Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind (2025) offers an evocative portrait of its New England setting while paying smart homage to the gritty “New Cinema” crime films of the 1970s and the French New Wave, all at once. At its center is JB Mooney (Josh O’Connor), a disillusioned carpenter and failed architect who fancies himself a criminal genius. Eager to escape the monotony of suburban life and prove his own self-image, he devises a heist to steal four abstract paintings from the Framingham Museum of Art. What happens next turns the classic heist film into something messier and more interesting, underscored by a standout jazz soundtrack that serves as the heartbeat of the film.
R | US | 2025 | 1h 50m
Directed by Kelly Reichardt
Starring Josh O’Connor
