The Mastermind

In 1970s Massachusetts, carpenter J.B. Mooney finds himself out of work and out of luck. So he turns to the only solution that makes any sense, which is, of course, making a little money by selling stolen art. He’s got a careful plan to pull off a heist big enough to turn his life around - what could possibly go wrong? Unfortunately, he’s just not a very good thief, and when it all starts to go wrong, the balance Mooney has been trying to maintain between his criminal and family lives is put at risk.

From visuals to soundtrack to sheer vibes, Kelly Reichardt’s latest is a sort of cinematic time capsule, both an homage to and a twist on the classic heist movies we all know and love. And if I had a nickel for every time Josh O’Connor played an art thief in a period piece released in the 2020s, I would only have two, but it is weird that it happened twice.

Cerys Bardsley