ANY MEANS
Starring: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Mark Wahlberg, Nicole Beharie, David Strathairn, Josh Lucas, and Giancarlo Esposito
Director: Elegance Bratton
NICK
By Any Means begins as a film that requests you take it seriously, having a clear commentary on black men in 1960s America; particularly their limitations and disrespect within the FBI. Unfortunately, as the film goes on, that falls to the wayside in favour of a revenge plot against some relatively nameless white supremacists. Mark Wahlberg (though admittedly entertaining) is too stark a contrast from Yahya Abdul-Mateen II's subdued performance, making it feel like the characters are in different films. There’s no cohesion here and it’s a shame because By Any Means tries to say something until it doesn’t.
AMARÚ
It’s not enough to just tell this country’s important black stories, and it damn sure isn’t enough to Green Book the hell out of the true ones. By Any Means, initially, isn’t a bad movie. The acting from Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Nicole Beharie, and Giancarlo Esposito is great; however, the story goes one step below Magical Negro by having a White Savior come in to teach said Negro how to be magical. Nine years after Book's egregious Best Picture win and Hollywood still doesn’t get that paper thin scripts full of tired black trauma tropes do our stories a major disservice.
