It's 1970. The domino effect of May '68 has barely begun; protests are rampant. College students have been arrested en masse for opposing the war in Vietnam, the influence of second-wave feminism has reached its apex, and drug use is a political act. It is a time in which staying neutral is nigh-on impossible. And yet, for Josh O'Connor's JB Mooney ( Challengers ), a lack of ambition both professionally and politically is a defining characteristic. Instead, he plots to rob a contemporary art museum in Framingham, Massachusetts.

Kelly Reichardt's The Mastermind is not a heist film, but one dressed up as such. It is a vehicle for her political didacticism. Can anyone really stay out of politics, or is neutrality a nefarious myth?

The Mastermind Is An Indictment Of Political Avoidan

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