Roofman: A True-Life Tale In Need of Some Re-Direction (4K/Blu-ray)

The Film:

Writer/director Derek Cianfrance may not be a filmmaker with a household name, but chances are that you've seen, or have at least heard of, his most well-known projects, which includes "Blue Valentine," "A Place Beyond the Pines," and the HBO miniseries "I Know This Much is True." Looking at his filmography, the material he works with typically skews towards drama, which makes it understandable as to why he would eventually want to try something a little lighter. This brings us to his latest offering, "Roofman," a project that fuses together comedy, drama, romance, crime, and even a little action. Will his venture into new territory pay off, or will he merely discover that it's best to stick to what you know?

Starting in 1998, we meet Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum), a divorced Army vet who is having trouble providing for his three children. However, after his Army buddy Steve (LaKeith Stanfield) reminds him of his powers of observation, Jeffrey puts them to use in order to rob multiple McDonald's restaurants through the roof over the next two years, earning him the nickname "Roofman." He's eventually caught and sentenced to 45 years, but uses his special powers once again to escape from prison.

Out of desperation, he decides to hide out in a Toys R Us store, concealing himself in a small space during the day, but coming out at night for food and to set up modes of surveillance. He soon finds himself striking up a relationship with an employee named Leigh (Kirsten Dunst), whom he officially meets after stealing several toys to donate to her church's toy drive. He becomes quite attracted to her, and even tries to bond with her daughters, but as a fugitive on the run, how long can he possibly keep up the charade?

"Roofman" is one of those films that starts off with quite a lot of potential. We have a man desperate to provide for his children that turns to a life of crime, only to get caught, sentenced, and then pull a daring escape, eventually forcing him to hide in a rather unexpected place. At this point, the story could've gone in several interesting directions, including his escapades while trying to remain hidden in the store, having him actually be on the run again, or focusing a lot more on his attempts to get out of the country. Sadly, it takes the least compelling route of all of these possibilities by meandering into, and getting mired in, romantic entanglement, which ends up taking up far too much of the film's over-stretched two-hour runtime.

Naturally there will be those saying "But it's based on a true story!," which is true, so it's understandable as to why Cianfrance and co-writer Kirt Gunn would want to stick closely to what supposedly happened. However, when what actually happened doesn't really lead anywhere particularly captivating, that's when it becomes clear that a little artistic license needs to be utilized. By getting bogged down in the romantic entanglement aspect of the story, it robs it of the opportunity to do anything that would really grab the audience and get them engaged in the narrative, inevitably becoming somewhat self-defeating as it tries to keep their interest.

Even with all that said, "Roofman" is not really a bad film, it's just that some better choices needed to be made (which is rather ironic given that that's a recurring theme in this story). There was indeed a fair amount of potential here, and the filmmakers do successfully tap into some of it, but unfortunately they weren't prepared to take it all the way, ultimately leading to a curious genre mix that gets held back a little too much by some poor decisions and an unwillingness to fix the issues with its narrative.

Video/Audio:

This edition of "Roofman" comes with the film on both 4K (2160p, UHD) and Blu-ray (1080p, HD) in 2.39:1 transfers of outstanding quality, featuring a picture that's perfectly clear & sharp throughout the entirety of its 125-minute duration. Likewise, the 5.1 Dolby TrueHD audio tracks are marvelous, giving you all of the dialogue & music in fantastic quality. Overall, Paramount has done an excellent job in both departments for the film's physical debut.

Special Features:

Based on Actual Events and Terrible Decisions (14 Minutes): A featurette that takes a look at the story behind the film and how it came about.

Chasing the Ghosts: The Director's Method (12 Minutes): A featurette that focuses on Derek Cianfrance.

A Good Place to Hide (9 Minutes): A featurette that explores how the designers recreated a Toys R Us.

Driving Lesson (3 Minutes): A quick discussion of the driving lesson.

Choir Practice (1 Minute): A very quick look at one of the choir's rehearsals.

Deleted and Alternate Scenes (7 Sequences, 8 Minutes)

Conclusion:

Derek Cianfrance's "Roofman" had quite a lot of potential in its true-life story of a criminal on the run, but sadly the tale takes the path of least engagement, getting bogged down in romantic entanglement that may indeed have been how the story actually happened, but which ultimately doesn't make for a particularly captivating experience.

Score: 3/5

Now available on 4K/Blu-ray.

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