Why ‘By Any Means’ Earned Its R-Rating and What It Means For Mark Wahlberg’s New Crime Thriller

Mark Wahlberg is back on the big screen in a gritty new crime drama, and this time the violence is not for the faint of heart. ‘By Any Means‘ hit theaters on September 4, 2026, pulling audiences into a dark corner of American history through the lens of a mismatched investigative duo. The film is directed by Elegance Bratton and written by Sascha Penn, starring Wahlberg alongside Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Nicole Beharie, Josh Lucas, David Strathairn, and Giancarlo Esposito.

Given the film’s heavy subject matter, many moviegoers have been asking exactly why ‘By Any Means’ landed the strict R classification from the Motion Picture Association. The answer lies in both the story’s brutal historical backdrop and the way that violence is depicted on screen throughout its runtime.

The Official Reason Behind the R-Rating

The Motion Picture Association did not leave much ambiguity when it came to labeling ‘By Any Means’. The film is rated R by the Motion Picture Association specifically for violence and bloody images, as well as pervasive language, and it runs 107 minutes. That combination of graphic content and constant profanity is exactly the kind of pairing that typically pushes a studio release into R territory rather than a softer PG-13 classification.

This is not a surprising outcome once you consider the film’s premise. The story follows a notorious mafia hitman and a young Black FBI agent as they team up to investigate the murders of civil rights leaders in Mississippi in 1966.

A narrative built around real killings tied to the Civil Rights Movement was always going to require unflinching depictions of violence to feel authentic rather than sanitized.

Paramount Pictures clearly leaned into that intensity rather than softening it for a broader audience. The studio released the film in theaters starting September 4, positioning it as a propulsive action thriller set against the backdrop of the Civil Rights era. That branding alone signals a film unafraid of showing the ugliness of its historical setting.

What the Plot Reveals About the Violence

Understanding the plot of ‘By Any Means’ helps explain why the bloodshed feels so central to the experience rather than gratuitous filler. Based on a true story, a young Black FBI agent played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is sent into 1960s Mississippi to investigate a wave of brutal killings targeting civil rights leaders. That premise alone guarantees a story steeped in racially motivated violence and its aftermath.

The agent does not work alone, and his forced partnership is where much of the film’s tension comes from. He is forced to work alongside a notorious mafia hitman named Greg Scarpa, played by Wahlberg, and together they find themselves pulled into a deadly hunt where justice and vengeance begin to blur. That blurred line between lawful investigation and personal retribution is a big reason the film does not pull punches visually.

Wahlberg’s character is drawn directly from a real historical figure rather than an invented composite. Wahlberg plays Gregory Scarpa, a mafia hitman turned FBI informant, in a film based on true events from Mississippi’s civil rights era. Playing a man who lived by violence naturally invites a script that does not shy away from depicting that violence on screen.

The film’s own marketing captures the moral gray zone at its core. When the system is broken, two men divided by everything agree on one thing, that the law has limits, and they do not respect them. That thematic setup practically guarantees an R rated tone from start to finish.

Critics and Audiences Weigh in on the Intensity

Critical reaction to ‘By Any Means’ has been mixed, though many reviewers acknowledge the film commits fully to its harsh subject matter. The movie currently carries a 52 percent overall score, with viewer reactions ranging from praise for Wahlberg’s performance as the mob boss to criticism that the plot feels thin in places. Even critics who found fault with the storytelling tended to note that the film does not soften its depiction of the era’s violence.

Audiences appear to have responded more warmly than critics did, particularly to the film’s raw tone. By Any Means split critics and landed at 55 percent on Rotten Tomatoes ahead of its release, but the film has since clinched a much stronger audience score once general moviegoers weighed in. That gap suggests everyday viewers appreciated the unflinching approach more than some professional reviewers did.

Comparisons to other hard hitting dramas have also come up in early discourse around the film. Titles like ‘Mississippi Burning’ and ‘Judas and the Black Messiah’ share similar thematic DNA, and ‘By Any Means’ seems to be aiming for that same lineage of unvarnished period crime storytelling. That comparison alone tells you the violence was never meant to be incidental.

How This R-Rating Fits Into Wahlberg’s Career

For Wahlberg, taking on a role this dark and morally complicated marks a notable shift from some of his more family friendly recent output. The role of Greg Scarpa is being described as one of Wahlberg’s most transformative performances yet, with the actor fully embodying a violent, morally compromised historical figure. That kind of transformation typically requires a script willing to lean into darker material rather than hold back.

Wahlberg’s involvement goes beyond acting as well, giving him a direct hand in shaping the film’s tone. Wahlberg served as one of the producers on the project alongside Stephen Levinson, Basil Iwanyk, and others. Having a producer credit suggests he was invested in making sure the film’s harsher edges made it to the screen intact rather than getting watered down for a wider rating.

The pairing of Wahlberg and Abdul-Mateen II has also drawn comparisons to classic buddy cop cinema, albeit with a much bleaker undertone. Reviewers have noted the film introduces a new mismatched buddy cop duo, drawing comparisons to pairings like Nick Nolte and Eddie Murphy or Mel Gibson and Danny Glover, though this version trades comedic banter for genuine historical brutality. That contrast between a familiar genre formula and genuinely disturbing subject matter is likely a big part of why the R rating feels earned rather than excessive.

With ‘By Any Means’ now playing in theaters and audience scores climbing, it is clear the film’s unflinching approach to a painful chapter of history struck a nerve. Do you think Wahlberg and Abdul-Mateen II’s brutal partnership does justice to the real story behind Greg Scarpa, or does the violence go further than the narrative actually needed?