Roofman

There are films based on true stories, then there are films based on unbelievable stories such as "Pain and Gain" with Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson--an outrageous story, and "Dog Day Afternoon" with Al Pacino. Now we have "Roofman" about a man who robbed fast food places entering through the roof--hence the name which remarkably was based on a true story.

Based on an unbelievable true story, "Roofman" follows Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum), an Army veteran and struggling father who turns to robbing McDonald's restaurants by cutting holes in the roof, earning him the nickname: Roofman. After escaping prison, he secretly lives inside a Toys "R" Us, which was managed by Mitch (Peter Dinklage), for six months in their hidden storage area, surviving undetected while planning his next move. But when he falls for Leigh Wainscott (Kirsten Dunst), a divorced mom drawn to his undeniable charm, his double life begins to unravel, setting off a compelling and suspenseful game of cat-and-mouse as his past closes in. 

Others to round out the cast are LaKeith Stanfied as Steve, Ben Mendelsohn as Pastor Ron, Uzo Aduba as Eileen, Ron's wife, Emory Cohen as Otis, Juno Temple as Michelle, Tony Revolori as Duane, Alissa Marie Pearson as Becky, Jeff's daughter and Charles Cummings as Truck Driver. 

This was humorously yet interestingly directed by Derek Cianfrance ("Brother Tied" '98, "Blue Valentine" '10, "The Place Beyond the Pines" '10, "The Light Between Oceans" '16) plus TV and shorts. This director was absolutely able to get Tatum in that place where he could dig deep to strive to find the persona and character makeup of Manchester, His staging and pacing were also well structured. It was well written by Derek Cianfrance ("Brother Tied" '98, "Blue Valentine" '10, "The Place Beyond the Pines" '12, "The Light Between Oceans" '16, "Sound of Metal" (story) '19) plus TV and Kirt Gunn ("Lovely by Surprise" '07) plus a short. What makes this story so compelling is that, except for a neighboring Circuit City that Manchester also used that wasn't mentioned in the film, the rest of it was actually fact. I do remember hearing about this on the news back in the late 90s and found it unbelievable to think that anyone would rob a business from the roof--quite bizarre!. But he did get away with it for months simply by "hiding in plain sight" where no one looks. He was smart; calculating, but his dpwnfall was that he was so nice to everyone he came into contact with. The script was created in a way that one almost felt sorry for him since he wasn't the regular hardened criminal. He was just desperate. It was cohesive and concise and the casting of Tatum was spot on. 

This is definitely one film that is worthy of the price of admission. It was dramatic, funny an adventurous all rolled into the same movie. The supporting cast, especially that of Kirsten Dunst was equally effective and the roll of Mitch as the Toys "R" Us manager was uproarious. 

Out of 4 Stars: 4                                     Rated: R                                          126mins.