In a sedate Massachusetts suburb circa 1970, unemployed family man and amateur art thief J.B Mooney sets out on his first heist. With the museum cased and accomplices recruited, he has an airtight plan. Or so he thinks.

A brilliant look at the folly of man, The Mastermind also features Alana Haim, Gaby Hoffmann, John Magaro, Hope Davis and Bill Camp. Rich in textured detail, this sly depiction of an era subverts long-held illusions and confronts disillusionment.

The Garden Cinema View:

Only Kelly Reichardt’s third film without regular writing partner Jonathan Raymond, she also leave the familiar surroundings of the Pacific North West for Massachusetts and Ohio. Whilst these might feel like departures for the Reichardt faithful, The Mastermind ultimately settles perfectly into her filmography. A heist film which features one of the most laid back robberies in cinema, and then a drifter film which evokes earlier Reichart visions of marginal US life such as Wendy and Lucy and even River of Grass. In fact that latter film’s debt to New Hollywood (Badlands in particular), remerges in the 1970s setting of The Mastermind, along with the loose crime and road trip elements that feel akin to John Cassavetes. Cinematographer Christopher Blauvelt and production designer Anthony Gasparro evoke New England fall colours, matched by the warm tones of the period dressing. Josh O’Connor adds another role to his growing collection of lived in, and clapped out, men. Rob Mazurek’s complex but laid back jazz score binds it all together.    

Cast:
Josh O'Connor, Alana Haim, John Magaro, Hope Davis, Bill Camp, Gaby Hoffmann