The Mastermind Review: Minimalist Heist Film

Josh O’Connor’s family man plans an art robbery in The Mastermind, Kelly Reichardt’s take on a heist film that is intriguing in its minimalism.

But what will J.B. do when he has to look after his sons? Where will he put the paintings once they’re taken? And why on Earth has he chosen to rob the museum in broad daylight? When things inevitably start to unravel, J.B. goes on the run and hides out with old friends Fred (John Magaro, First Cow) and Maude (Gaby Hoffmann, C’mon, C’mon).

The Mastermind is the latest film from writer/editor/director Kelly Reichardt. The indie auteur is a big figure in the slow cinema movement, characterised by limited dialogue, lingering takes and an observational lens. It has defined her takes on genre, from the Western (Meek’s Cutoff) to the eco-thriller (Night Moves). And it continues with a heist film that dispenses with the heist very early on to focus on the fallout. As Reichardt says in the press notes, “It’s an aftermath, an unravelling film.” Her penchant for minimalism won’t be to everyone’s tastes, and you could argue that The Mastermind fizzles out towards the end. However, it is a film that becomes intriguing because of the restrained steps it takes while threading through a political undercurrent.

It helps that the art heist itself is wonderfully put together. Precise and detailed where J.B. is careless, Reichardt proves she has care for the genre trademarks whilst toying with them slightly, putting in all these obstacles in J.B.’s mission. The getaway driver abandons ship just before. A policeman stops nearby to have his lunch. Patrons walk in on the robbers. It highlights how a plan can quickly go awry – even one as deeply flawed as this. It is also accompanied by a phenomenal score by jazz musician Rob Mazurek. Full of life and rhythm, the music is inspired by John Coltrane and Bill Evans, yet also feels closely tied to Miles Davis’s exceptional work on Elevator to the Gallows.

The film is in keeping with the grit of the early 1970s setting. Whether it is through Anthony Gasparro’s production design or costume designer Amy Roth, or Reichardt’s regular DP Christopher Blauvelt (who often uses slow 360° camera pans), beiges and browns are part of a muted yet textured palette that captures suburban Massachusetts and the autumnal, sometimes sleeting woods of New England. Of course, part of that grit comes from the disillusionment that America was experiencing with Nixon in power and the Vietnam War raging on. Reichardt drip-feeds that context into her story, from demonstrations at college campuses to war footage on the news. Clearly, this was an inflexion point for a country still in the midst of turbulent times.

And in the middle is a man detached from all that, who only joins (or even recognises) the anti-war protests when he has to slink away from the police. J.B. Mooney is a fascinating figure to follow. He is the son of a respected county judge (played by Dark Waters’ Bill Camp), but also an art school dropout who thinks dealing with his own business would be a waste of time. So he has become rudderless, coasting through life and borrowing regularly from the Bank of Mom (Hope Davis, The Phoenician Scheme). Then, as Fred says, he blows up his life. He leaves his family in the lurch for a short-sighted plan. And once his charm and middle-class privilege wear thin, J.B. is exposed as an individualistic, quite selfish man who becomes a lonesome drifter.

All this is articulated subtly (as is Kelly Reichardt’s speciality) and superbly by O’Connor. It is another great performance from the actor, who brings some of the same qualities as his turn in La Chimera. Like Arthur from that film, J.B. is a scruffy art stealer with pensive looks that could be read here as cowed or shamefaced.

Alongside a minor but impactful ensemble cast, O’Connor helps to form the authenticity behind The Mastermind, a brilliantly winding anti-thriller where Reichardt plays on heist movie conventions with some humour and considerate pacing. It is a deftly crafted film about a non-committed man with misguided hubris, seeing the consequences of his actions finally catch up to him. Whether they relate to his criminality or his apoliticism (or both) is left up to our imagination by Reichardt. Either way, as the deeply ironic ending shows, the walls will close in on J.B. until he is left with no way out.

The Mastermind will be screened at the BFI London Film Festival on October 13-18, 2025. The film will be released in U.S. theaters on October 17, and in cinemas in the U.K. & Ireland, Canada, Latin America, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, Australia and more on October 24.