‘The Mastermind’: Josh O’Connor Leads a Double Life in Kelly Reichardt’s Uniquely Understated Heist Drama

Sandra Miska

Art school graduates can often have trouble finding gainful employment, but in Kelly Reichardt’s slow-burning heist film “The Mastermind,” J.B. Mooney (Josh O’Connor) finds a creative way to put his degree and knowledge of fine art to use. Loosely based on the true story of the 1972 robbery of the Worcester Art Museum in Massachusetts, the film deconstructs the heist drama as it follows JB as he slowly transforms from a smooth criminal to a bumbling fugitive. 

J.B. does not have the typical pedigree of a criminal, and not just because of his educational background. He is happily married to office worker Terri (Alana Haim), and they have two little boys (Sterling and Jasper Thompson). His father, William (Bill Camp), is a judge who disapproves of his son’s sporadic employment as a carpenter. His elegant mother Sarah (Hope Davis) has more of a soft spot for her son, and we cannot help but feel for her as he swindles some money out of her. She has a deluded belief in the guy that only a mother could have.

After casing the museum during a family outing, J.B., behind his wife’s back, goes about setting in motion the robbery. This is 1970, so there is no sophisticated security system at the museum, just a sleepy old guard, but there are still logistics to be worked out. Predictably, things go wrong before he even gets to the museum on the planned day. His driver backs out, leaving J.B. to drive the getaway car. He goes to drop his kids off at school that morning only to learn that it is a teacher’s instruction day and he missed the memo. He gets rid of them a little too easily, throwing money at the boys and leaving them to fend for themselves in town (again, it is 1970).

Reichardt has some fun with robbery itself. J.B.’s accomplices, Guy (Eli Gelb) and Ronnie (Javion Allen), attempt to disguise themselves by wearing drugstore pantyhose on their heads. An older couple walks in on them pulling paintings off the wall, but mistakenly believe they are merely the cleaning crew. A gun gets pulled at one point, but they manage to make it out of there with four priceless paintings and no bleedshed.

The ensuing two-thirds of the film deals with the aftermath of the robbery and the eventual fallout. As it turns out, the title is actually ironic, because although J.B. is intelligent, he is no criminal mastermind. He ends up on the run, and spends some time hiding out with a pair of old friends, married couple Fred (John Magaro) and Maude (Gaby Hoffman). He and Maude have an interesting conversation in which we get a glimpse into J.B.’s past, but they do not get deep enough. Throughout all of this, news reports of the Vietnam War and protests constantly play in the background, but J.B., caught up in his own problems, feels so far removed from the volatile political landscape. This actually gives the film a somewhat timely feel, with the talk of a conflict overseas and demonstrations on college campuses. Eventually, everything catches up to J.B., but Reichardt gets us to this point in a way that feels natural, not in a contrived “crime does not pay” way. But, at the end of the day, crime does not pay here.

“The Mastermind” releases Oct. 17 in New York and Los Angeles, Oct. 24 in select theaters.