In the new feature, By Any Means, we get a glimpse of 1966 America. In it, filmmaker Elegance Bratton takes on a true-life tale inspired by the murder of a civil rights leader in Mississippi during the Civil Rights Era. The film stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as an FBI agent, and Mark Wahlberg portrays his mob-tied partner. Both actors are very well cast. As for the supporting players, Nicole Beharie is terrific. You also have Josh Lucas, Ethan Embry, Giancarlo Esposito, and David Strathairn. It’s a terrific cast, with a solid script by Sascha Penn (check out our review).
This past Tuesday, I sat down with both Wahlberg and Abdul-Mateen about taking on these characters. The two opened up about their experience. Mr. Wahlberg takes on this kind of role easily. The actor brings a little “bad cop” energy into his performance, and it works. As for Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, he talked about a role like this. And one of his inspirations is reading scripture during production to guide his performance. Both actors were a pleasure to speak with.
Next up, we spoke with Elegance Bratton. The filmmaker discussed his need to take on this story. Coming from a documentary background, he talked about the current state of the world and bringing the screenplay to the big screen. He discussed casting the right actors to bring it to fruition. By Any Means features a strong couple of leading actors, and it is certainly a tale worth exploring.
By Any Means opens this week at a theatre near you.
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