Masterplan has a premise that sounds tailor-made for a breezy evening watch: a legendary thief, a plan to steal the Mona Lisa, a team of specialists, and a family secret that complicates the whole operation. With Stanley Tucci leading the cast, there is every reason to expect a little wit and sophistication alongside the usual heist-movie mischief. Unfortunately, the film has more style in its setup than excitement in its execution.
Now streaming on Prime Video, this 2026 crime-comedy is directed by Thomas Vincent and stars Tucci as Roger, a master thief who brings together Chiara, an Italian cybercrime expert played by Simona Tabasco, and Jay, a French explosives specialist played by Victor Belmondo. The two recruits soon discover that their connection to Roger is far more personal than they imagined: he is their father, and they are siblings. Their job is to help him pull off an audacious theft of the Mona Lisa.
A clever idea that never quite takes off
There is plenty to work with here. A theft involving one of the world’s most famous paintings offers an obvious playground for elaborate tricks, close calls and unexpected turns. Making the crew a fractured family could also have given the story an amusing emotional edge. But Masterplan struggles to make these ingredients click. The heist rarely builds the kind of tension that makes you lean forward, while the family angle feels more like a device to keep the plot moving than a relationship worth getting invested in.
The film keeps adding twists, but surprise alone does not make a caper gripping. Once the story begins showing off how clever its plan supposedly is, it becomes difficult to care whether the next complication will actually change anything. The result is a movie that moves along without creating much urgency. You can follow the mechanics of the operation, yet still find yourself waiting for the fun to begin.
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Stanley Tucci is the main attraction
Tucci brings his familiar polish to Roger. He knows how to make a line sound sly and how to give a character a little mystery without overplaying it. Even when the material feels thin, his presence lends the film some class. He is easily the most engaging part of the experience, and the movie is at its best when it lets him work with that easy, dry charm.
Tabasco and Belmondo have the less enviable task of making the sibling dynamic feel natural while the script keeps pushing them through bickering, revelations and heist logistics. There are moments when the pairing has energy, but the writing does not give their relationship enough room to develop. The emotional beats arrive, but they rarely land with the weight the film seems to expect.
All dressed up, but short on suspense
Masterplan clearly wants to sit in the company of stylish caper films, with slick planning sequences, gadget-driven problem-solving and a playful tone. Yet the familiar ingredients are not enough on their own. The pacing is uneven, the humour is hit-and-miss, and the repeated reversals start to feel like substitutes for genuine suspense. A heist movie can be far-fetched and still be terrific fun; it simply needs characters and set pieces that make the audience want to go along for the ride. This one never fully earns that trust.
That is the disappointment. The Mona Lisa is an instantly recognisable target, Tucci is a strong lead, and the family-reunion twist gives the premise a potential hook. But the film never turns those advantages into a consistently engaging story. It is not a disaster, and viewers looking for something light may find a few entertaining stretches. Still, it is hard to shake the feeling that a sharper script and better comic timing could have made this a much more satisfying watch.
Final verdict
Masterplan is an easy film to start and an even easier one to forget. Stanley Tucci gives it a welcome touch of charm, but the predictable turns, undercooked family dynamics and lack of real tension keep the heist from becoming compelling. If you are a Tucci fan, his performance may be enough to make it worth a casual look. If you want a clever, genuinely gripping caper, there are better choices waiting in your watchlist.
Rating: 2/5
Verdict: A promising heist premise let down by a forgettable execution.
