Home / Arts and Entertainment / Scarpa & Wahlberg: FBI Informant and Mafia Hitman Team Up
Scarpa & Wahlberg: FBI Informant and Mafia Hitman Team Up
21 Oct
Summary
- Mark Wahlberg plays a mafia hitman turned FBI informant.
- Movie investigates 1960s Mississippi civil rights killings.
- Film grossed $17 million worldwide against a $29 million budget.
The historical crime thriller 'By Any Means,' now available for digital purchase or rent, recounts an unbelievable true story from 1960s Mississippi. The film, released on September 4, 2026, stars Mark Wahlberg as Gregory Scarpa, a notorious mafia hitman who secretly worked as an FBI informant.
Directed by Elegance Bratton, the movie centers on a young Black FBI agent, Wayne Strider, tasked with investigating a series of brutal killings targeting civil rights leaders. The central case involves the 1966 firebombing murder of NAACP leader Vernon Dahmer Sr. in Hattiesburg.
To overcome the local community's fear and hostility towards federal authorities, the FBI pairs Agent Strider with the ruthless Scarpa. Strider aims for a by-the-book investigation, while Scarpa employs illegal tactics to break the wall of silence and uncover the truth.
The film also features Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Agent Strider and Giancarlo Esposito as Vernon Dahmer. Despite its intriguing plot and historical basis, 'By Any Means' garnered mixed reviews, achieving a 50% score on Rotten Tomatoes, and had a worldwide box office collection of $17 million against its $29 million budget.
