4K Review | Roofman (Ultra HD 4K Blu-ray)

Jump to a section

Plot: What’s it about?Video: How does it look?Audio: How does it sound?Supplements: What are the extras?The Bottom Line

Plot: What’s it about?

Longtime readers of this site might know that I have somewhat of an odd fascination with “true life” things that find their way to the big screen. That’s an odd way of saying that these things fascinate and/or intrigue me. Truthfully, I suppose nearly every film or TV series has at least some shred of “truth” that inspired it, but I’m talking about things that I remember reading about or seeing as they were happening only to see them depicted on screen later. Ironically, I don’t have any dedicated memories of what happened with Jeffrey Manchester, but after seeing this film and then doing some research, well yeah – there it was. So films like this, Julie & Julia, I, Tonya and Moneyball (to name a few) are among my favorite movie-watching experiences. Adding some fuel to that fire, we find director Derek Cianfrance who had a duo of films in the early 2010’s with Blue Valentine and The Place Beyond the Pines. The elements are in place, let’s get started.

Jeff Manchester (Channing Tatum) is a basically decent guy who loves and cares for his family. He’s stuck in somewhat of a rut. Early on in the film we see him apprehended at his child’s birthday party and sentenced to jail where he summarily escapes (albeit months or years later, it’s never really said). As it turns out Jeff had a habit of breaking into restaurants, namely McDonalds, by entering through the roof (hence the film’s name). He’d wait for the employees to come in the next morning, rob them of the deposit, put them in the freezer and call the cops. This worked for him dozens of times. However he’s now hold up at a Toys “R” Us hiding in plain sight while the heat on him cocols down. Surviving on baby food and M&M’s, Jeff eventually ventures out into society where he befriends Leigh (Kirsten Dunst), an employee of the toy store and a single mother actively involved in her church. He masquerades as a federal employee and has eventual plans to jettison the country with the help of his two partners-in-crime: Steve (LaKeith Stanfield) and Michelle (Juno Temple). The thing is, he now finds himself attracted to Leigh and has gotten involved in her family. What’s an ex-con avoiding the law and trying to escape the country supposed to do?

This is a fun movie. It’s not trying to make a statement, there’s really no “greater purpose” for it other than to entertain. I’m always reminded of how flexible an actor Channing Tatum really is seeing him turnin comedic, dramatic and even great performances as a villain (Blink Twice comes to mind). And, as always, the lovely Kirsten Dunst is always a welcome addition to any cast. Admittedly, I was a bit smitten with the whole story, so as I alluded to earlier I did do some research. Some creative liberties were taken, of course, for instance he was actually in an abandoned Circuit City store and so forth. But seeing some interviews with the real Leigh on the supplements really brought things home. Roofman won’t change your life, but it’ll make you appreciate what you do have. And I’ll never look at the roof of a McDonald’s the same again.

Video: How does it look?

Roofman lands on 4K and Blu-ray sporting a very smart-looking 2.39:1 HEVC 4K image. Truthfully, there are films that take advantage of the 4K format more than this movie did, it has some moments but it’s not one that’ll showcase the limits of your setup. That being said, the image is nearly flawless with razor sharp detail, the aisles of a Toys “R” Us have never looked more defined than they do here. The film also has a muted look to it, namely due to most of it taking place indoors. The transfer holds up nicely, but again – it’s good-looking, but not something like Dune that’ll make your jaw drop. Nevertheless, the film delivers on the looks which is all that really matters.

Audio: How does it sound?

Ah, Paramount and TrueHD – a match made in heaven. Ok, not really. Like the film’s video presentation, it’s good-looking and as such, this sounds as we might expect – good. There are several atmospheric elements at play here, namely the “hustle and bustle” of the store, some traffic and in the film’s early act, some foot traffic. Vocals are nice, clear and crisp with surround offering up some ambiance. I wouldn’t use the term run-of-the-mill, but it does its job and does it well. No complaints.

Supplements: What are the extras?

Based On Actual Events And Terrible Decisions – Go behind the scenes with the cast and crew as they uncover the unbelievable story of Jeffrey Manchester.
Chasing The Ghosts: The Director’s Method – Join director Derek Cianfrance for an in-depth exploration of his documentarian approach to crafting Roofman, offering a rare glimpse into his filmmaking process.
A Good Place To Hide – Discover the playmakers who recreated an actual Toys “R” Us and brought the set to life.
Driving Lesson – See Kirsten Dunst give her on-screen teenage daughter, Lily Collias, an actual driving lesson.
Choir Practice – Watch Uzo Aduba lead a lively church choir rehearsal.
Deleted and Alternate Scenes – Eight scenes total (both alternate and deleted) are included, totaling nearly 10 minutes.
- Duane Interview (Deleted)
- Long Timers and Lifers (Deleted)
- Jeff Puts on His Costume (Deleted)
- Jump (Deleted)
- Punch the Turkey (Deleted)
- John Agrees to Cut Dee’s Bangs (Deleted)
- Leigh Calls John (Alternate)

The Bottom Line

There’s a lot to like about Roofman. It’s a fun movie based on true-life events which are among the most satisfying to watch. Channing Tatum and Kirsten Dunst both deliver great performances and the disc is loaded with enough extras to warrant a purchase. The A/V specs are on the mark as well.