Director: Derek Cianfrance
Actors: Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, Peter Dinklage, LaKeith Stanfield
Genre: Crime / Drama
Rating: M
‘Roofman’ sounds like a bad superhero film, but is a true-story
retelling of Jeffrey Manchester (Tatum) and his robberies, and subsequent
escape from prison and hideout, defined by his charm and manners. It’s a mix of
crime drama, dark comedy, with an almost rom-com in there. Set in ~2005 in
North Carolina, we see Jeff rob a McDonalds via the roof, hence his nickname.
His motivations are shown, but still seem a little weak.
Tatum is good and has a lot of screentime, especially when hiding
out in a Toys R Us (lots of throwbacks in the film!), but love interest Leigh
(Dunst) is strong too, as well as her kids Jade & Lindsay (Colias) &
Dee (Moyer). There’s small roles for Mitch, the store manager (Dinklage), Steve
(Stanfield) as old Army friend, and his girlfriend Michelle (Temple). There’s
plenty of “why do that?” but also a bit of fun when he’s alone in the Toys R Us
– what would you have done in same situation?
It ends as you would expect, and is a little longer than
needed. Not as many laughs as I was hoping, and definitely not as upbeat as something
like ‘Catch Me If You Can’, but still plenty of enjoyable scenes. Definitely reinforces
the old adage of “life is stranger than fiction”!
Overall: Solid biopic
Gav’s Rating: 3 stars
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