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Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind (2025) is a heist film in which the heist never becomes the point. Its unemployed carpenter, J.B. Mooney, plans an art theft in 1970 Massachusetts, and the film follows him as the plan loosens. In an interview with Lisa Wong Macabasco published by Vogue on October 20, 2025, Reichardt explained that she used the genre as a launching pad rather than a destination. She also described the period as a mirror for the present, though she framed that comparison as her own opinion rather than a settled reading of current events.
What the film is about
Josh O’Connor plays Mooney, an unemployed carpenter who becomes an amateur art thief. Vogue reports that the story is set in suburban Massachusetts in 1970. MUBI’s film page identifies the picture as a 2025 Kelly Reichardt film. Those two details are the reliable starting point: a small-scale crime, a specific time and place, and a director working in a quieter register than most heist movies.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
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| 1 |
![The Mastermind [Blu-Ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41av150h-wL._SL160_.jpg)
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The Mastermind [Blu-Ray] | $17.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Masterminds (Blu-ray) | $13.98 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
![To Kill A Mastermind [Blu-ray]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51e-Z3SAVQL._SL160_.jpg)
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To Kill A Mastermind [Blu-ray] | $17.49 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
![The Mastermind [Blu-ray] [Region Free] [4K UHD]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51pdbYgSb6L._SL160_.jpg)
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The Mastermind [Blu-ray] [Region Free] [4K UHD] | $39.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Masterminds BD | $29.03 | Buy on Amazon |
Where the story came from
Reichardt told Vogue that the idea came from a news-style story about four teenagers who were involved in a school art project and got caught up in a museum “snatch and grab.” She had been collecting art-heist stories for some time, and this one gave her a way in.
BFI Sight and Sound, in an interview dated December 8, 2025, linked the film to the May 17, 1972 theft at the Worcester Art Museum, in which two masked men took four paintings, including works by Rembrandt, Gauguin, and Picasso. The same report describes the film as a fictionalized, genre-shifting take on that kind of event. It does not present Mooney as a real participant, and the film should be read as fiction built on a true-crime pattern rather than a reconstruction of the Worcester case.
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- The Mastermind [Blu-Ray]
Using the heist as a springboard
The most useful key to the film is Reichardt’s description of what the genre was for her. She wanted, in her words, “to make a film that would use a genre as a stepping-off point and then go into a more open sphere with less guidance for me, as a filmmaker, and for the character.” She called the result “more of an unraveling film.”
That shift explains why the picture feels loose compared with conventional heist films. A genre film usually gives the audience a plan, a team, and a clock. Reichardt keeps the outline of the caper but removes much of the mechanical suspense, so attention moves to the gaps: what Mooney thinks, what he notices, and what he ignores.
Rank #2
Mooney and the world outside
Reichardt’s account of the character is one of the most direct statements in the interview. “This is a character who’s not really paying attention to the world at large,” she said. In her telling, the political and social context is present but sits in the background of Mooney’s life rather than driving the plot.
This is a deliberate choice about point of view. The film does not make Mooney a spokesman for its era. It shows the period through what surrounds him, which means readers looking for an explicit argument about 1970 will find something more oblique.
Rank #3
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Clothes, place and period detail
Reichardt says wardrobe does more than decorate the frame. In the Vogue interview, she described clothing that feels everyday: gifts from family members, an old favorite T-shirt, and garments shared within a household. She said clothes help the actors inhabit their characters and also establish where and when the story takes place.
For viewers, this is a practical guide to the film’s approach. The period is built from ordinary objects worn by ordinary people, not from a parade of recognizable 1970s styles, which keeps the setting from feeling like a costume exercise.
Rank #4
- 4K UHD & Blu-ray
Then and now: Reichardt’s comparison
The interview’s most debated passage is Reichardt’s view of the present. She said that when she made the film, “it wasn’t even the world we’re living in now,” and added, “I don’t think what we’re living through now is what we lived through in the ’70s.” She also described power as more consolidated today.
These remarks should be read as Reichardt’s personal opinion, given in an interview published October 20, 2025. They are not a neutral measure of current politics, and they tell you how the director understands her film rather than settling how the film should be judged. The headline’s question, “Who’s laughing last?”, remains an open one that viewers are invited to test against the story itself.
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Where to watch and buy
Availability depends on where you live and when you check, so confirm the current listing before you act. The sources below are the ones that support specific claims.
Quick Recap
| Option | Format | Market or status | What to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| MUBI film page | Streaming (watch option) | MUBI lists the film with a watch option; territorial access not stated in the source | Whether the film is available in your country right now |
| DVD and Blu-ray (German market) | Physical discs | A June 4, 2026 distributor announcement said MUBI’s German home-entertainment release was scheduled for July 2, 2026; Alive AG’s catalog lists both editions | Whether the release went ahead as scheduled, current stock, and disc region compatibility with your player |
| Other countries | Not stated | No release dates for other territories are established in the sources reviewed | Local distributor listings |
- Check the disc format (DVD or Blu-ray) and region code against your player before buying.
- Confirm audio and subtitle languages on the product page, since the sources reviewed do not list them.
- Verify stock and price directly with the seller; neither was established for this article.
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
