The murder of a Black civil rights activist forms an unlikely partnership between a Mafia hitman and a wary FBI agent against the Ku Klux Klan in 1966 Mississippi. By Any Means literally pulls no punches in a savage retelling of a horrific crime from America’s racist past. A legacy of ugly violence and white supremacist oppression is graphically depicted as the indomitable drive for freedom and justice matches ruthless tactics. The story told has its share of flaws, especially with bombastic characterizations and preachy dialogue, but the film absolutely nails the explosive tension of a time when the subjugated finally had enough.

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