By Any Means, a new crime thriller about a Black FBI agent who teams up with a white mafia hitman in 1960s Mississippi, made a modest debut at the box office this weekend amid criticism the film takes too many liberties with history.
The thriller, starring Emmy winner Yahya Abdul-Mateen II alongside action movie veteran Mark Wahlberg, debuted in fourth place with an estimated $7.4 million between Friday and Sunday, according to data provided to Urban Hollywood 411 by Rentrak.
The Paramount Pictures release played in 2,903 theaters across the U.S. and Canada, averaging $2,554 per location. When the Labor Day holiday is included, the film is projected to earn $9.1 million over four days.
With a reported production budget of $29 million, the film could still turn a profit.
The thriller follows FBI agent Wayne Strider, played by Abdul-Mateen, who is sent to Mississippi to investigate a series of killings targeting Civil Rights leaders.
“I believe in justice, and I believe that Negroes have to be a part in getting it,” Strider says in the film’s trailer.
As he searches for answers, the agent is forced to work with notorious mafia hitman Greg Scarpa, played by Wahlberg. While the FBI agent must operate within the law, Scarpa is more than willing to bash in heads.
According to the film’s official description, the investigation becomes “a hunt where justice and vengeance begin to blur.”
The drama features a notable supporting cast that includes Nicole Beharie, David Strathairn, Josh Lucas, LisaGay Hamilton, Giancarlo Esposito, Ethan Embry, and Tony Award winner LaChanze.
Elegance Bratton (The Inspection), helmed the film from a script by Sascha Penn, whose credits include Creed II and Power Book III: Raising Kanan.
Paramount touted By Any Means as being inspired by a true story. But family members of slain NAACP leader and voting rights advocate Vernon Dahmer Sr. — whose story central to the script — raised concerns about the film’s accuracy. Dahmer is played by Giancarlo Esposito.
In a press release on Aug. 14, the family urged Paramount to add a prologue before the film, saying: “Vernon F. Dahmer, Sr. is a real person that fought (literally) and died for Black folks to gain the right TO VOTE!”
His son, Dennis Dahmer Sr., told The Root the movie strays too far from the truth and reinforces a “white hero savior movie trope.”
“My father did not die seeking fame. He died from smoke inhalation and severe burns after defending his family during a gun battle with Klansmen who firebombed our home while we slept,” said Dennis. “If people leave this movie remembering someone else more than Vernon Dahmer, then history has not been served.”
On Jan. 10, 1966, armed Klansmen firebombed Dahmer’s home as he and his family slept, according to Mississippi Today.
Dahmer grabbed his shotgun and fought back, helping his wife and children escape. He saved his family, but died from injuries suffered in the attack.
His widow, Ellie Dahmer, has also spoken out and questioned the film’s accuracy.
“My late husband, if he was alive today, he would not support this movie. He’s against everything it stands for,” Ellie said in a video statement posted to Facebook last month. “His last words were, ‘If you don’t vote, you don’t count.’”
Still, By Any Means is an action thriller “inspired” by real events not a documentary.
Reviews for the drama have been mixed. The film currently has a 55% score on Rotten Tomatoes. While some critics praised the performances others questioned the storytelling.
“The buddy-cop elements feel out of place,” Ben Kenigsberg wrote in his review for The New York Times.
Joseph Robinson of Fish Jelly Films described By Any Means as having “an intriguing premise, but its storytelling lacks the nuance and connective tissue to bring everything together.”
Mark Kennedy of the Associated Press countered the filmmakers “artfully straddle the various divides and historical animosities while delivering a propulsive, muscular and unvarnished action thriller.”
Elsewhere this weekend at the box office, Spider-Man: Brand New Day held onto the top spot for a sixth straight weekend with $18 million, according to Rentrak.
The Odyssey followed in second place with $13 million during its eighth weekend in theaters, while Coyote vs. Acme was third with $11.3 million in its second weekend.
As mentioned, By Any Means was fourth. Insidious: Out of the Further rounded out the top five with $6.5 million in its third weekend.
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