Roofman is a story about deception, desperation, and the strange morality of survival. Based on the true story of Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum), the film follows a charming yet elusive fugitive who earned national notoriety for his unorthodox crimes. After escaping prison, Jeff reinvents himself in a small community, blending in while secretly living undetected in the attic of a Toys “R” Us store. He builds a double life. One as a friendly neighbor and the other as a man hiding from the law. Jeff then navigates the uneasy tension between reinvention and responsibility. Inevitably, the walls start to close in, and Jeff must decide whether he can outrun both justice and his own conscience.
What works in Roofman is Tatum’s honest, complex performance and the film’s gripping portrayal of a man living on the razor’s edge of discovery. Tatum brings real depth to Jeff. He avoids caricature by instead grounding him in human frailty. His performance captures the charisma that allowed Jeff to deceive those around him while never losing sight of the sadness beneath the surface. Director David Lowery (The Green Knight) treats the material with a quiet intensity. He allows tension to build organically rather than relying on flashy editing or cheap suspense. The story’s pacing mirrors Jeff’s emotional state. He is steady, calculated, and increasingly claustrophobic as his world narrows around him. The film’s greatest success lies in how it balances empathy with accountability, never letting the audience forget that Jeff’s ingenuity came at the expense of others.
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People who dislike the sensation of waiting for the “other shoe to drop” may not enjoy Roofman as much as others. The narrative unfolds with a slow, inevitable rhythm, and the outcome feels preordained. The tension comes from knowing that Jeff’s web of lies will collapse. The only question is when. For viewers who have experienced deception or manipulation in their own lives, watching such a character rendered with sympathy may feel uncomfortable. Lowery invites understanding, not absolution, and that moral complexity could divide audiences.
Roofman is a solidly engaging and thought-provoking film that lingers well beyond its final moments. It’s a testament to both Tatum’s maturity as an actor and Lowery’s skill as a storyteller that a tale of deceit feels so deeply human. Measured, haunting, and quietly suspenseful, Roofman earns its place as one of the more intriguing character studies of the year.
Recommended if you enjoyed: The Old Man & The Gun, Can You Ever Forgive Me?, and Catch Me if You Can.
Roofman is now available for streaming on most digital platforms.
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