“Roofman” follows the real-life story of Jeffrey Manchester, a professional thief whose double life starts to unravel, setting off a compelling and suspenseful game of cat and mouse as his past closes in.
Performances Carry the Emotional Weight
In terms of delivering the unexpected, “Roofman” succeeds. On the surface, it’s covered in hilarity and absurdity. Once you peel back the layers, however, there’s an emotional core inside.
Channing Tatum (Jeffrey) plays a large part in this. Just with his eyes alone, he is able to convey a variety of emotions during different stages of the runtime. Playing a two-sided character, he brings both the physicality and dramatics needed. Time and time again, Tatum is asked to deliver on an emotional front – and he excels.
Kirsten Dunst (Leigh) plays a strong counterpart to Tatum. She has a more subtle performance, but also aids in giving the movie its emotional heartbeat. Other standout roles include LaKeith Stanfield (Steve) and Peter Dinklage (Mitch). While neither has an abundance of screentime, they still make their presence felt.
A Crime Story with Comedy and Conscience
“Roofman” isn’t your typical crime-thriller. It doesn’t fall into genre clichés – in fact, it’s not so much concerned about the actual crimes at all. But more so the man behind them.
This also becomes the movie’s biggest problem. Asking the audience to be sympathetic towards Jeffrey is a lot to ask, but “Roofman” relies on this over and over.
With that being said, “Roofman” features the perfect amount of outlandish to work… to some degree. With McDonald’s and Toys “R” Us hijinks stealing the show, the movie is nostalgic in a way. It brings the viewer back to simpler times, and these moments are atmospherically pleasing.
It utilizes these situations for comedy as well, managing to generate laughs along the way. Just as with the sympathetic nature of the story, this will cause a moral qualm for many… meaning “Roofman” is bound to be a hit-or-miss experience.
Ambitious Story Overstays its Welcome
“Roofman” is too long. At 126-minutes long, the film leaves no stone unturned – for better or worse. It dives deep into every aspect of Jeffrey’s life, and attempts to tie a neat bow in every single aspect. This makes large portions of the movie drag, as some elements are more interesting than others. It also makes the conclusion inherently simple, checking boxes to leave no ambiguity in its ending.
The plot itself is also fairly predictable, taking the twists and turns you’d expect from what almost turns into a “redemption” story. “Roofman” doesn’t have the stakes – or consequences – to be, well… consequential.
“Roofman” takes a real-life crime-thriller and flips it on its head with a comedic, drama-driven experience. Elements of this work, but it oftentimes asks viewers to give the criminal an over-abundance of sympathy. An all-around ensemble of talented actors make this watchable, but the lingering question – “why am I rooting for this guy?” – echoes long after the credits.
Rating: 2.5 out of 5
