By Any Means locks in Australian cinema release date – By Any Means, starring Mark Wahlberg and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, will open in Australian cinemas on 3 September 2026.
VVS Films has confirmed the local release date for the crime thriller. Elegance Bratton directs the film.
Previously, Bratton directed The Inspection. That film explored identity, power and survival through a deeply personal story.
By Any Means draws on a true story. It follows a young Black FBI agent, played by Yahya Abdul-Mateen II.
In the story, the agent travels into 1960s Mississippi. There, he investigates brutal killings that target civil rights leaders.
However, the case soon pushes him into dangerous territory. He must work with mafia hitman Greg Scarpa, played by Mark Wahlberg.
Together, the two men enter a high-stakes hunt. As the investigation moves forward, justice, survival and vengeance begin to blur.
Meanwhile, Ethan Embry, Giancarlo Esposito, Josh Lucas, Nicole Beharie and David Strathairn round out the supporting cast.
The story also uses the violent reality of the civil rights era as its backdrop. As a result, law enforcement, organised crime and political power collide.
Ultimately, the release points to a film about what happens when official systems fail to deliver justice.
For Australian audiences, the September release date places the film in the late winter cinema window. The trailer also gives the first broad look at the tone, period setting and central pairing of Abdul-Mateen II and Wahlberg.
Watch the By Any Means trailer
The release describes the film with the line: “When the system is broken, two men divided by everything agree on one thing: the law has limits. They do not.”
By Any Means opens in Australian cinemas on 3 September 2026.
For more upcoming cinema coverage, visit TV Central’s Movie Previews section. More information and press assets are available from VVS Films.


















