Roofman is a familiar story, following well-meaning, charismatic heroes who resort to ill-judged, desperate, decision making.
This sort of film has always worked for me. Films such as Catch Me if You Can (2002 ), Drive (2011 ) and arguably, Heat (1995 ) – as its characters were not quite as heroic - are indelible examples of it. Roofman is the latest film to carve out a spot for itself in this canon.
Set in 2004, and based on a true story, Jeff (Channing Tatum ) is an army veteran who struggles to provide for his family. Following advice from his former Army colleague Steve (Lakeith Stanfield ), Jeff utilises his military skills. This gains infamy for Jeff as ‘The Roofman’, due to his method of breaking into and robbing 45 McDonald’s restaurants across North Carolina.
Roofman is a significant swing in terms of tone and style compared to director Derek Cianfrance’s more sobering films, Blue Valentine (2010 ) and The Place Beyond the Pines (2012 ). The emotions in those films are so raw that they can feel upsetting to watch.
His latest is, similarly, a narrative where the protagonist navigates valleys and troughs, but the light, breezy tone makes this more palatable than his accomplished, but solemn, previous works.
The characterisation of Jeff, and Tatum’s performance, are major reasons why this film works. Despite his movie star handsomeness and impressive physique, Tatum has a talent for playing goofy, awkward troublemakers: The type of guy that’s fun to be around, but likely to lead you down a bad path.
The film follows Jeff’s reckless abandon with kinetic energy. Once Jeff settles down in a Toys ‘R’ Us store, Tatum’s stuntwork and comedic timing combined with the film’s use of montages, soundtrack and editing, makes for entertaining sequences.
I found the specificity of setting the film in small-town North Carolina to be extremely inviting. Particular attention is given to capturing period-accurate video games and technology. It is a subtly transportive film as a result, and that is comforting, in a nostalgic way, from familiar Xbox video games or Solitaire an old Windows computer, to poor quality televisions.
And while the film is enjoyable for manipulating our sense of nostalgia, it also has an emotional weight drawn from the chemistry between Jeff and Leigh (Kirsten Dunst ).
Dunst is a highly regarded actress with some great performances, often exceeding what is written on the page to make her characters more impactful. (See Fargo: Season 2, The Power of the Dog ).
She has an everywoman sensibility that makes her perfect for any sort of character, and here she portrays a single mother of two daughters, doing what she can to get by; upholding values preached by her local church, and ultimately trying to do what’s best.
This story is not new, and many will predict its resolution. A lesser film would lose one’s attention, but I was surprised just how emotionally involved I was. The stakes are elegantly developed and the pacing is well-judged. This might be one of the surprisingly great films of the year.
In Galway cinemas now.
