LFF 2025: The Mastermind

Josh O’Connor is superb as a rudderless everyman out of step with his immediate environs and the country at large, in Kelly Reichardt’s funny, shaggy heist film.

1970s America has witnessed a generational chasm and a society torn apart by Vietnam. But JB is oblivious to these cultural changes as he bumbles towards a major art heist. Reichardt’s (First Cow, Wendy and Lucy) smartly crafted drama offers a sensitive political critique of our times, and a quietly thoughtful examination of what we owe ourselves, as well as our familial and social tribes. With its jazzy score, period detailing and nuanced performances, it’s a cinematic joy from the get-go.

Presented as part of the 69th BFI London Film Festival in partnership with American Express.