Reviews
The Mastermind
We’ve all heard of comic book fatigue, but lately I’ve been suffering from something else: heist fatigue. With so many bland, straight-to-streaming thrillers and formulaic cinema releases, the genre has started to blur together. That’s why The Mastermind came as such a pleasant surprise. It reinvents what has become a by-the-numbers format, taking a completely different route with a fresh and unexpected narrative twist.
From director Kelly Reichardt, whose filmography I’ll admit I’m not fully familiar with, The Mastermind steers clear of the Hollywood glitz and glamour typical of the form. Instead, it deconstructs it with humour and precision, focusing on JB (Josh O’Connor) in the chaotic aftermath of the robbery. Reichardt finds comedy in his ineptitude as he scrambles to evade the law, turning what could have been a straightforward getaway tale into something far more human and quietly absurd.
Unlike most heist films that spend their runtime slowly building towards one big payoff, The Mastermind begins with crime already in motion. We meet JB in a small-town Massachusetts art gallery in the 1970s, casually lifting a figurine from a display case while his wife, children, and a dozing security guard remain oblivious. With no consequences in sight, he sets his sights on a much bigger score: four priceless paintings from the same gallery. Backed by a smooth jazz soundtrack and a new spring in his step, he recruits two tough men (Eli Gelb and Javion Allen) to handle the heavy lifting while he waits outside as the getaway driver.
The robbery, of course, does not go to plan. The two men are caught inside the gallery, not by security but by a young girl who spots their suspicious nylon masks. As they flee, a scuffle with a guard and a tense encounter outside threaten to derail everything, yet somehow they still escape with the paintings. All that chaos unfolds within the first act, setting the stage for a film far more unpredictable than most in its genre.
You’d be forgiven for thinking, after that enthralling opening, that The Mastermind was setting up a rollercoaster of endless twists and turns. Instead, it is anything but, and deliberately so. Reichardt shifts focus to JB’s getaway and to his character, exploring the quieter, more absurd side of life on the run. As detectives close in, JB makes the difficult decision to leave his family behind, with Alana Haim’s brief performance as his wife well worth a mention. He drifts through the Midwest, hopping from bus to bus and crossing paths with old acquaintances. His encounters with Fred and Maude (John Magaro and Gaby Hoffman) provide some of the film’s most memorable and darkly comic moments.
The story continues to unfold alongside JB’s growing ineptitude as he bumbles his way towards the Canadian border and a sense of relative safety, accompanied only by Rob Mazurek’s sensational jazz score. Josh O’Connor deserves immense credit for making the character so believable. It is rare within this type of film for an actor to take on such an understated role, let alone carry its entire emotional weight, but O’Connor does so with effortless authenticity. While his performance may not be as showy as some of the year’s more glamorous turns, it is every bit as captivating for entirely different reasons.
The 1970s aesthetic remains a visual delight from start to finish. The gritty texture of the imagery could easily have felt harsh or overbearing, but cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt avoids that, crafting a world that feels both authentic and immersive. His work perfectly complements Reichardt’s direction, resulting in a production that is as visually rich as it is thematically sharp.
Upon release, some may be quick to label The Mastermind as dull, particularly those expecting a high-speed, adrenaline-fuelled spectacle. It is undoubtedly not a film for everyone, and that is perfectly fine, because it isn’t trying to be. For anyone seeking a fresh take on an overused premise, featuring one of the year’s best performances, assured direction, and a jazz score that will leave you smiling and tapping your feet, The Mastermind deserves a place at the very top of your watchlist.
