Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Kelly Reichardt's The Mastermind Reframes the Heist Film as a Melancholic Character Study

Early reviews spotlight Josh O'Connor's performance, a jazzy Rob Mazurek score, plus evocative period visuals.

Overview

  • The Mastermind opened in theaters on October 17 via MUBI, following its festival run.
  • Set in 1970 Massachusetts, the film channels societal unease as it tracks a would‑be thief’s slow unraveling after a botched museum job.
  • Critics emphasize Reichardt’s deliberate pacing and genre inversion, staging a brief early heist and devoting the runtime to aftermath.
  • Josh O’Connor’s quietly magnetic turn anchors the film, with Christopher Blauvelt’s autumnal cinematography shaping its period mood.
  • Reviews note Rob Mazurek’s jazz score as central to the tone, with the film’s unflashy, reflective approach likely to divide heist‑thriller audiences.