A great film by Kelly Reichardt, in which the overall look (costumes, locations, cinematography) and its jazzy soundtrack set the perfect tone for what becomes an excellent first act, culminating in the art‑museum robbery; a strong second act, where we see the immediate consequences of the heist orchestrated by James Blaine “JB” Mooney (Josh O’Connor); and a fantastic resolution in which, as soon as the character does something morally reprehensible (beyond the robbery itself), karma strikes.

If the film falls short of being flawless, it is largely due to the treatment of the people surrounding James. On one hand, his accomplices are unfortunately too conventional for their own good; on the other, his family is fantastic but too underused, leaving us wanting more, especially from his two children.

The weakest element, however, is the section in which James becomes a fugitive, essentially the entire third act. While still engaging, by this point the story has hooked us enough to care about this pathetic character and to wonder how he will manage to get by, a great deal of the fun and energy dissipates. You find yourself thinking more about how it will end than actually enjoying the journey

Even so, O’Connor’s strong performance keeps you invested, and you begin to notice that the film’s biggest irony is already hidden in its title. James, whom we might label “The Mastermind”, possesses nothing of the sort. You root for him almost in spite of yourself, because of his cluelessness, sloppiness, ridiculousness, and evident lack of planning. You may initially think he has a well‑worked‑out plan for the robbery, but then it hits you: how could he possibly believe they would go unnoticed through the museum’s front door with those big-ass bags!? You might also assume he withholds information from his accomplices out of fear of being double‑crossed, but it is simply because he has no idea what the next step should be. This becomes painfully clear when his father, a patron of the arts, remarks that he himself knows little about that world; James takes it as a joke, but we understand it was his only hope. Even when he has to explain himself for his acts, he barely knows what to say.

All in all, O’Connor’s excellent portrayal of the masterless‑minded James, set within a nearly masterful world built by Reichardt, results in The Mastermind being a strong, dramatic, and darkly funny crime film, one that only loses a bit of its flair when it leans too heavily into genre tropes.