'' THE MASTERMIND '' TAP : FILM REVIEW SNIPPET

The Mastermind follows J.B. Mooney [ Josh O 'Connor ] in his attempts to evade the clutches of the authorities after he orchestrates the theft of four artworks from a suburban museum.

Husband, father, and the son of a judge, Mooney is privileged, directionless, disorganised, selfish and, it seems oblivious to the impact of the war in Vietnam, as conflict rages all around him.

His disorganisation is obvious from the moment he realises his children's school is closed for teacher's training on the day of the heist.

His privilege is clear when all he has to do is mention his father's name when first questioned by the police to get them off his back.

Even his attempts to convince his wife, Terri [ Alana Haim ], that he did this for her and their kids are  inadequate, as he stumbles into admitting he also did it for himself.

While on the run from the authorities, Mooney appears ignorant of what is really going on around him, from the young Black men who discuss their imminent deployment to Vietnam, to the news broadcast of the realities of the war.

Without spoiling anything, Mooney is, in the end, unable to avoid the effects of Vietnam on US society altogether.

In The Mastermind, Mooney hides out at the home of Fred [ John Magaro ] and Maude [ Gaby Hoffmann ], a couple with whom he attended art college.

Despite her activist past, Maude refuses to let him stay for longer than one night for fear of unwanted attention from the authorities.

The World Students Society thanks Gregory Frame, a Teaching Associate in Media and Cultural Studies at the University of Nottingham in the UK.