Roofman is actually a somewhat entertaining film based on a bizarre but true story. Had it been thirty minutes shorter then it would have heightened the drama and made it much more engaging.
In the 1990s, Jeffrey Manchester convicted of robbing branches of McDonalds by entering by the roof escapes from prison. You guessed it, he enters the roof of a Toys R Us and hides out for 6 months. During that time he goes to church starting a misguided love affair before the butterfly effect ensnares him.
Roofman is quite entertaining and manages to tell the story in a well balanced manner. We feel a lot more pathos for the central character due to the script without it slipping into melodrama. The film gets lots of gold starts for the attention detail and the 90s nostalgia. The heists are quite comical, especially the one that Jeffrey ends up in prison for.
However, the pacing of Roofman lets it down making it feel a bit biopic by numbers. It needed ruthless editing. There are so many scenes of Jeffrey reaching for a packet of M&Ms whilst hiding out in Toys R Us which we just didn’t need. A sharper script and dialogue would have elevated this film. The reason why it is compelling is due to the powerful performance by Channing Tatum showing his range.
Roofman was released in cinemas in the UK on Friday 3 October.
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