Roofman

Stranger than fiction. That’s the phrase that springs to mind when thinking of the true story behind Derek Cianfrance’s Roofman — that of army veteran Jeffrey Manchester (played by Channing Tatum), who committed a spree of robberies through the late ’90s and early ’00s by hacking into the roofs of over 40 McDonald’s restaurants, went to prison, escaped by stowing under a truck, and hid in a North Carolina Toys R Us store for months. An unbelievable crime caper with a compelling central character, it provides fertile ground for a gritty but heartfelt big-screen adventure.

Manchester’s idiosyncrasies make you warm to him straightaway: introducing himself to the McDonald’s staff by bellowing, “Good morning, team!”; offering them his coat as he locks them in the freezer; bouncing on trampolines in a pink feather boa to evade the police. He feels like a real one-of-a-kind person, struggling to behave and assimilate after serving his country, but a genius when it comes to observing details that allow him to commit his crimes. Even in his most unethical moments, you’re never not on Jeffrey’s side. His motivations around providing for his family feel a bit too neatly packaged at the start, but are given depth as the script explores Jeffrey’s insecurities and compulsive generosity.

The lovely but doomed romance between [Tatum's] Jeffrey and Kirsten Dunst’s warm, newly divorced mum Leigh is pure magic.

Tatum is remarkable as the reluctant robber, channelling his leading-man energy and boundless charisma whilst remaining goofy and childlike. This role, despite all the peanut M&Ms thievery and Spider-Man bedding, feels like the star reaching a new level of maturity and restraint, effortlessly walking the line between comedy and tragedy. The lovely but doomed romance between Jeffrey and Kirsten Dunst’s warm, newly divorced mum Leigh is pure magic. The pair have a calm, easygoing chemistry that feels incredibly real; Jeffrey occasionally looks at Leigh with such wonder in his eyes, you’ll have butterflies.

The Toys R Us shenanigans are the main sell here, and there are plenty to enjoy — Jeffrey rolling around the store on Heelys, using baby monitors to spy on the staff, getting caught in the buff by Peter Dinklage’s gloriously obnoxious store manager Mitch — but Roofman goes deeper than that. Cianfrance brings all the intimacy and raw humanity seen in his previous works Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond The Pines to an altogether more humorous and outlandish tale, with the 35mm film and wistful, old-school score keeping every unexpected plot turn grounded in emotion and truth. Just like Toys R Us kid Jeffrey doesn’t want to grow up, you won’t want his unique quest for freedom to end.