Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- quietly gripping
- contemplative
- melancholic
- quiet evening
- cinephile movie night
What critics said
Critics broadly praised the film as a quietly gripping, artful reinvention of the heist genre with broader reflections on an America losing its way.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The daylight museum robbery and subsequent flight are presented as an artful, quietly gripping alternative to conventional heist pacing.
Mooney is a failed architect struggling to make money while the story connects his drift to an America losing its way.
The four paintings are easy to steal but difficult for Mooney to hold onto after the robbery.
The broad-daylight museum theft, family pressures, and life on the run are handled in a measured observational register.
Films like The Mastermind, and why
The Friends of Eddie Coyle
quiet, character-driven crime drama centered on an improvised robbery and its consequences
Thief
measured American crime film examining alienation, failure, and life on the run
The Silent Partner
artful, understated heist drama where logistical pressures expose emotional and social dislocation
Movie Details
- Director
- Kelly Reichardt
- Release Date
- 2025-10-16
- Runtime
- 110 min
- Rating
- 5.7 / 10 (227)
Cast
- Josh O'Connor
- Alana Haim
- Hope Davis
- John Magaro
- Gaby Hoffmann
- Jasper Thompson
- Sterling Thompson
- Eli Gelb
- Cole Doman
- Javion Allen
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Mastermind about?
- A failed Massachusetts architect turns a brazen museum theft into an increasingly untenable life on the run.
- What is The Mastermind like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Mastermind as measured, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Mastermind violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Mastermind as mild.
- What did critics think of The Mastermind?
- Critics broadly praised the film as a quietly gripping, artful reinvention of the heist genre with broader reflections on an America losing its way.
- Which films are like The Mastermind?
- Films with a similar feel include The Friends of Eddie Coyle, Thief, and The Silent Partner.
- How long is The Mastermind?
- The Mastermind runs 110 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Mastermind?
- In United States, The Mastermind streams on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel.
