The Mastermind (2025 film)

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The Mastermind
The Mastermind film poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Kelly Reichardt
Written byKelly Reichardt
Produced by
Starring
Cinematography Christopher Blauvelt
Edited byKelly Reichardt
Music by Rob Mazurek
Production
companies
Distributed byMubi
Release dates
  • May 23, 2025 (2025-05-23)(Cannes)
  • October 17, 2025 (2025-10-17)(United States)
Running time
110 minutes [1]
Countries
  • United States
  • United Kingdom
LanguageEnglish

The Mastermind is a 2025 heist film written and directed by Kelly Reichardt, starring Josh O'Connor, Alana Haim, Hope Davis, John Magaro, Gaby Hoffmann, and Bill Camp. The plot follows a suburban family man living a double life as an art thief in the 1970s. [2]

Contents

The film had its world premiere at the main competition of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival on May 23, 2025, where it was nominated for the Palme d'Or. It is scheduled to be released on October 17, 2025.

Cast

Production

In September 2024, it was reported that Kelly Reichardt would write and direct the art heist film The Mastermind. Neil Kopp, Anish Savjani, and Vincent Savino would produce for Filmscience, with Mubi financing the film and distributing in North America. Josh O'Connor would star in the film. [3] In October 2024, Alana Haim and John Magaro joined the cast. [4] [5] On November 13, 2024, it was reported that production had begun, with Hope Davis, Bill Camp, Gaby Hoffmann, Amanda Plummer, Eli Gelb, Cole Doman, Javion Allen, Matthew Maher, and Rhenzy Feliz having joined the cast. [6]

Release

In April 2025, The Mastermind was announced to be competing for the Palme d'Or at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on May 23, 2025. [7] [8] It will also screen at the 2025 New York Film Festival. [9] The film is scheduled to be theatrically released on October 17, 2025. [10]

Reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 88% of 34 critics' reviews are positive. [11] Tim Grierson of ScreenDaily considered that the protagonist's story "connects to something larger about an America losing its way". [2] Peter Bradshaw described The Mastermind as "quietly gripping" in his 4 out of 5 stars review of the film in The Guardian . [12] David Rooney  [ de ] of The Hollywood Reporter pitched the film as "an artful exercise in genre reinvention". [13]

Accolades

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)ResultRef.
Cannes Film Festival May 24, 2025 Palme d'Or Kelly ReichardtNominated [14]
Miskolc International Film Festival September 13, 2025Emeric Pressburger PrizeThe MastermindPending [15]

References

  1. "The Mastermind (12A)". British Board of Film Classification . August 13, 2025. Retrieved August 13, 2025.
  2. 1 2 Grierson, Tim (May 23, 2025). "'The Mastermind' review: Kelly Reichardt's sombre slice of 1970s Americana stars Josh O'Connor". ScreenDaily .
  3. Kroll, Justin (September 20, 2024). "Josh O'Connor To Star In Kelly Reichardt's Next Film 'The Mastermind' From Mubi". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  4. Kit, Borys (October 15, 2024). "Alana Haim Lands Back-to-Back Movies: 'The Mastermind' with Josh O'Connor, 'The Drama' With Zendaya (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  5. Grobar, Matt (October 24, 2024). "John Magaro Joins Josh O'Connor & Alana Haim In Kelly Reichardt's Art Heist Pic 'The Mastermind'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved October 26, 2024.
  6. Grobar, Matt (November 13, 2024). "Hope Davis, Bill Camp, Gaby Hoffmann & Rhenzy Feliz Among Final Additions To Kelly Reichardt's MUBI Art Heist Film 'The Mastermind'". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved November 13, 2024.
  7. Keslassy, Elsa; Shafer, Ellise (April 10, 2025). "Cannes Film Festival Unveils 2025 Lineup". Variety . Retrieved April 10, 2025.
  8. "The Screenings Guide of the 78th Festival de Cannes". 2025 Cannes Film Festival . May 8, 2025. Retrieved May 8, 2025.
  9. Rubin, Rebecca (August 5, 2025). "New York Film Festival Unveils 2025 Lineup: George Clooney's 'Jay Kelly,' 'Sentimental Value,' Park Chan-wook's 'No Other Choice'". Variety . Retrieved August 5, 2025.
  10. "Theatrical Release Changes for the Week Ending June 22, 2025". The Numbers . Retrieved June 19, 2025.
  11. "The Mastermind". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved August 21, 2025. OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg
  12. Bradshaw, Peter (May 23, 2025). "The Mastermind review – Josh O'Connor is world's worst art thief in Kelly Reichardt's unlikely heist movie". The Guardian . Retrieved May 24, 2025.
  13. Rooney, David (May 23, 2025). "'The Mastermind' Review: Josh O'Connor Lands on Kelly Reichardt's Precise Wavelength in an Understated, Funny-Sad Heist Movie Like No Other". The Hollywood Reporter . Retrieved May 24, 2025.
  14. "The films of the Official Selection 2025". Festival de Cannes . April 10, 2025. Archived from the original on April 10, 2025. Retrieved April 27, 2025.
  15. "Hungarian-related films at this year's CineFest". CineFest . Retrieved September 1, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link)