As Jeffrey Manchester runs to evade the police, he reflects on the series of bad decisions that led him to this point of no return. Roofman (2025), directed by Derek Cianfrance, tells the incredible story of one of the most peculiar criminals the world has ever seen. Between 1998 and 2000, Manchester carried out between 40 and 60 robberies, most of them in McDonald’s restaurants. His unusual modus operandi earned him the nickname “Roofman,” since he would always cut a hole in the roof to gain access to the establishments he robbed.

With Roofman, there is no need to invent far-fetched stories—Jeffrey Manchester’s exploits are irrefutable proof that reality is stranger than fiction. On screen, Channing Tatum embodies the man who became a legend not only for his bizarre way of committing crimes but also for his courtesy toward the victims and for staging one of the most ingenious prison escapes while serving a 45-year sentence. And as if that weren’t enough, Manchester added an even more surreal chapter to his life: he spent six months hiding in a toy store, while at the same time building a new identity in North Carolina, attending church, and starting a romantic relationship.

Derek Cianfrance does what he does best: telling a love story wrapped in chaos. Roofman carries traces of the filmmaker’s unmistakable DNA, bringing to mind Blue Valentine (2010) and The Place Beyond the Pines (2012). In those films, tragedy dominates with no room for humor. Here, however, misfortune is also inevitable, but it comes with a lighter tone. We connect with the characters through humor, and even though we are destined to cry with them, we laugh along the journey. Channing Tatum as Jeffrey Manchester and Kirsten Dunst as his love interest Leigh Wainscott are the backbone of the cast, their on-screen chemistry both convincing and endearing.

Without a doubt, the charm of Roofman lies in the combination of an incredible true story and Channing Tatum’s magnetic presence. Cianfrance delivers an effective and daring staging. We may already know the details of this criminal’s life, but the way the director tells the story keeps the suspense at a high level from the opening sequence to the very end. It is impossible not to feel empathy for this man who makes mistake after mistake but radiates an almost naïve nobility.

Roofman blends the absurd with the emotional, where laughter collides with tragedy, becoming more than the story of an eccentric criminal. It is a reflection on life, on a man and his poor choices, a portrait of the human need for redemption, for atoning sins, and for finding a true path forward.