Mubi Monday: The Mastermind (2025)

There are many things to enjoy in the filmography of writer-director Kelly Reichardt. She has been delivering movies for some time now that seem to find a unique perspective of a variety of different genre staples. The Mastermind is her own particular take on the heist movie (although you could argue that First Cow could also be considered in the same vein). I was eager to see this, especially when hearing some praise for it and knowing that currently hot property Josh O’Connor was in the lead role.

O’Connor plays James Blaine Mooney, a man who figures out that a local art gallery should be quite easy to rob. He cannot do it alone though, and needs to borrow some money from his mother (Hope Davis) as he tries to get the right people in place for the job. As many will already know from other heist movies, however, committing the theft is often the easiest part. Things get trickier when trying to ensure that you stay free and unobserved while trying to offload the loot.

A deliberately loose and jazzy film, in stark contrast to the many heist films that focus on precision and constant forward momentum, The Mastermind may appeal to those who settle into the vibe of it, but it ultimately proved disappointing for me. Reichardt wants to build a little bit of tension, but also wants to show how pointless the whole thing is the grad scheme of things, especially as the 1970 time setting allows for her to show many people busy protesting the ongoing Vietnam War. Inspired by some classic films and a real art robbery that took place in the early 1970s, Reichardt delivers a film that is inarguably in line with the rest of her body of work. It just doesn't really work as well as other times she has given her own interpretation of traditional genre fare.

O'Connor is very good in the lead role, although I think he's being inevitably carried along by the heat and energy of the spotlight on him right now. He's definitely an interesting and captivating lead though, and his delicate and precise mannerisms help to make the film more interesting than it otherwise might have been. Both Sterling Thompson and Jasper Thompson are a delight as his young sons, and I'd nominate them as real standouts ahead of almost anyone else in the cast. Alana Haim continues her film acting career here, playing Mooney's wife, despite having yet to prove herself the best choice for any of the roles that she's had thus far, and Bill Camp and Hope Davis excel in the few scenes they have, portraying the mother and father of our main character. Eli Gelb, Cole Doman, and Javion Allen are hired to help commit the crime, although none of them really make any strong impression, and John Magaro and Gaby Hoffmann are friends who may be necessary accomplices/allies after the heist.

I cannot fault the technical side of things here. Reichardt has a fantastic eye. The score by Rob Mazurek is also wonderful, perfectly in line with the bobbing and weaving nature of the narrative. I seem to be in the minority with my lack of love for this. I liked elements of it, but never felt immersed enough in the world to care about where things would go after the enjoyable opening scenes. Mooney is either too naive or too stupid as a criminal "mastermind" (and I understand the title and tag being an ironic one), but the film gives us too many real consequences for others caught up in his orbit to make it easy or satisfying to laugh at his constant lack of preparation or criminal savvy. 

5/10

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Mubi Monday: My First Film (2024)

There are times when I get irritated by films that are described to me as "blending fact and fiction". Sometimes it can be a very good thing, but sometimes you end up wishing that the film-maker had found a way to either present everything in a documentary or a feature film, instead of some strange hybrid. My First Movie is one of those in-between films, but it's one that I really enjoyed watching for the look at the struggles that can work against anyone, but especially a young female, as they try to get a film made.

Odessa Young plays Vita, a young film-maker who is struggling as she attempts to spin the many plates that need to stay moving while she gets her first film made. There are limitations that feel hard to work around, personal problems that affect the work schedule, and even a tragedy that brings things grinding to a halt (perhaps temporarily, perhaps permanently).

Directed by Zia Anger, who also wrote the film with Billy Feldman, this feels impressively honest and surprisingly upbeat throughout. The earliest scenes show our lead going through some moments that they respond to with a great mix of indignation and wit, and the main plot about trying to get a first feature made is a potentially depressing experience offset by the youthful energy and optimism of people coming together to make a work of art that will stand as their tentative first steps into the film-making business.

Young is very good in the lead role, equal parts politeness, patience, frustration, and near-meltdown, and the young cast around her are all just as good, whether they are playing central performers, crew members struggling to get the technical side of things right, or people who just seem to be wandering around a bit aimlessly until they can choose to be supportive or unsupportive when things get tough. 

It's interesting to consider the many ways Anger could have approached this material and the choices made to have it end up like this. There's humour, but it's not a comedy. There's pain, but it's not a tragedy. There's plenty of insight, but it's not a "how to" guide (or even a "how not to" guide). There's a confidence here, or perhaps a stubborn refusal to ever go back to the situation we see played out onscreen, and what is shown feels like a number of simple, unvarnished, truths strung together into a friendship bracelet that is best appreciated by those who have been through a similar situation.

I'll be interested to see where Anger goes from here. This feels like a catharsis, and that's a good thing, but it also often leaves people having to find their words again once they have turned to a new blank page. We'll just have to wait and see what happens. I'd also like to see what Young does next, but there's no wait required there (having seen that she is credited already in a couple of features released just after this). And if the two end up working together on something titled "My Second Film", well, I know I'll end up watching it.

7/10

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