Shadows on the Wall

Roofman

dir Derek Cianfrance
scr Derek Cianfrance, Kirt Gunn
prd Lynette Howell Taylor, Duncan Montgomery, Alex Orlovsky, Chris Parker, Dylan Sellers
with Channing Tatum, Kirsten Dunst, LaKeith Stanfield, Juno Temple, Peter Dinklage, Lily Collias, Ben Mendelsohn, Uzo Aduba, Kennedy Moyer, Melonie Diaz, Emory Cohen, Tony Revolori
release US 10.Oct.25,
UK 17.Oct.25
25/US Paramount 2h06

TORONTO FILM FEST

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So crazy that it must be true, this story can only be played for laughs, even as the underlying narrative is serious. Filmmaker Derek Cianfrance leans into the engagingly comical tone, which makes it both entertaining and surprisingly gripping. And at the centre, Channing Tatum gives one of his most nuanced performances yet as a likeable nice guy who also just happens to be a desperate, unapologetic criminal.

To fund gifts for his ex-wife (Diaz) and children, Jeffrey Manchester (Tatum) robs 45 McDonald's restaurants by drilling through their roofs. In 2000, he's arrested and sentenced to 45 years in a North Carolina prison. After a few years he manages to escape, hiding out in a Toys R Us store and spying on its manager (Dinklage). He also becomes involved with employee Leigh (Dunst), joining her church and befriending her daughters (Collias and Moyer). But his friend Steve (Stanfield) warns him that he needs to get away, so Jeffrey plans one last big robbery.

Cianfrance skilfully weaves the story's inherent absurdity into the script, then creates eye-catching imagery of Jeffrey living in the toy store, eating junk food and building a nest from which he can operate unseen. Over six months, he calmly overcomes obstacles while building relationships with Leigh, her daughters and the church leaders (Mendelsohn and Aduba). He's such a smooth-talker that no one suspects that he's someone else entirely.

Tatum's magnetic screen presence adds layers to the bracingly smart, flirtatious Jeffrey, who wins over everyone he meets, including his robbery victims. It helps that Tatum plays him genuinely as a man who isn't a criminal at heart, but simply can't stop breaking the law. So his relationships are honest. This creates sparky chemistry with Dunst's brightly engaging Leigh, as well as Collias' surly teen, who holds out against Jeffrey's charm longer than most. Each of the surrounding characters feels bracingly true to life.

This earthiness helps us accept the narrative's more ridiculous twists. So even while we laugh at the silly details, the larger picture continually provokes thought about how easy it is to be fooled by someone, and also the slippery slope between opportunism and career criminality. Much of this emerges in performances that are surprisingly open emotionally. We know there's no way this movie can have the conclusion we want, but it finds a delicately perfect balance in the end. And closing-credit documentary clips remind us that these are all real people.

themes, language, violence, sexuality 25.Sep.25

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