I’m Trevor with the Sasquatch Movie Minute with a 2025er review, looking at THE MASTERMIND, directed by Kelly Reichardt, starring Josh O’Connor. An amateur thief robs an art gallery and has to live with the consequences.

2 out of 5

This movie was a big whiff for me. I have enjoyed Reichardt movies before, ones like FIRST COW and MEEK’S CUTOFF, but this film left me feeling cold and indifferent. There was so much effort to make the lead character a blank canvas, that there was nothing for me to grasp onto in terms of motivation. He’s just a shlumpy idiot who makes selfish decisions and hurts those who love him. That kind of character just pisses me off. The quality of filmmaking is stunning, the hazy gauzy texture of the film truly evoking 70s filmmaking. I think part of the problem is expectation. This film promises a heist and you usually associate tension and thrills with that kind of storyline. Reichardt blands the theft and aftermath and while that is a CHOICE, it left me extremely dissatisfied.

Best Scene. There is a great sequence with O’Connor meeting up with some old friends, played by John Magaro and Gaby Hoffman. There are so many subtle agendas at play here; from Magaro’s sadly envious yearning, to Hoffman’s palpable disappointment.

Best Performance. I’ll go with Gaby Hoffman. Behind her harsh words, she is hiding affection and frustrated history. I was so frustrated at O’Connor’s mopey lackluster character, it was hard to see his performance. And another film where I can’t stand an Alana Haim performance, yikes!

This film moves slow and stutters, its hard for me to recommend. Only for the hardcore Reichardt fans.