On the one hand, there is the Vietnam War and an era where people are encouraged to pick a side. On the other, there is the American Dream of spontaneous riches and the ideal of a man who schemes out his own success, regardless of the rules. JB (the excellent Josh O’Connor), the protagonist of Kelly Reichardt’s film, chooses the latter. He decides to become an art thief without any real qualifications for the job apart from his scruffy charm and the confidence afforded by his middle-class upbringing. He plans to plunder the art collection of a small local museum unbeknownst to his wife, children and parents.
The Mastermind is the antithesis to the cocky world of heist films like Ocean’s Eleven. It drags the self-important individualist away from the neon lights of the casino onto gray pavement and from the high life to a barn hayloft, where JB tries to hide his loot in the film’s most delightful scene. Reichardt’s crime film brings a fresh standard of realism where actions have consequences and where the rogue is just a hair’s breadth away from a complete fool. Yet the protagonist’s bravado is punctured in a gentle manner, bathed in earthy tones and soft light.
Reichardt’s smile is evident from the ironic title of the film alone: JB may consider himself brilliant, but the audience sees the whole picture.
American director KELLY REICHARDT (b. 1964) counts among the quiet masters of contemporary cinema. She’s a major name in a filmmaking tradition where small is beautiful and the style far removed from Hollywood. The Florida-born auteur has set several of her films in and around the small communities in Oregon without seeming stuck in place or even using the same scenery. Reichardt’s Oregon films include the nomad portrait Wendy and Lucy (2008), the environmentalist thriller Night Moves (2013), buddy western First Cow (2019) and the metropolitan artist satire Showing Up (2022). The latter competed for the prestigious Cannes Palme d’Or, as did The Mastermind.
Kaisu Tervonen