By Any Means is a historical crime thriller film directed by Elegance Bratton from a screenplay by Sascha Penn. The 2026 film is set in the 1960s in Mississippi, and it follows Special FBI Agent Wayne Strider as he teams up with the notorious New York City hitman Greg Scarpa to investigate the murders of civil rights leaders. By Any Means stars Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Mark Wahlberg, Nicole Beharie, Josh Lucas, David Strathairn, and Giancarlo Esposito. So, if you loved the thrilling drama, intense story, and compelling characters in By Any Means, here are some similar movies you should check out next.
Mississippi Burning (MGM+, Tubi, Pluto TV, & The Roku Channel)
Mississippi Burning is a crime thriller film directed by Alan Parker from a screenplay by Chris Gerolmo. The 1988 film is set in the 1960s. It follows FBI agents Alan Ward and Rupert Anderson as they are sent to Mississippi to investigate the disappearance of three civil rights activists and soon come into conflict with the local police and the Ku Klux Klan. Mississippi Burning stars Gene Hackman, Willem Dafoe, Frances McDormand, Brad Dourif, and R. Lee Ermey.
Judas and the Black Messiah (Rent on Prime Video)
Judas and the Black Messiah is a biographical historical crime drama film directed by Shaka King, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Will Berson. Set in late 1960s Chicago, the 2021 film follows petty criminal William O’Neal as the FBI tasks him with infiltrating the Illinois Chapter of the Black Panther Party. O’Neal soon gets close to the leader Fred Hampton and leaks information about the party to the FBI. Judas and the Black Messiah stars Daniel Kaluuya, LaKeith Stanfield, Jesse Plemons, Dominique Fishback, Ashton Sanders, and Martin Sheen.
BlacKkKlansman (Rent on Prime Video)
BlacKkKlansman is a biographical crime drama film directed by Spike Lee, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Charlie Wachtel, David Rabinowitz, and Kevin Willmott. Based on Ron Stallworth’s 2014 memoir Black Klansman, the 2018 film is set in the 1970s in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and it follows Detective Ron Stallworth, the first African-American police detective, as he investigates the local chapter of the Ku Klux Klan. BlacKkKlansman stars John David Washington, Adam Driver, Laura Harrier, and Topher Grace.
In the Heat of the Night (Pluto TV, The Roku Channel, & Rent on Prime Video)
In the Heat of the Night is a Southern Gothic mystery-drama film directed by Norman Jewison from a screenplay by Stirling Silliphant. Based on John Ball’s 1965 novel of the same name, the 1967 film is set in the 1960s in Sparta, Mississippi, and it follows Virgil Tibbs, an African-American police detective from Philadelphia, as he gets embroiled in a murder investigation in Sparta after he is unjustifiably arrested for a murder. In the Heat of the Night stars Sidney Poitier, Rod Steiger, Warren Oates, and Lee Grant.
Detroit (The CW)
Detroit is a historical crime drama film directed by Kathryn Bigelow from a screenplay by Mark Boal. Based on the Algiers Motel incident, the 2017 film is set in the year 1967 during the 12th Street Riot in Detroit, and it sees a group of rogue police officers cracking down violently against a group of African-Americans because of a complaint. Detroit stars John Boyega, Will Poulter, Algee Smith, Jason Mitchell, John Krasinski, and Anthony Mackie.
A Time to Kill (Philo & Rent on Prime Video)
A Time to Kill is a Southern Gothic legal drama film directed by Joel Schumacher from a screenplay by Akiva Goldsman. Based on John Grisham’s 1989 novel of the same name, the 1996 film is set in the 1980s in Clanton, Mississippi, and it revolves around the murder trial of Carl Lee Hailey, who killed the two men who raped his young daughter. Carl hires Jake Brigance, a rookie lawyer, to defend him, but Jake struggles to get Carl acquitted in the small segregated Southern town. A Time to Kill stars Sandra Bullock, Samuel L. Jackson, Matthew McConaughey, Kevin Spacey, Brenda Fricker, and Oliver Platt.
Killers of the Flower Moon (Apple TV & Rent on Prime Video)
Killers of the Flower Moon is an epic crime drama film directed by Martin Scorsese, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Eric Roth and Paul Thomas Anderson. Based on David Grann’s 2017 nonfiction book of the same name, the 202 film is set in the 1920s in Oklahoma, and it revolves around the murder investigation of a few Osage members after oil was discovered on tribal land. Killers of the Flower Moon stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert DeNiro, Lily Gladstone, Jesse Plemons, Tantoo Cardinal, John Lithgow, and Brendan Fraser.