Written by Sam Clark

Certificate: 15

Running time: 125 minutes

Director: Derek Cianfrance

Roofman is one of those films that proves just how much fun can be had with true stories, and the crazier they are, the better. This also proved to me that it's always the events you had never heard of that make for the best entertainment. Derek Cianfrance writes and directs here, his previous including The Place Beyond the Pines, Blue Valentine and Sound of Metal. We follow Jeffrey Manchester (Channing Tatum), who is a divorced former army officer, struggling to raise his children.

He is unsure what to do with his life and is looking for work, which is where his friend LaKeith Stanfield suggests that he should puts his observational skills to good use. He then turns to robbing various McDonald's chains across the states by breaking in through the roof, earning the nickname ''roofman''. He is then caught and sentenced to 45 years in prison. Whilst locked up, he uses said skills and breaks out and must find somewhere to lay low. He spots a local Toys R Us which he then uses for hiding over the course of the next few months. Jeffrey conceals himself within the walls of the store, using various items from the shop for comfort, and survives by eating packets of M&M's sold there (his next trip to the dentist will be a painful one). To stay extra secure, he also installs various baby monitors around the place to stay undercover, watching employees and customers go about their business. 

Kirsten Dunst plays one of the employers Leigh, overseen by her boss Peter Dinklage who is rude, cold and nasty to his workers. Jeffrey overhears a conversation between the two in which she invites him to a gathering at her local church in which toy donations are welcome, to which Dinklage sneers at and dismisses. Tatum finds a flyer left behind by Leigh and seizes an opportunity to do some good. He gathers a collection of toys and attends the church. Here, he meets her and throughout the course of the film forms a bond with her and her two daughters, trying to start something resembling a new life whilst being a wanted fugitive - but how long can this go on before things go wrong and they find out?

Since I had no knowledge of the story beforehand, I can only go off of what the film depicts. Jeffrey is shown to be a very warm and likeable character and individual, beloved by those he meets and comes into contact with. Despite committing these crimes, he still seemed to be someone people got along with. Tatum does that well here and speaks his talent and skill of portraying characters who are funny and charming and easy to get on board with. Kirsten Dunst is also good here as you watch the sparks fly between them with some believable chemistry. 

LaKeith Stanfield and Peter Dinklage are also entertaining despite limited screen time. But Cianfrance's previous work does include downtrodden life dramas and thrillers and even though there's an element of that here, the fact that Roofman is as enjoyable silly and whacky as it is is very much to the film's credit. The scene of Tatum running out of the stores bathroom entirely nude, which is shown in the trailer, is incredible giggle worthy but does manage to work in the moment (hat's off to him for putting himself of display that much - he is ''Magic Mike'' after all). 

But as the walls keep closing in on Jeffrey throughout the film, things get increasingly more tense and I found myself becoming more and more intrigued as to how things are going to play out. The crazier a true story is, the more bang for your buck you will get which is what Roofman offers. I did every so slightly start to feel the 125 minute running time, but at no point does it slow down too much and does remember to keep the pace up. Some parts are also slightly too glossed over and not quite given as much detail as the story requires, and part of me felt as though the film was forcing us to just believe what was happening and expecting us to buy into it. I'm sure there are more insane adventures that have happened in the real world that I do not know about, and if Roofman is anything to go by, I'm all for it. 

Roofman is in cinemas now.