Review (Scott McCutcheon 16/10/25)
Roofman tells the true story of Jeffrey Manchester (Channing
Tatum), a former Army Ranger whose modus operandi was to cut holes in the roofs
of McDonalds restaurants allowing him entry in order to rob from their safes.
After escaping prison, he ends up secretly living in a Toys
“R” Us store for 6 months. During this time, he falls for Leigh (Kirsten
Dunst), a divorced mom who happens to work in the same store that he’s holed up
in.
There’s no doubting that Roofman is enjoyable but it has one
big flaw that hangs over the whole proceedings. Jeffrey Manchester (Channing
Tatum), the “hero” in the story is an armed robber who manipulated everyone
that he met and trying to portray him as some kind of nice guy is really hard
to swallow. He locks people under gun point in a fridge but then he gives them
a jacket to stop them freezing to death. What a wonderful human being.
Thanks to charming performances from Channing Tatum and
Kirsten Dunst, Dunst plays Leigh Wainscott a Toys “R” Us employee who fell for
Manchester’s charm whilst he was on the run and hiding out in her store, Roofman
is an enjoyable piece that makes for undemanding viewing. It’s just sad that
the filmmakers, in the name of entertainment, have chosen to make Manchester
out to be some sort of modern-day Robin Hood rather than the thug that he
actually is.
