Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Evangelical
Religious Music and Entertainment
Mark Wahlberg: ‘God Has Your Back’ Even When Justice Doesn’t

Mark Wahlberg: ‘God Has Your Back’ Even When Justice Doesn’t

Last updated on: September 3, 2026 at 12:59 pm by DeWayne Hamby

0 Comments

Mark Wahlberg: ‘God Has Your Back’ Even When Justice Doesn’t 2026-09-03T12:59:58-04:00 DeWayne Hamby

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Mark Wahlberg has played priests, fighters, soldiers, and a lot of men who settle things with their hands. In “By Any Means,” opening Sept. 4, he plays a different kind of problem-solver: real-life Colombo family hitman Gregory Scarpa, the man the FBI allegedly pulled off the books when the law was not enough.

“By Any Means” – Mark Wahlberg, left, and Yahya Abdul-Mateen II star in Paramount Pictures’ “BY ANY MEANS.”

Across from him is Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Wayne Strider, a young Black FBI agent who still believes there is a right way to do the job. The movie, directed by Elegance Bratton, is a revenge thriller first. It is also a story about what people reach for when the system fails and what they twist when they want cover for violence.

I asked Wahlberg, who I last spoke to about his spiritual epic “Father Stu,” about that split. Faith is on both sides of this film. One side uses it in a dangerous way. The other—Wayne’s family—treats it as the thing that keeps them standing.

“Some people say you can have just enough religion to be dangerous,” I told him. As a man of outspoken faith, was it important for him to show the other kind?

“Oh, a hundred percent,” Wahlberg said. He called the family’s foundation inspiring: even through “very difficult situations” and “traumatic incidents,” they held a positive attitude.

“Having God in your life allows you to deal with a lot of different things and knowing that things may happen, but everything happens for a reason, and God has your back.”

That is not a throwaway for him. Wahlberg is outspoken about his faith, frequently calling viewers to prayer and faith. He stresses that conviction: inside a story about Klan murders, off-the-books violence, and two men who should not be partners.

Abdul-Mateen described the set and his back-and-forth with Wahlberg as a kind of sport. He was the straight-laced one. Wahlberg’s job was to yank him off that balance.

“It was really a game, and it was a fun game,” Abdul-Mateen said. “Almost like trying to get your partner to crack. That was really the negotiation between the two.”

He added that, “In the midst of the more dramatic parts of the scene, I think of this story, I think people are also going to relate to some of those fun moments as well.”

That negotiation is why the movie works when it works. You can feel them wearing on each other. By the end, Wayne has been pulled toward Scarpa’s methods. I asked Wahlberg if the current ran the other way. Did Wayne’s presence change Greg?

“I think for sure,” he said. “It was about really earning each other’s respect.”

Scarpa, in Wahlberg’s opinion, thought the assignment was simple. Come south. Crack heads. Restore order. Go home.

“When he realized just how complicated it was, the situation, the times, Wayne’s character, his family, and real people were living in at that time, he didn’t really understand the magnitude of the situation and the problem,” Wahlberg said. “He thought, ‘Okay, we come down there, we bust some heads, everybody goes back to being normal and happy,’ and that wasn’t the case. So, it was definitely an eye-opening experience for him.”

That’s the part that may stand out to others like me. It’s not whether God gets name-checked in a revenge thriller. It’s whether faith is something you pick up like a weapon, or something that keeps you from coming apart.

“By Any Means” is not a church film. It is rated for violence and language for a reason. Bratton is interested in what happens when justice is not clean. Wahlberg and Abdul-Mateen are interested in what two opposite men do to each other when the law has limits and they decide they don’t.

Two hours, I told them, did not feel long enough. I meant it. The pairing is that watchable, like an old school “Lethal Weapon” minus the banter. What I will remember longer than the tension is the argument underneath it, whether God is a weapon you pick up, or the presence that keeps you from coming apart when everything else does.

“By Any Means,” directed by Elegance Bratton, written by Sascha Penn and starring Mark Wahlberg, Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, Nicole Beharie, Josh Lucas, David Strathairn and Giancarlo Esposito, opens in theaters September 4 from Paramount Pictures.

Evangelical

Catholic

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II

About DeWayne Hamby

As a journalist for more than 20 years, DeWayne Hamby has covered the worlds of church and culture for a variety of publications and websites, including Charisma, Ministry Today, New Man, and Christian Retailing. He and his wife, LeAnn, live in Tennessee with their three daughters. Connect with DeWayne on social media—http://www.facebook.com/dewaynehamby and www.twitter.com/dewaynehamby. You can read more about the author here.

Previous Post

August 31, 2026

'Newsboy' John James Returns with New Book, Music

Next Post

September 7, 2026 DOE’s ‘Shiloh’ honors faith, family, and legacy

Recent Comments

0 | Leave a Comment

"Trying to find tickets but there are none."

raphael

“Beyond Belief”: Petra’s 80s Rock Hits ..."

"This is a well - written and insightful article. The points you covered are very ..."

Jobs

New Angel Studios Good Samaritan Film ..."

"Why are so many people trying to normalize this vile behavior. He was a racist, ..."

CarletteHarris0731

Wrestling Champ Hulk Hogan Brought His ..."

"He was a stone cold racist"

Jon Altman

Wrestling Champ Hulk Hogan Brought His ..."

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Comics Movies Music Plays and Musicals Podcasts Television Uncategorized

Select a Month October 2026 September 2026 August 2026 July 2026 June 2026 May 2026 April 2026 March 2026 February 2026 January 2026 December 2025 November 2025 October 2025 September 2025 August 2025 July 2025 June 2025 May 2025 April 2025 March 2025 February 2025 January 2025 December 2024 November 2024 October 2024 September 2024 August 2024 July 2024 June 2024 May 2024 April 2024 March 2024 February 2024 January 2024 December 2023 November 2023 October 2023 September 2023 August 2023 July 2023 June 2023 May 2023 April 2023 March 2023 February 2023 January 2023 December 2022 November 2022 October 2022 September 2022 August 2022 July 2022 June 2022 May 2022 April 2022 March 2022 February 2022 January 2022 December 2021 November 2021 October 2021 September 2021 August 2021 July 2021 June 2021 May 2021 April 2021 March 2021 February 2021 January 2021 December 2020 November 2020 October 2020 September 2020 August 2020 July 2020 June 2020 May 2020 April 2020 March 2020 February 2020 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 September 2015 July 2015 March 2015 November 2014 September 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 May 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 February 2012 December 2011 November 2011 August 2011 July 2011 March 2011 May 2010 April 2010 March 2010 February 2010 January 2010 December 2009 November 2009 October 2009 September 2009 August 2009 July 2009 June 2009 May 2009 April 2009 March 2009 February 2009 January 2009 December 2008 November 2008 October 2008 September 2008 August 2008 July 2008 June 2008 May 2008 April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 April 2006 February 2006 December 2005 October 2005 September 2005 July 2005 June 2005 May 2005 April 2005 February 2005

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who did Paul call "my true child in the faith"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

James Barnabas Timothy Silas